POST #4: Copyright

The copyright module was interesting as I never thought much about the copyright for showing videos in the classroom when it’s so public on the web.  It was good just to go over the basics of what’s acceptable and not acceptable in this area.  I absolutely love that the AEA has resources such as iCLIPART where I can just go on there and find what I need and know that it’s pre-approved and ready to go.  The hard work has been done for me.  It saves me a lot of time.  I always go over plagiarism with the kids in class but I’ve more-so focused on printed materials and not copying and pasting what other people write more than I’ve ever talked about the use of videos.  I think that’s the biggest part that I took away from the module because I just never gave that much thought.  When I think of copyright, I think of books/magazines/pictures.  I know the copyright is on movies but I never thought about it being on video clips.  I’ve been much more aware of this since going through that module and learning what’s acceptable for private viewing and what’s acceptable for a classroom verses a public viewing.

Giving credit and payment to authors is important and should always be valued, especially by educators who are in the business of sharing ideas and embracing creative thought. It's nice to know, however, that copyright is not as restrictive as I thought. If going through the AEA Online site, copyrighted materials are more clearly labeled. Thus the risk of infringement is a lot less. Also, the information included on the AEA site is more trustworthy because the AEAs have done the work to only include sites with verified information. I am excited to be able to access the Teen Health and Wellness site where I can find information on sensitive topics that I know has been well researched and vetted.

Copyright is an exceptionally complex subject.  In a previous position I worked with legal documents a great deal, and I remember helping my wife decipher some of the rules and regulations surrounding copyright as she was getting her Masters in Library Science degree.  I will say the training in this course was much easier to digest.

During this course I did learn quite a bit, especially in regards to Fair Use and Creative Commons.  In the past I have seen both carte blanche usage of anything, and a fear of using any resources that might cause issue.  It is good to learn there are ways to use wide variety of resources legally while respecting the ownership of the creator.  

In my role as a substitute, I shouldn't have many opportunities to directly evaluate copyright issues as they may apply to lesson planning, but I do think I will have opportunity to assist students in their usage of resources in copyrighted materials.  I anticipate situations where students will be working on projects and request assistance in evaluating the examples they are using.

There is a lot to know about copyright and it seems very confusing to me.  I think that one of the biggest things I learned is that I can go to the AEA website and read up on copy right if I need to.  I think I will be more careful about what I use and will probably always check the resources on the aea website first to see if I can get my instructional needs met there.  There are a lot of resources available to me.  The difficutl part for me is that I use the internet for things that are not available.  I use stories that are signed in American sign language to provide stories in the primary language of my students, however I do not send out links, copy the links or download anything so at this time that is safe for me.  Since there are so many resources it will take me a long time to become skilled at using theis resource however I feel it is a safer way to ensure I am following the copyright guidelines.

After completing the copyright module, I have learned that following copyright laws are much more attainable than I originally perceived.  Iowa AEA Online has provided educators many resources that make finding credible resources available.  Using Iowa AEA Online will help when trying to find articles to use in my classroom as opposed to using search engines on the general web.  
As a Title 1 Reading Intervention Teacher, this is very beneficial to me seeing as I use articles and stories every day for reading and comprehension.  Using Iowa AEA Online has given me peace of mind knowing that using these resources we keep me compliant under copyright laws.  I am thrilled to know that I have these resources ready and available to me through Iowa AEA Online.  

It is true copyright to me is a topic that is confusing for educators.  I think the biggest difference between copyright information for the general public and educators is that at least for educators the rules are generally spelled out.  There are resources both national and by state that talk about resources for educators.  The nice part about Iowa AEA online resources there are the pages for COPYRIGHT BRIEFNOTES for Educators and Students.  There is a nice flow chart about making a copyright choice. There is also a copyright law summary and helpful hints.  These all help students and educators stay within the law when it comes to the use of copyright material.  I believe for the general public the copyright laws are more confusing.  This course has helped me know what the general copyright laws are for students and educators.  It also has shown me many organizations are trying to help educators and student use copyrighted material for learning and for the help of all students.  

I found the section on copyright to be both interesting and informative.  I didn't realize how subjective some of the criteria is when deciding if copyright laws are being violated, and that different types of media have different parameters.  The fair use criteria is helpful to the classroom setting, but it is also muddy water.  I think that if I were assigning a project where copyright could be violated, I would limit student use to AEA Resources where material is safe and secured by AEA.  If copying is an infringement, that wold be noted.  t is important as an educator to set a good example and honor copyright laws.

