Until recently, students didn't really have to worry about copyright and fair use guidelines. Teachers were in danger of violating copyright law nearly every time they stepped up to a copy machine, but students were just the passive recievers of our transgresions. Things are different now. Students (and teachers) have easy and ready access to a wide array of media and digital content. Fair use guidelines permit students to use copyrighted pictures from the internet in their reports, or copyrighted music in their projects. However, fair use stops protecting them after they leave the school environment. (NOTE: We're talking about copyright issues here, not plagarism. Copyright is a legal issue. Plagarism is an academic issue. It's important to keep the issues separate. Citing a source (like a photograph) which you should always do, doesn't protect you from breaking copyright law.)
We're working on lessons that will teach students about responsible (both legal and academic) use of other's content, but in the meantime, there are a few things both teachers and students should know. Read Encouraging Student Creativity with Creative Commons over at the PBS Teachers website (which, by the way, is a fabulous resource).
This week's prompt: Think about the students you teach. How and what might you share with them related to copyright and/or Creative Commons?
Looking for more information about copyright?
- TeachersFirst collection of copyright resources
- Do You Have a Simple Explanation of Copyright? blog post at U Tech Tips (includes a handy video)
- Kimberly's personal collection of copyright-related links.
Marie Page · 781 weeks ago
Kelly Kim · 781 weeks ago
pstillmaker · 781 weeks ago
Also, if they use copyrighted material then it is as if it doesn't exist when I am grading. I make this very clear to my students.
Last year I had an incident of plagerism. The students had an opportunity to re-do the assignment. The students were brought into the vice-principals office for a talk. I had parents surprised that we discussed plagerism and that their child would be in trouble for doing it. There was no infraction written, but a note was put in their file, so if it happened again then they would be given an infraction.
I think it is a very important topic for us to discuss as we are teaching them research skills.
thehurt 17p · 781 weeks ago
I know it just comes down to being willing to invest the time to model these skills for my students. When I want to use images, I have to commit myself to locate, use, and attribute copyright-friendly materials (like Flickr).
On the student end, I need to create consequences, whether negative or positive. Loretta, our amazing librarian, shared one great idea: when researching, require students to evaluate their sources in paragraph form. For those that choose better sources (or, in this case, CC sources), they don't have to write the evaluation. This encourages good habits, and also rewards those who put in the work to find good sources.
I'd love to hear some other ideas for encouraging students to put in this extra front-end work.
Tracy de Leon · 781 weeks ago
This would be interesting information to share with sophomores since they are in the midst of their buff projects. Most will be making powerpoints loaded with images and sound. I think it will take some time to train them in appropriate use...old habits are hard to break, but it would be wise to at least educate them.
bgholston · 781 weeks ago
Kathleen · 781 weeks ago
Lora Gillingham · 780 weeks ago
mel · 780 weeks ago
lgranger · 780 weeks ago
Dan Nelson · 780 weeks ago
Dan Nelson · 780 weeks ago
As I see it, that is how we should teach students. ALWAYS get express permission and you can't go wrong. Use the cookie cutter permissions and you may end up in trouble. That's just my two (or three) cents.
Joelle · 780 weeks ago
Rich Young · 780 weeks ago
Laurie · 780 weeks ago
Penny Blair · 780 weeks ago
Jennifer Roesch · 780 weeks ago
Rhonda Ham · 780 weeks ago
suzanne · 780 weeks ago
Laura Bennett · 780 weeks ago
Renee Stroup · 780 weeks ago
Reagrding the slideshare stuff from before, I have been finding all types of excellent presentations that I can use in my classes, one example being a reading strategy one that I am using in class today-Kimberly, thanks for the great resource.
Anne Hobson · 780 weeks ago
Bill Cooper · 780 weeks ago
Looked through the "Teachers First" collection. I was looking for material that the students could use directly and that would offer the ability to get instant feedback. I was impressed with the game/lesson "Copyright Bay".
"Copyright Bay" involves sailing a ship through waters frought with dangerous places like "Infringment Reef" and "Murky Waters" in order to reach the ultimate goal of reaching "Fair Use Harbor". You are prompted to prepare yourself for your voyage by going to each of the dangerous places, named for the copyright question it represents before setting sail. . Advancing requires answering situational questions about the subject. "Ambiguity", the "A" word is one of the unique aspects of the game.
I found this approach to be entertaining and very productive. It could easily be used individually or in small groups. Instant feedback and reasoning questions keep you moving through the game .
One of the things I liked about "Copyright Bay" was that they left you to understand that some things may require further investigation. I rate this A+... I will use it.
Abby Smith · 780 weeks ago
It might be fun to create an activity where students participated in some kind of simulation (maybe some kids are musicians, others and authors and some are students doing research) where they got to see why copyright laws have been created. I think I might work on this more over the summer.
Gavin · 780 weeks ago
The other interesting thing about it is that it uses a lot of well-known characters, images, etc. in it without giving credit. It might be interesting for kids to look at some of the pages and see how the authors can get away with "fair use" of Big Bird or Mr. Burns. I'm still puzzling over how they got away with page 51 - Hokusai is obviously in the public domain, but the Silver Surfer seems fairly gratuitous (especially since Jack Kirby struggled with creator's rights issues for most of his career).