POST #4: Copyright

I was aware of much of this material.  As an educator in a Christian school I feel it is especially important to follow "thou shalt not steal" and "the worker is due his wage."  Even so, it can be difficult when using a search engine to know if something is available for fair use, especially the use of images.

It's nice that the AEA has provided so many wonderful resources that resolve this issue.  I feel like my students can find plenty of material appropriate to their age level and interest.

Since I teach fourth grade, the idea of plagiarism is a relatively new concept.  It can also be difficult for students to summarize or put things into their own words.  I like what another person said about sharing with my students where I get some of my material, whether I made it myself or bought it from someone, in order to reinforce the idea that other people's ideas belong to them.

  After completing the Copyright Limitations module, I am less confused about what is allowed in the classroom. In recent years, this has become a much bigger concern than during my beginning years of teaching. Although copyright has been required for well over 100 years, I don't feel it was as big of a concern in the past as it is today. With technology has come an explosion of information and "authors."
  I am recently retired, and in the last few years of teaching, our administration held staff/teacher meetings to inform the teachers of the Copyright Limitations. Even so, I don't feel like I had a good understanding of Classroom Use and Fair Use. My hopes are that more districts use this Iowa AEA Online Resource Course as a part of their district's staff development.
  Having this knowledge will make me a better teacher and I'll be able to direct students to legal sites and resources when they do projects and research.  
 

The copyright module was a great reminder of the best use of materials and the potential of misusing materials commonly found online.  While I feel like I have been exposed to this material before and have a basic understanding of the intent of the information within the module, I still feel like I have miles to go before I possibly make the mistake of posting something within my google classroom or on a social media site without first looking into what copyright laws I might have breached.  Having said that, I feel that there was a very helpful pdf within the module that I plan to print out and use with my students as we navigate the web in the future.  I am also planning on using the AEA site and encouraging my students to use the site as well during any search they might be on for my class or any other.  As I have surmised from the module and from reading others posts that in reality, the AEA has already done the work of determining what is copyright accessible and what is not.  They have also added on many sites the luxury of a tab to find the MLA citation that can be used on any project or paper that I or my students might use in my class or any other while they are in school.  

I was very surprised by the copyright information in the learning module. Being a music teacher I am well aware of the not sharing or duplicating audio content. I use YouTube and a publisher's website quite a bit when introducing a new piece of music to allow the students to hear what it will sound like once they learn all the pitches. Now I know that YouTube versions are most likely not legal to use in the classroom. Using a purchased recording of a choir performing the piece would be a legal way of having the students hear the piece. I had previously known about the fair use part of the copyright law, but had never heard of the classroom use or what qualified for copyright. I have always done a pretty good job collecting the brief copies I do make through fair use and dispose/shred them when we're done. I will be paying more attention to the copies I make, how often I am making them and if I'm using the original purchased media when applicable. We used to live stream our concerts to save the video for evaluations, I will be suggesting to administration that we just video the concerts and upload them to our google accounts to use for student evaluations.

I am a Para- educator as I said before, but I did learn a lot and I think I have a better understanding and the use of copyright materials.  I, myself at the school setting will not usually have to deal with copyrights as my teachers are. We need to stress the importance of copyright rules to the students and explain why. Guidance, and modeling will help students follow your examples. I like the idea of using the AEA online website, better that the Google website, especially for children, and the information will be correct. Copyrighting is very confusing and how I have misused it in the pass. On the AEA online it is so well structured and easy to understand.

     

After completing the module on copyright law, my understanding is definitely deeper than at the beginning.  In Michigan I gathered groups of teachers to write assessments for each Common Core Mathematics standard in every grade level.  We spent time discussing copyright law and the Fair Use doctrine.  I emphasized the importance of using an idea and making it their own when creating assessment items.  Our assessments were print and were eventually moved to a digital warehouse where teachers in my former county had access to any grade level Mathematics standards they needed.  I felt the teachers I worked with had a good, basic understanding as did I.

I learned a lot about audio and video rules and guidelines for posting student work on the web.  I am definitely going to check any copyright or Creative Commons rules attached to anything I use from the web and begin discussions with my colleagues about how resources are used in their classrooms.  At some point we may combine teaching contents in a project based learning and we want to be aware of any potential pitfalls before we begin.  

I will “read the fine print” on websites my students use as resources in terms of their use in PowerPoints and other digital formats to make sure that students are appropriately accessing their information.

