POST #4: Copyright

As a teacher I’ve long preached how copyright and plagiarism are things my students need to be greatly aware of, but I realize I’ve not been scrutinizing my own use of resources in the classroom the same way. In the past few years I’ve become way more knowledgeable about copyright law from my role as the theater director. Performance rights can be a particularly complicated thing especially depending on what rights you have licensed and through whom. I’ve heard horror stories from director who didn’t fully understand the usage limits of their rights contract or failed to purchase rights entirely.

While going through the module, I found that generally I’ve been using resources on the right side of the law. I may need to check a couple of resources for their user agreements. Its nice to have the AEA resources available and vetted for classroom use.

After reading through the Copyright module, I have a much better understanding of copyright.  Honestly, I feel like I knew very little prior to reading this information.  Often times, as I am researching lesson plans or concepts to teach my class, it doesn't even occur to me that the information I may be using is copyrighted.  I feel like most of us have used, mostly unknowingly and innocently, copyrighted materials for our classes.  Not only is it time for educators to learn about copyright, but also students.  We mostly just scare them about plagiarism.  We need to teach them, which could be done across the curriculum.  We need to model proper use and talk about copyright regularly in our classrooms.  I am glad to have learned about Classroom Use, Teach Act, Fair Use, and Creative Commons.  I feel more comfortable now that I am aware of this and know how to properly use information.  I am also feeling relieved to know that AEA has made this so much easier for teachers and students.  It's like a safe zone for those in education.

One change is in my understanding of classroom use. Content of any kind can be performed or displayed without breaking copyright. This includes watching any movie in class as part of the class, according to page 15 of the Copyright and Fair Use section of the online class. Assuming that a movie being shown in class is for an educational purpose, I had still always thought you could only show 10%. The idea of 10% is covered in the Fair Use section of the class. My understanding of the difference is in if I want to use part of a movie in a presentation I am creating. Then this would incur the 10% rule. But if I am showing that movie in class, as long as I am not making copies of it and it is tied to the educational goals, then it is permitted to show the movie. How I will change is in how I speak to my teachers about this as their principal. I will need to make sure they understand the nuances of the law.

The copyright module contains a lot of valuable knowledge for teachers, since we are constantly researching other people's work, ideas, etc.  All the images, fonts, and sounds that are provided without copyright on AEA's database seem endless (or that the copyright work is already done for you).  This design saves a lot of headaches for teachers as they search out facts, sounds, images, videos, etc. to build lesson plans and curriculums.  I understand better the concept of "Public Domain."  The concept of Public domain allows everyone to use a material but no one to own that material.  I also was made aware of the importance of Teach Act, and it's value for distance education.  I learned that Fair Use allows limited use for some resources without having to get copyright permission, as long as you stay within the pre-defined boundaries.  Overall, the copyright module was a learning experience for me.

The copyright module was very informative. I had not thought much about how copyright applies to classroom use prior to taking this course. I am glad to have a lot more information on the topic. It made me think about the things that I use in my classroom and whether or not I could potentially be violating copyright law. While I was happy to find that I wasn't, I do know that some other educators have copied books (such as resource texts for teachers) and that would be in violation of the copyright laws. I did realize I had not put a notation on a guide I created to help students determine website credibility which I modified from a book about the same topic. I went and fixed that easily. I also think that I need to do a better job of talking to my students about copyright. We talk about citing our sources because of plagiarism, but I don't discuss how copyright can impact what they can and cannot use. I feel that a lot of students have always had so much access to technology and the web that they think anything on the internet (specifically google) is fair game to use in any way they want.

I didn’t have much of an understanding of the copyright laws before this course.  I knew that materials were copyrighted and making copies of them was not something that I was supposed to do.  I didn’t realize how much copyright laws affect me as an educator.  In order to alleviate using copyrighted materials in an unlawful way, I will now start using all the materials and resources on AEA Online.  These resources have been well vetted and using them instead of resources I find on the web will protect me from infringing on the rights of others.  One thing I noticed after using resources through AEA Online is that my school’s firewall does not block material from the AEA Online sites.  On other websites, the school’s firewall often times makes it so the site can’t be seen or reached.  So going straight from the AEA Online site has eliminated this problem for me.  