Going through this course and the Digital Citizenship course, I have learned a great deal about copyright laws.  From the time I have been in school until now, a lot has changed with the use of technology and the internet.  Heck, I didn't have internet until I was in high school and it was the annoying dial up.  With the technology that we now have at our fingertips and where it takes us, copyright is something that people are unaware of, both adults and students.  I see a lot of students and teachers create projects with materials that they are probably not supposed to be using.  I see a lot of time where students use videos, music, and images in there projects.  I never really thought about the copyright laws while helping students because they are pulling information from different resources on the web.  With the position I am in, I have never had students create projects, but I have used videos to assist students with information being real world.  This course and Digital Citizenship provided me with a better understanding of resources out there for educators as well as the regulations around Fair Use, Creative Commons, Classroom Use, and the TEACH Act.  The AEA has provided a great tool for teachers and students because they have taken the guess work out of the equation.  I am going to share these resources with my students and let them know what I have learned from this course to better serve them.  There was so much information that I have learned in this module and it will make me be a better teacher.

Before I took this online class, Using Iowa AEA Online Resources,  I believed that I knew all of the copyright laws for teaching my students.  Although I was close on many of the  copyright laws I did not realize them all and how material can be presented to my students in various forms.  It is nice to know I  can gather material off of the various websites that is provided by AEA and not worry if there will be an issues later on with copyright laws.  .The main problem I have found out is that trying to find information off of google sites off of the net, might be blocked for the students or if you don't download the material it could be possible that the material was taken off the website or blocked the next time you need the information.  

I don't think my understanding of copyright has changed with this course (I previously took the "Digital Citizenship" course, which covered the same material), but I can definitely say that the course has shown me a number of options that I can use to find usable resources. Traditionally, when I've needed images & diagrams for lessons I've had to make them myself due to the difficulty of finding resources that I had the rights to. This takes a lot of time, and now that I can see that there are many collections of images available among the AEA online resources, I will likely look here first.

A second area of usefulness will be the sound resources. For my flipped lessons, I currently use intros & outros provided by YouTube which are free to use on YouTube, but I'm unsure if I have the rights to use them off of YouTube. Now, I know that I have an alternative for any videos I use in class, and I can provide these same audio resources for students who produce videos for class projects.

Having completed the copyright module, and considering the resources that are available with Iowa AEA Online versus the materials that are available on the general web, reflect on your learning.  In a post (150-350 words), how has your understanding of copyright changed with the self-paced course?  What will you do (or what changes will you make) in regards to your approach with classroom materials, as well as student use of those materials?

I learned a lot in the copyright module! I found it very helpful to have each section of it broken down. As teachers, I think we are naturally cautious with the resources we bring into our classrooms, both from the content aspect and the copyright aspect. I understand that copyright for teachers is so much less restrictive. I think my go to for resources will be the AEA library and learn 360. To make learn 360 a quicker resource, I plan to take the time to set up a personal account. That way I can search for videos ahead of time and save them to my personal account. It is very time intensive to search for a video and preview it, so being able to save it to my account and bring it up when I am ready to show it to students would be amazing.

I have a much better understanding of the copyright laws than I did before I took this course. I originally looked at the copyright laws as laws that made it difficult for me to use many materials that would have enhanced my students learning. I did not know that the laws were written to "promote the creation of new ideas." But it does make sense that the laws force us to think of our own ideas and create our own materials to enhance learning. I also learned that it is ok to copy materials when you have a legal copy and the copies are used in a face to face classroom setting or if you get permission from the publisher. Fair Use and Classroom Use allow teachers the freedom to use many materials. I also feel more confident about using multi media in the classroom.

The copyright module provided just another reminder for me to be more cautious of what we use and how we use it. We have an excellent technology instructor in our building who reminds us of this constantly. It is good to know that you reinforce this with your online instruction. Too often, we jump at the open web and don't think about copyright. Our district professional development always stresses the importance of this. We live in a progressive world, and educators need to stay updated and aware of how to use this inside or out of a  classroom setting.  Having a module reminder and information is a must. I appreciate that you included this in your online professional development.

The copyright information was helpful, especially the review of more recent legislation, even though there is some ambiguity and gray area. I want to investigate the Creative Commons resources which was useful. The reminder that using the AEA resources is more reliable than the general web was also timely. In addition, the knowledge that linking to the original on the internet was helpful.  In the library I will be using the information to help prepare lessons on plagiarism. Having to review the information in order to teach it will definitely help to solidify my thoughts. The BriefNotes for Students will also be a help.

Before taking the Copyright Laws module, I must admit that I really didn't have a clue about Copyright laws. I hadn't heard of terms, like Fair Use, Creative Commons, Public Domain, etc. I was overwhelmed a bit when I read about these concepts for the very first time, but after going more into depth by watching related educational videos and reading additional materials, I have a much better grasp of the importance that surrounds the subject of Copyright.
First off, I learned that it is best to assume that a work is Copyrighted even if the word: "Copyrighted" isn't found anywhere within the source. I discovered that Copyright is established as soon as the work is in "tangible form."

***By the way, most of the additional information I gathered is taken from an article called, "Copyright Brief Notes for Students," by the Heartland Area Education Agency. (Please take note, that I cited the source that provided me with this information and the information that is to follow although it is factual information, just to be safe.)