I have admittedly been a Youtube and Wikipedia or other general websites user at times in my classroom. Usually these are used when I need a quick find for an answer to a question for a student, a fun song or a book read online. However, after taking this class and realizing all of the resources that are available through Keystone AEA online, I will likely use these websites much less.  While there are great things available on the web, I don't always have time to preview them. I have always worried about whether I was violating copyright laws by the things I chose to view or use in my classroom. One nice thing about Keystone AEA online is that everything has been approved. I never have to worry about pop up ads or information that may not be appropriate or accurate. I know that the materials on Keystone are available for my use and I do not have to worry about whether I am violating any copyright restrictions.

I initially had no clue about copyright laws and usage in the classroom setting. I didn't know that the copyright symbol does not have to be present proving there is a copyright. Also, I actually thought the copyright law was more strict.  I now know there is a difference in copyright vs. trademark and that Public Domain can be used on any item made prior to 1923 and on most orphan works.
The most important thing I learned is that the most important limitation to copyright is Classroom use.  Learned that any content can be displayed or performed in a classroom without breaking copyright. Learned that the Teacher Act allows transmission of copyrighted materials under teacher supervision as part of a classroom setting. The material must be part of the systematic mediated instructional activities and must be directly related to the teaching content. Also learned that 1976 Copyright Act allows teacher to make copies of the work using Fair Use Criteria. Perhaps, most importantly found out the 10% guideline for fair use and useage on video, printed materials, and audio and images.

It was very interesting to learn about the classroom use copyright.  I always assumed teachers and students could read books aloud in class, but figured that there were stricter guidelines when performing music and watching movies. Although there are some guidelines non-profit institutions can do these things as long as they have a legal copy of the book, music, or movie. Another guideline is that it must be IN the classroom and can’t be recorded and/or placed online.
 
I took notes on the Fair Use Criteria and plan to refer to those often to decide which classroom materials would be available to me and my students when researching and presenting projects in our class. I will be sure to share these guidelines with the students and show them how to use AEA Online in order to find credible sources that have been filtered for our use.

I found the Copyright section of this class very interesting.  I was always second guessing myself and sometimes ended up not using resources because of it.  My school district has a wonderful Technology Integration teacher that has done a wonderful job of not only teaching students about copyright rules, but has taught me a lot about it as well.  She has done several lesson with students on how to safely use images and how to cite their resources correctly.  I have usually always tried to use the resources available to educators through our AEA and I will continue to do that.  It just seems safer and more reliable than "Google".

The topic of copyright is becoming more important to share with not only educators, but students as we are a 1:1 computer building and students are looking for information on the web almost daily.  I will be a little more confident in copyright information, but will still rely on my AEA or Technology Integration teacher when I am unsure.

Copyright, a very dangerous word in education.  Students don’t always understand what copyright is and what is covers.   Currently I worked with low functioning students who are on the spectrum or display spectrum like behaviors.   They feel that if the material is on you tube, or Wikipedia that they are free to use it for whatever they want.  During many times of instruction or working with students, I have to explain what copyright is and why it is important.  This is the second training I have taken on copyright material because I always want the latest information on this resource.  I want to be able to educate my students on what is is, what is means, and what is can cost them.  Through this course and others, I have taken I have realized that it is better to use websites that given to use by AEA rather than any website that is found on the internet.  The area that I struggle is how to teach this to lower functioning students because I need to prepare them for their future, if I fail in preparing for the real world then they could end up in jail or worse.  I feel like somedays I am on repeat because we have the same conversation about that material because again they think that Wikipedia and YouTube are website that you can get any material off of.  

Copyright is often a topic that is confusing for educators.  Very often, educators think copyright is more restrictive than it actually is.  However, that doesn't necessarily mean educators feel comfortable about their use of copyrighted materials.
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 am familiar with copyright law in relation to education and have actually led our school in a PD session about Copyright several years ago when I was the Tech Integrationist at my school. The one thing I was not aware of was the fact that I am not able to post student work without their permission. I am guilty of doing this over the years. This is a simple fix and will be sure to ask student's permission before posting their work on my website.

One thing I will focus on moving forward is making sure that I continue to follow the rules as they are very easy to break. I will also continue to educate students about copyright laws that impact them. One specific resource that I will encourage use of by both myself and students is Creative Commons. Creative Commons makes it easier for everyone to use and share different aspects of media.

After completing the copyright module, I definitely learned a lot and now know I will be getting  more resources AEA website which seem more safe in the copyright regard.  I guess I knew a lot more about textbook/ hard copy type copyright and was surprised at what the digital resource copyrights were. I'm glad that I learned many valuable, safe websites that my students and I can use without worrying about copyright infringement.  