Prior to this self paced course, I had limited knowledge about copyright laws. This self paced course definitely helped clarify and gave myself a better understanding of copyright guidelines. Due to the complexity of copyright laws, I will be using the AEA Online resources educator's tab to review and become more automatic in what is allowed and what isn't allowed when it comes to copyright. The educator's tab provides two pieces of information regarding copyright:  1) Terms and Conditions for what is allowed with each resource and 2) Copyright Briefnotes for Students. Both of these will help myself continue to learn more about copyright so then I can pass on this important information to students and classes. One of my big takeaways is to have ongoing conversations with classes about the importance of following copyright laws so students are aware that there are limitations when using other people's work. Also, the message will be sent to students that when using the AEA Online resources the guesswork is taken out of what is permissible to use on the web and what isn't as all of these resources have school licenses.

After completing the copyright module I learned that copyright isn't this big dark cloud that has to hang over your head, fearful that lightning may strike you anytime you look at. The main idea that I took away from it was that as long as you are not intentionally doing something wrong you have a little leeway. It was nice to know that I won't get thrown in jail immediately if I unknowingly use a copyrighted image or video clip. That being said, after seeing all the resources the AEA online has to offer I honestly think I'm going to check there every time before I head out to YouTube or search the web in general for an image. Also, this will be a great thing for me to talk with my third graders about as they are just beginning to learn how to use Google Slides and Google Docs and love to put in all kinds of images to help express themselves along with their writing.

After completing course work on copyright, I do feel that I have a better understanding of the use of copyrighted materials, although it is still confusing for me.  I have created several ActivInspire flip charts for use in my classes, and all of these contain links to videos of the musician or concept featured in the lesson.  It was reassuring to me to know that links to videos and web sites are acceptable under copyright law when used in the classroom.  This course has made me more aware of the limitations copyright presents and I will be more careful of the images, videos, and text that I use in the future.

I will use the AEA resources much more frequently in the future.  It removes a large cloud of uncertainty to have at one’s fingertips such a large data base that can be used with ease of mind where copyright is concerned.

Copyright is a topic that is easy to forget when developing a lesson.  I believe completing the module on copyright materials was an excellent review of the guidelines, expectations, different types of media (video, audio, print, etc.) and most importantly, has made me more aware of copyrights.  I think teachers are lucky to have the ability to use resources out on the web that they do, but it is still important to do so responsibly.

That being said, resources like the Iowa AEA Online are extremely valuable because they are out there to be used by teachers and students with this permission already granted.  The ease to access, the different types, different grade levels, and different subjects makes it near impossible for these resources not to be useful in almost any class.  When I was first introduced to these resources awhile ago I thought they looked very interesting, and after taking this course and exploring them in more detail, I am beginning to see how they can be used rather than just what they are.

In terms of copyright, I believe making a habit out of using sources like CultureGrams and GALE can produce better results, be more student friendly, and be safer on the side of copyright laws.  I need to do a better job of leading students to resources like this rather than allowing them to rely on Google as much as I have.

Teaching first grade there is not a lot of use of copyrighted materials outside their intended use.  I do not need to make copies of chapters for kids to read or have the students creating creative presentations from the web.  What I did learn was that the AEA Resources have enough materials for me to use in my classroom that are copyright free.  If I would want students to use music there is a resource for that.  I loved the idea of using the iClipart resource.  That is one area that I feel was important for my use.  With Learn360 I can find lots of videos that students will enjoy watching.  If the students were to earn a special reward, I now feel more comfortable showing one of my personal videos without feeling I am doing something wrong.  

In all honesty, copyright was something that I knew about, but had no idea as to the rules and regulations that went with it. It wasn't until I took AEA courses that I grew to have a better understanding for copyright, and specifically how it applies to classroom teachers and use. While I had heard of people being caught for copyright infringement, I had a sense of naïveté that it could not happen to me. Because of this, I continued to rely on Google for finding different resources.

After taking this course, I realize the AEA has a myriad of resources that are available for use. My favorite part about this is that I can use them without fear of violating copyright law (in terms of classroom use, that is). I love the fact that they have eliminated the guessing and workload when it comes to my ability (or lack of) to determine copyright. To me, this is a great asset. In the future, I plan to use the AEA's database to search for content that I know can be used in the classroom for educational use, and I will encourage and teach students how to do the same.

   I really appreciated this course on Copyright, my knowledge of copyright is vague at best so was worried about students using links I would use. The information on Classroom use was very helpful, the limitations were well defined. Many things I never considered, like a resource recorded and watched by an absent student, or how large a portion of a poem or short story is permissible. The Public Domain was more in depth than I realized.
  The Fair Use Act information was helpful for copies being made for classrooms and educational use. all these factors made me a little more comfortable but still apprehensive because of all the areas and regulations. I do not use a large amount of media in my units, but after the module I feel more confident. The previous AEA Online course on Pinterest I finished also discussed Copyright and the ownership of media on Pinterest.  I will feel much better using the AEA resources for Clip Art and Media in my lessons. I will consider those resources before I use a "How To put in a Zipper" video from U-tube.