Before completing this module, I wasn't aware of some of the criteria to consider when determining whether or not something is of Fair Use. I learned that the four criteria that must be met are: 1. Purpose and character of the use, 2. Nature of the copyrighted work, 3. Amount to be copied in relation to the whole, and finally, 4. The effect of the use upon the potential market or value of the work.
When considering information relating to Public Domain, I read that some works can be copied because the copyright has expired, or the works were placed in the Public Domain, such as some Creative Commons works. Most factual information is of public domain, so a student can use facts that are published in a copyrighted work. The information in which I'm referring to now, for instance, is okay since I am sharing factual information, correct? and although the book: Frogs, by Gail Gibbons, is an informational text that shares facts, it is not necessarily considered Public Domain since Gail Gibbons wrote the book that is in "tangible form" and for a profit.
The Iowa AEA Online Databases were licensed for schools in Iowa by the Iowa Area Education Agencies and the licenses have specific copying and usage guidelines. There are different guidelines for databases, like: AP Images/AccuWeather, Atomic Learning, DE Streaming, EBSCO, and Learn360, for example.
The symbols that accompany Creative Commons Licenses were very foreign to me. I had no idea what "CC" means or what "Attribution Share Alike," "Attribution No Derivatives," and "Attribution Non-Commercial," for instance.
In conclusion, within the days since completing the Copyright Module I have found myself looking at the Copyright information of various sources, such as workbooks, that I have made more copies than I probably should have. Oops! If this module taught me anything, it is to be more cognizant of what kind of material I'm working with as well as the purpose in which I intend to use the information, whether it be a book, video, image, etc. which all have different guidelines in which to follow.

After completing the copyright module, I feel I have a much better understanding on copyright laws, specifically for in the classroom. It's almost a sigh of relief to know the guidelines are not as strict as I originally had thought, especially for classroom use. I feel copyright deters a lot of teachers due to the fact the laws are not generally discussed in great depth for understanding.  I also know that the AEA resources are incredibly useful and serve as high quality in aspects of copyrights. AEA resources are very user friendly for teachers and students and allow the risk of copyright to be diminished, as that work is already done for us and safe to use for classrooms.

I think teachers would have more confidence in using AEA resources for lessons knowing materials are safe for students and teachers.  

Copyright laws may not be as extensive as I thought, but it’s still something I keep in the back of my head when finding lesson resources and materials.

After going through the copyright module I found myself remembering some past information and learning new information as well. Using AEA online for resources whether it would be music, image, or information makes it much easier for the teacher and the student. Knowing what you can and cannot use can be confusing. Knowing that there are resources that can be used safely is a huge help to educators.
I found it interesting to learn that copyright laws have been part of our government since the beginning. I was not aware that our founding fathers were also concerned about protecting"creative thought". Now that this must include not only print but other media makes copyright more complicated but even more important.
I will try to guide my students to using the correct forms of images when making their reports and researching on their computers. Teaching them to use many of the AEA Online databases early in their education careers will help them in knowing where to get the materials they need without fear of abusing copyright laws.

After going the copyright module, I have a better understanding for what music I can and cannot make photo copies of. When I was a new teacher, the older music teacher misled me in what was legal and what is not as far as copying music. I also show YouTube videos often in my room and had never really taken copyright laws into consideration when doing so. I know now that I need to be more aware of what I am showing and that there are ways in finding out if it is a legal copy or not.

I'm glad that educators are now more comfortable and have a better understanding of "Fair Use".  I remember a time in education when everyone was very fearful of using copies, music, etc in their classroom for fear of violating copyright laws.  I like to stress with my teachers how fortunate we are that there are options out there for us (the Iowa AEA Online Resources) and for our students to use that we can be certain that in using them we aren't going to have to worry about copyright issues.  I truly feel though that because many educators don't fully understand the resources we have, they don't require their students to at least start with them before allowing a full on Google frenzy to find information.  Having the ability to be in on planning of units would help to bring educators onto the same page with this dilemma, unfortunately, this isn't very often possible due to the schedule I have with providing prep time for my classroom teachers. I need to get more creative with getting the word out, for sure!

Another thing we are fortunate about is that these resources also include citation tools to help students begin to understand the need and purpose of bibliographic citation without having to memorize formatting rules.  

I am absolutely one of those teachers that thought copyright was much more restrictive than it actually is.  Growing up during the time of Napster, and BearShare, and dozens of other music-sharing/ripping software, (and being a musician who performs and composes) I became hypersensitive of copyright law and using other people's creative work.  
Happily, I'm learning that I can do more with music and written works than I previously thought. And then on the other hand, I'm realizing I need to make some changes with how I share my student's work, and realize that their original material is also copyrighted.  
One of the things I will change is that at the beginning of each trimester, I will be sending home a syllabus/permission form asking for permission and giving warnings: 1)Permission to share/display my student's work within our school, and on our school's website/facebook page.  2) Permission to share my student's picture on my private classroom Instagram and our school facebook page. 3) Warnings about using copyrighted material on our classroom projects--online and otherwise.