Laurie M. Kish EMDT Blog.
My blog has been established to help me achieve my Masters in Education, Media Design and Technology. Please join me on this wonderful journey. Welcome to my Month 11 MAC Blog.
WK 1 Reading – Copyright can be found on my blog at http://boxbreakout.blogspot.com/2011/05/wk1-reading-copyright-issues-part-1.html
Copyright is a perplexing topic because at first glance it appears to be black and white, but in reality there are so many shades of gray in copyright law that I am surprised that every person is not hauled off to jail for a copyright violation. In a traditional learning environment most teachers worry about plagiarism, that is, students copying the work of someone else and calling it their own in a written document. However, as we progress into the 21st century written work is not the only work we need to worry about when it comes to plagiarism or copyright violation.
What a teacher uses in class or students turn in as an assignment copyright plays a major issue, especially when using multimedia. The use of YouTube can be a great tool, but how do we know we are safe from copyright violation. Just because some one places a movie clip on YouTube does not mean we are free use it at will. What about the playing of music? If we are playing music at a basketball game with paid attendance is this the same as playing music for our class who does not pay to be there. Would this answer be the same if the school was a private school in which students paid to attend?
All of these issues need to be understood to ensure that teachers and students do not violate copyright laws. Although, we could throw cation to the wind and run the risk of being sued for $250,000.00 and up to five years in jail…no…I think I will adhere to copyright laws.
Dennis,
It is my opinion that teachers are the transmitters of information, it is our profession to pass on knowledge of the world and famous people to our learners. However, as teachers are also role models for our students, we must lead by example. To do this I believe that all school districts need to invest in their teachers and ensure that they have the proper education and coaching on the laws related to copyrights. I think it is up to us to work with our school districts to provide ideas and possible solutions to get the Copyright education teachers need to protect ourselves as well as the districts. I like you am not a risk taker in this area and take the laws seriously.
Copyright is a perplexing topic because at first glance it appears to be black and white, but in reality there are so many shades of gray in copyright law that I am surprised that every person is not hauled off to jail for a copyright violation. In a traditional learning environment most teachers worry about plagiarism, that is, students copying the work of someone else and calling it their own in a written document. However, as we progress into the 21st century written work is not the only work we need to worry about when it comes to plagiarism or copyright violation.
What a teacher uses in class or students turn in as an assignment copyright plays a major issue, especially when using multimedia. The use of YouTube can be a great tool, but how do we know we are safe from copyright violation. Just because some one places a movie clip on YouTube does not mean we are free use it at will. What about the playing of music? If we are playing music at a basketball game with paid attendance is this the same as playing music for our class who does not pay to be there. Would this answer be the same if the school was a private school in which students paid to attend?
All of these issues need to be understood to ensure that teachers and students do not violate copyright laws. Although, we could throw cation to the wind and run the risk of being sued for $250,000.00 and up to five years in jail…no…I think I will adhere to copyright laws.
It is my opinion that teachers are the transmitters of information, it is our profession to pass on knowledge of the world and famous people to our learners. However, as teachers are also role models for our students, we must lead by example. To do this I believe that all school districts need to invest in their teachers and ensure that they have the proper education and coaching on the laws related to copyrights. I think it is up to us to work with our school districts to provide ideas and possible solutions to get the Copyright education teachers need to protect ourselves as well as the districts. I like you am not a risk taker in this area and take the laws seriously.