Copyright

Copyright laws provide a safety net to artists and creators of many things. As educators it is crucial that we have an understanding and awareness about what those laws entail and how they effect us in the classroom. In our discussion this week I am struck by how many teachers, myself included, do not know much about these laws. Fair Use Policy was a completely new term to me. My guess is that since I come from a technologically aware generation that many of my older coworkers may be even less aware of these laws. I think that schools may need to consider offering detailed training on Fair Use Policy, what they are allowed to do differently as educators, and how to use apply knowledge of these laws in the classroom. It is difficult to read scenarios and truly grasp how it all works. It would be beneficial to the school for administrators to realize the need for this knowledge.

In reading about Fair Use Policy and Copyright laws I do find myself feeling as though it is a bit vague or a bit inconsistent. Some things are considered acceptable that surprise me, other things about the law seem to make it overly difficult for teachers to use materials. For example, I thought it surprising that schools could post clips or music on Internet blogs as long as it was password protected. Yet, teacher could not create a lesson involving clip art and then pass it along to other teachers (even if the lesson was about the clip art). It seems as though even items that are not used by paying originally can often still be protected by these laws to prevent them from being overly used or spread around. Maybe I am misinterpreting how this works, but that seems a little silly. What difference does it make if I let a teacher use a lesson or if they recreate it themselves. It is still the same graphics being used the same number of times. It seems as though the system sometimes makes you jump through hoops needlessly.

Since I still don't fully understand all of the policy on copyright I am now nervous about what I am using for this blog or even my classroom. I think I need to research more on my own about the topic. I am nervous that I may be doing something wrong and not even know it. I would never download something illegally or do something blatantly wrong, sometimes ignorance is destructive though. I want to be informed and knowledgeable so I can field questions from students or other teachers. I have the capability of researching on my own and it is my responsibility to know since I could be held accountable.