POST #4: Copyright

I was already aware that we could use things that are older (e.g. Shakespere) and that things must be minimally creative to be copyrighted.
I had not considered all the different ways that copyright comes into play in an online course. Although, I don’t teach online, I do have a website where I post assignments or links for students to use.  Adding a simple warning or disclaimer that the text is not to be saved, downloaded copied etc. can help a lot. Also, I should consider putting a password on my site. Students do have to enter their google password in order to enter it because it is a google site. However, I probably need to make it more private. I had heard before that you can use 10 percent of a document or text “fairly” but now I see that was a myth. Although it can work as a guideline it’s good to know that it can be more complicated than that. For example, it’s interesting to consider if you are using the “heart” of the document. This training has given me a better understanding of copyright.  

As I mentioned in my first introduction post, before teaching in a K-4 elementary building this year, for the past 13 years I was in full-time ministry as a worship pastor.  I dealt a lot with copyright in the songs that I chose for our congregation to sing.  Public Domain songs were always safe, but newer contemporary songs you had to be careful with.  I reported each week to the CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing International).  So I was always thinking about copyright in regards to music.  Now that I am teaching, copyright has taken on a whole new meaning.  When searching for media/songs to use in my classroom, I often just googled what I wanted.  But now that I have taken this course, I will be sticking to the AEA Online website.  In the long run...it is just safer.  The AEA resources have already been filtered/sorted so you have the confidence that you need without worrying about being in violation of copyright laws.  I also found the information on classroom use and fair use very helpful.  Even though I teach 4th graders, I think it is still very wise to teach them about what copyright means and how important it is to make sure we all abide by the laws.  

After going through this online class, I feel that I have a better understanding of the copyright laws and what I can and can't do.  I have been relying on google searches for several years now to find supporting material for my curriculum.  It has been extremely time consuming to go through all of them and find out whether or not I would be allowed to use them in my class.  After seeing the resources that AEA online has to offer, I will be going there first.  I know that anything that can be found there is legal to use and probably better quality than most of the things that I have been using.  Thanks AEA.

After going through the online tutorial concerning copyright it is clearer what is acceptable use and what is not.  Not only do our students need this topic covered yearly, but staff should be re-educated as well.  I have been to trainings at my regional AEA covering the topic of copyright and each time I hear the information, I take away something new or a better understanding of the “rules”.  Again, since I do not have a classroom, I could put together a presentation for staff during staff development to re-acquaint them as to what is considered fair use and what is not.  A similar presentation could be done in English classes as well. During the presentations would be the ideal time to introduce the AEA sites and expound on the advantages of using them as opposed to just Google.  My biggest struggle is in the music area.  I put together a number of video presentations throughout the school year that require music.  I do give credit on my closing slides and try to limit the length of the songs that I use.  I will explore Soundzabounds more thoroughly and find more music from there.

As a journalism graduate (MANY years ago), I had some rudimentary knowledge of copyright obligations. I invested myself to an extraordinary degree in stories I wrote and pictures I took. When I have encountered my work in places I did not authorize it, I always hunted down the source and got it cleared up. On the other hand, when I had a by-lined story I wrote picked up by the Associated Press one would have thought I had cured cancer, I was so proud.  

This training made me aware of copyright in the digital era and how the creators in this age need to be protected, too. In this era of "inadvertent plagiarism" by some of the rich and famous and the big-box availability of information that can be appropriated by students and others, copyright laws and regulations should be posted on the wall behind every copier machine and printer and in in every classroom. Ignorance is an easy excuse for the lazy and ethical teachers who innocently err in this area may have to pay a high financial and personal price.

I work in the music department of our church and we purchased a license to copy and use certain things.  We also purchased a license to show movies at church events and for school.  I am not very educated about searching on-line and copying anything.  But in my mind, I have been afraid to, for fear of breaking the law, because we didn't have a license for that.  After this section of the course, I realize there are things I can use in the classroom for educational purposes.  There are on-line things we can use and not break copyright laws.  The AEA resources are definitely the way to go. Personally, I would do better to have a printed copy of what copyright laws say.  It would be easier for me to find a filed piece of paper, than try to find it again on-line.  Then I would also have it to share in the classroom.  I have taught for a long time that is  plagiarism to copy someone else's words from a book, I need to also teach the same concept on line.

I have to be honest before reading the description of this class I didn’t think much about copyright issues when it came to online. I would just go in and Google whatever I needed songs, information and pictures.  I didn’t ever cross my mind that I could do it, it was out here so it should be ok, right?
Well it was great to get some clarification on copyright, public domain, and fair use during this online training. I feel like I have a better understanding of these.  In the future and starting now I plan to use AEA online as my first resource for searching for materials to use in my classroom.  In fact, I think through this resource I might be able to find things faster. Working with preschoolers provides me with not having to worry about students searching themselves for materials, only time on BookFLIX.  It is great to know that Iowa AEA online materials. Iclipart for schools, Learn360, soundzabound, and even Britannica Digital Learning will provide my students current, relevant, educational, legal materials.