I am so pleased to better understand the resources I have available to me. The Student Edition site I referred to in my last post increases the level/quality of information and will make for a much richer discussion in my classroom.
 
I have a much clearer understanding of copyright and how it affects me and the students. I just bookmarked the Copyright Brief Notes for students on the AEA website. I have used Creative Common in the past but will use it even more as a resource to art students. It starts a great discussion on originality and the value of creative ideas. For instance, students tend to want to use  images to work off of in drawing and painting. We will go to Creative Common and take a look at the licensing agreement and discuss how they can legally use the resource they are interested in. I feel empowered by knowing more about copyright rather than concerned about misusing a resource because of this course.

After completing the copyright module, which made me more aware of what is actually legal to use in my area of education, I feel better about what I make use of and my ability to help others in filtering their use.  
I find that students today ignore most copyright law and limitations.  Using various internet resources presents an easy avenue for infringement opportunities.....after all, if it is on the internet, it must be OK to use in any manner we see fit.  Pictures, video, audio resources, etc. found there all fall into this mindset.

Impressing upon students that this is not always the case is a monumental task. Since students rarely see enforcement of copyright law infringement in their real world setting, it becomes even more difficult to impress upon them it's importance.  Using examples of someone stealing something you personally own is sometimes an effective strategy to bring this point home.

 

  To be honest, Copyright really intimidates me. I have never been one to use a lot of resources/material that didn't accompany curriculum. I've always been a 'create your own' type of person. However, I have a better understanding of what copyright means.The public domain and Fair Use Act were good to know about as they will allow me to expand my use of resources and materials for student's benefits. I will always keep in mind the 10% Rule and have bookmarked the Digital Slider.

  In this new age as an educator where there are so many resources available electronically, using the AEA Resources websites allows me to access materials we have permission to use without the worry and tremendous amount of time it would take if I had to ask permission. I will still be very cautious about copyright, but this module helped me to be less intimidated.

   

I am always worried about copyright laws and didn’t know a lot about it before this course.  I feel a sense of relief after I have read through the copyright module and learned that the AEA resources are free to use and share.  I teacher elementary so students aren’t a concern for me in terms of them violating that copyright laws, but I always wanted to make sure my lessons and resources that I have shared are … “ok” to share without breaking any laws.   The AEA has been diligent in filtering their student and teacher resources so I feel more comfortable using them rather than a search engine like Google.  I am so grateful that they have taken the time and energy to do this so that I can be more relaxed with what I am sharing and letting the kids have exposure to.  My lessons and the kids’ projects will be better because I can rely on AEA for being able to use resources that are okay to use.

I have learned a lot about the copyright restrictions and feel much more comfortable knowing that the online resources available from AEA have already been filtered and are ready to be used. In the past i have always googled information I may be looking for.  I always assumed that it's okay to use in the classroom because it was easy to access, but now I know this isn't always the case.

I will definitely be using the AEA online resources more now as the worry about whether it's okay to use in the class is eliminated. These online resources are trusted to be used by teachers and students. I also don't have to worry about something "inappropriate" coming up when searching a topic!

In general, I feel that if I can find what I’m looking for on the AEA resources, I would rather use them than worry about the copyright issues for general web resources. Since we deal with a lot of copyrighted material in music class, we have a mini-unit in 7th grade for students to learn about copyright and why having your own intellectual creation protected is important. Even though I deal with copyright laws in class, it can still be vast and confusing. Through the information provided in this course, I do have a better understanding of what I can use in class, how to better make choices of content, and the resources that can provide me with what I need without the worry. If I or my students wish to use YouTube or Vimeo videos for class projects or examples, I have a better idea to look for the owner of the copyright and who is posting it to guide choices in the use of the videos.

Honestly, I haven't thought about copyright as much as I should be. We giggle about it at the copy machine when you are copying something you are not sure you should, but I have never given it much thought. I also really have never known what the laws actually are, or the consequences for using them correctly. Not only do I need to use them correctly, but it's important that they kids understand this also. I learned that some of the things that I have used as media in my class, I need to come up with alternate activities for. I also learned that some of the things that I have used are really okay, I just maybe need to limit how much of them I am using. I need to be more careful about reproducing classroom materials for students. I also need to start making sure students are aware of copyrights as well. They need to either search for images (which is what they use the most) properly, or they need to start using the clipart images.