I thought I had a decent understanding of Copyright violations, but did not know about Creative Commons, Classroom Use and Fair Use. I knew that I was breaking copyright law on occasion, like when I played copies of episodes of Bill Nye Science Guy that I had recorded from another teacher or science videos I had recorded on PBS.

However, I could change that practice by using episodes that are provided by the AEA Online website. And using just short segments of science shows available from PBS or other sites could also usually keep me on the right side of the law.

As a "computer guy" I also sometimes have people ask my about copyright issues online. I feel that I am incredibly better informed now to answer those questions and know where to send people for more information.

My understanding of copyright is more informed about it than I previously been. I had a general knowledge of copyright use and protections. I learned when you go to a commercial copying company likes Copy-Works and you are trying to copy something out of a book (you only have so many copies and you need a couple more and do not want to spend a lot of money) and they politely inform you that they cannot copy it because of copyright protections. Also, we I made several videos for our students (end of the year dance and picture videos, song in real life, etc.) and when I went to upload to YouTube or Facebook so parents can see them I was alerted about copyright protection. I think I will continue using materials and when alerted I will respect the copyrights laws. One of the things I learned was I did not realize how least restrictive it was for teachers.

I have personally always found copyright to be confusing, but now I understand that it is not as restrictive.  I'm very careful when it comes to copyright, but I'm sure I have broken copyrights without knowing.  When it comes to copyright I would never trust the general internet.  I don't trust much of the information that is on there to be legit.  I feel more comfortable using the AEA online resources knowing that they have taken care of the copyrights on each resource.  I think giving the students only one choice to use the AEA resources keeps us all safe and happy! There are enough AEA resources that our students should not have to rely on the general internet or be aloud to explore that option.

As a Teacher Librarian, I have my master's degree in Library and Information Science. One of the courses as part of our program focused on copyright, so I am familiar with the policies. However, since I haven't served as a TL in almost ten years, this was great information for me to review.

I think one of the biggest advantages about using the online databases is that it makes it very easy for students to use the information without violating copyright laws. Many of the databases provide the citation for students to copy and paste as needed. Teaching students to cite sources in correct MLA or ALA format is time consuming and frustrating for all and this alleviates that issue. When students go out searching for information on the web, not only do they need to take time to evaluate the source, but they also struggle to locate the information to correctly cite the source. In my experience, it is difficult for elementary students to find the information and then to place it into the correct format.

The databases provide a simple way to cite sources and therefore, encourages teachers to provide instruction to their students about fair use and copyright.

Copyright is one of the more difficult areas for most people to understand.  I've always just figured that as long as I'm not selling it or trying to pawn it off as my own, it would be okay to use a picture or some information in something I am presenting to my students.  I have a much better understanding of what I can and cannot do with images and written information now.  I will be much more comfortable using AEA's resources over anything I might find on the web.  I really like how the resources offer the "generate citation" option.  I will definitely be using this myself and teaching my students why that is important.  I also never thought about the "fair use".  I didn't think about whether or not it would be fair to the creator if I just used an image in a presentation that I made to show students.  I will be more conscience about what I am using and how I am using it in my classroom.  I also thought that if it didn't have a copyright symbol, then it was okay to use.  I'm not sure if there is already information out there that is presented this way, but it would be nice if we could use this module with our students.

I think you nailed it – copyright is an important, but misunderstood topic.  In the library where I work, I do not work the photocopier myself, but I always heard about the 10% rule as if it were the law.  I never really questioned where that came from.  I did not even know that the TEACH Act existed.  It does make sense that the law and copyright itself has to be reviewed and evolve given how people can interact so easily online.  In this act, I like that you can post copyrighted material, but access to that ends when the course ends.  This fits in well with our use of Google Classroom at my school.  We can post images and videos, but when the year ends, we need to close out the class – kids move on to different grades and we will not do exactly the same activities or use all of the same materials, so it is good to take it down and then can re-post if it is used in the next class we teach.    This is my first year with a Google Classroom site, so making sure I clean it up and get the copyrighted materials off will be a goal.  

The copyright material was good information, and a good review.  I'm glad to know there is some leeway in using things for the classroom.  I don't copy things very often unless I have purchased something as an educational resource (a worksheet magazine, for example).  Our reading series gives us permission to make copies for our class of extra reading material that they provided, which helps.  In the past I have compiled copies of poems to use.  I will need to revisit that before I use them again. I have had my students ask if they could copy a picture for a report, or use a picture for other school use.  I think a 5th grade level copyright lesson would be a good idea.