The copyright module showed me how much I really didn't understand about the issue. I definitely lean on the side of caution with reproducing materials. However, with so many materials and ideas available on Pinterest these days, I appreciate now being more aware of policies and limitations.

Prioritizing the resources available through the AEA about a simple Google search just seems easier--and safer. I use a lot of clipart in my classroom and look forward to perusing through the iclipart site a bit more. There are more graphics available than I originally gave credit to.  

I also look forward to sharing these resources and information with my team.

Before reading the material about copyright, I always tended to air on the side of caution. I never felt that, just because I am an educator, I would have different laws pertain to me. I understand why educators have a looser set of restrictions though. Many writers write with the purpose of teaching others about a topic they are passionate about. What good would it do to publish a piece and hope that no one wants to utilize it to teach others?

I feel very comfortable using resources appropriately in my classroom, but I would like more information on how to best approach this with students. Often times, they will want to copy/paste information into their assignments. They are getting better at changing it into their own words and then adding the resource to the bibliography, but what is the best approach for upper elementary aged students? What will best prepare them for middle school & high school? This is an area where I feel like my knowledge base is out of date and a refresher course would be helpful.

After going through the Copyright Module, I have a deeper understanding of the laws and regulations about content on the internet.  It is very important that credit is given to those who have created a product of any kind.  Ever since I started teaching back in 2001 I have been an advocate for proper citations.  Every school that I have been a part of, the librarian along with others have given great presentations to the students over the proper way to cite their sources.  We need to make sure that credit is given to those who are constructing original works.  It can be time consuming to check every single student's bibliography.  One great site that a lot of teachers are using is turnitin.com.  This website will scan the students work to see if anything has been improperly cited or plagiarized.  When a student has plagiarized it is our responsibility to inform that student of their mistake.  At the high school level a student may receive a punishment of a reduced grade on the assignment but in a post-secondary institution the student may be expelled on the first offense.  It is our job at the high school level to help foster the need for proper citations.  The AEA online resource is a great place to go to find relevant and credible information.
When I use information from others it is important that I practice what I preach.  We as educators need to model proper citations in our presentations.  If the student witnesses us giving this priority then they too will see this as an important step in their research process.

When it comes to copyright, it's better to be safe than sorry.  This course taught me several new things I didn't realize I could do when it comes to digital media.  However, I'm still a little old school and always want to double check before i make a mistake.  If I didn't discover it or own it,  I feel I better double check things before I assume it's ok.
Copyright exists for a reason to protect and allow those that copyrighted something to financially benefit from it!  However, I feel it is important for me to teach my students what it is  as a means of motivation to encourage them to discover and copyright something!

I'm not gonna lie, I haven't been very concerned about the copyright laws, nor have I really taken them into consideration. (Don't turn me in)  I've often gone online to find videos that provide better understanding about a topic that I use in the classroom.  I can't tell you how many times I've copied things from books. Nothing was done maliciously, of course, but I just never put much thought into it.  Knowing that everything on the AEA page has already been cleared and approved, I will definitely go to these resources first to find what I need before venturing off in the world wide web.  This module definitely made me think twice about what resources I use and how I use them.  

Prior to taking this course I did not think much about copyright.  We had a memo come out talking about copyright and it got me thinking.   As an elementary physical education teacher, there are not many times that I had students doing things that would require me to focus on this area.  I would show a Youtube clip to introduce a new activity or play some music while we were moving.  I had to question whether what I was doing was acceptable or not.    As my school has moved to a 1 to 1 google school, it has become simpler to have students do assignments and collaborate with myself or others through Google Classroom.  Once I started having the students produce works that involved pictures or soundbites, I realized that I needed to make sure that the sources were legitimate and that they understood what they were allowed to use and the restrictions on that material.  Learning more about what AEA resources are available has allowed me to do more with my students.  

I was already aware that we could use things that are older (e.g. Shakespere) and that things must be minimally creative to be copyrighted.
I had not considered all the different ways that copyright comes into play in an online course. Although, I don’t teach online, I do have a website where I post assignments or links for students to use.  Adding a simple warning or disclaimer that the text is not to be saved, downloaded copied etc. can help a lot. Also, I should consider putting a password on my site. Students do have to enter their google password in order to enter it because it is a google site. However, I probably need to make it more private. I had heard before that you can use 10 percent of a document or text “fairly” but now I see that was a myth. Although it can work as a guideline it’s good to know that it can be more complicated than that. For example, it’s interesting to consider if you are using the “heart” of the document. This training has given me a better understanding of copyright.  

I have always worried about what students were downloading to their projects, but after going over the copyright module I feel strongly that I need to use the resource that our school has through the AEA
https://www.iowaaeaonline.org/. Learning about Fair Use, Public Domain, and the Teach Act has opened my eyes and made me think twice about how I have and should use copyrighted materials in my classroom. I will change my thinking on use of videos and audios in my classroom. I will also be using the Iowa AEA Online resource for most of my classroom teaching and research. It is scary to think of all the YouTube's and other media that many teachers have used in their classroom; was it legal? The Teach Act that was enacted in 1998 has restrictions, but it allows teachers to use material during their class as long as it is not an online class. The access to these materials ends as soon as the class finishes.  Teachers should warn students about downloading, printing, and saving since it would be against the terms and conditions of use. I will be more diligent about checking on my students where about's on the web.  I will be looking into the University of North Carolina Toolkit as a resource on the Teach Act. Fair Use has many criteria that I will need to keep handy for a guideline on my use of resources. Creative Common License was introduced in 2001; trying to make use policy easier and more beneficial to those using the materials that are copyrighted. There was so much information in this module that I feel I need to go back and read it again. As a person that does not memorize information like this easily I will have to revisit it often. This would be a good professional development topic for our school.  

I am such a novice at using material from the web that I don't have much of a comparison to make.  In the past, I have really only used YouTube to show students short videos related to geometric topics.  I will say that now that I have taken the class about Iowa AEA online resources, I feel that the risk of infringing on any copyright laws is certainly minimized by accessing material via the AEA sight.
In the future, when I assign students to research on the web, I would certainly feel that I have limited the risks of them infringing on copyright laws by assigning tasks via Iowa AEA online.

I have always thought of myself as having a fairly good understanding of copyright, but as I reviewed the issues addressed in the copyright module, I know that I and most of my fellow educators walk a fine line between following the rules of fair use and then risking copyright violation because we have found something that we know is "just right" for class--but it may not be "right" to use due to copyright law.

The beauty of the AEA online resources is that most of the copyright issues are taken care of. I know that I will spend more time with my school librarian as we create more "creative" and "digital storytelling" assignments that make use of works that may be on the edge of copyright infringement. With that in mind (and I really do want to do some work with digital storytelling) I will encourage students to use resources like Soundzabound, AP Images, iClipArt, and the AEA Digital Library. The material available on AEA Online is really cool; students will see this and use it (and I will require it!), and the students will learn about copyright along the way. Really, this seems to be a win-win all around.  

I also should base some of my assessment of the work on how "legal" it is regarding copyright. I may need to check my notes from the copyright module quite often! Maybe I can even have the students check how I am doing with copyright compliance!

Once I was finished completing the copyright section of this course, I felt I gained insight on what copyright in general means to me as an educator. For this section of the course it explained the different issues within the topic of copyright too. As an educator I have a better understanding of how the students and teachers can and can not use copyrighted material in the classroom.

When searching for images I will be utilizing the iClipart or APimages as a copyright free images for placing them online. When looking at the Iowa AEA Online resources it allows teachers to use without worrying about copyright issues. When teachers are using a Google Search for images its import to do an “advance search” to make sure they are looking for copyright-free images.

In the fair use section of this course put my mind at ease, providing insight in the materials teachers utilizing in their classroom on a daily basis. On the other hand, this course also reminded me of how serious copyright restriction are and how important it is to have the knowledge of these regulation as a creator.

To be honest when I use materials in my room copyright usually never occurs to me.  When I first stated teaching this did.  I believe this is because I have become complacent about it.  I feel this is due to how much is on the internet and it is used everyday by most everyone.  As a required class in college I had to take, we talked about copyright and I think that is why I was much more aware of the copyright laws.  It is unfortunate I have allowed that to happen.  With this said, I am sure I am not the only teacher who has allowed this to happen to themselves.  I am glad I took this class as it was a great refresher and eye opener for me.  In the future, especially with me changing the type of students I teach, I need to make a valent effort to make sure not only do/am I following copyright laws but that my students are also.  If I am not, how can I expect my students to.  I would make a suggestion to all, take time every year to do a small refresher on copyright laws.

As an online database trainer, I always discussed copyright in my sessions. It's very important for teachers and students to understand copyright and what can and can't be reproduced or used and how to cite or document what is used in students' papers in particular. Many teachers don't understand Fair Use, and consequently, think it can be used for everything in education. Fair Use is a flexible area and that makes it confusing to teachers some times. Teachers need to think about why, how much, the nature of the copyrighted material, etc. and make well informed decisions about what qualifies as Fair Use. Then, this must also be shared with students. One of the best things about the AEA Online Databases is that each one has very clear copyright guidelines, so teachers and students don't have to figure it out themselves or do a lot of research trying to figure out the copyright. If I had more training sessions, I would spend more time on copyright and give teachers written materials for themselves and to share with students.