Copyright

What are some new things you learned about copyright that you hadn’t known before?

I think the biggest thing I learned had to do with the classroom and what a teacher and students can use. One of the biggest things I learned was from our conversation about movies or music. I never really thought that using a movie or song in class or even using them at home could be violating the copyright laws. I always thought about downloading them illegally or making copies of movies illegally.

One of the things I learned for in the classroom was how much of a material you can use before you are breaking the copyright rules. Also that it is not a good idea to use something more than once in a semester or year, and not to use it year after year. If you do get permission to use something it is only good for two years then you have to ask for permission again.

Do you believe that copyright laws are fair as they are currently written? What specifically do you believe to be fair/unfair?

For the most part I feel that the copyright laws are there for a good purpose, and that we do need laws like this to protect individuals and ourselves. However I don’t agree with the fact that using a movie, music or part of a book, poem or any other material that is not being used to profit should fall under the copyright law. I find it funny that if I buy a movie or CD and let someone else borrow it I am technically violating the copyright law, which I don’t think is fair at all. Now if I took that movie and made a copy and gave it to my friend then yes I see how that is violating the copyright law.

Tell me what you must do to make sure whatever you are using in your classroom will fall under Fair Use protection.

The biggest thing I think I will do is follow the guidelines that are laid out for us to follow. Making sure that if I print something out for my students that it meets all the requirements of the copyright laws. Not printing too much of something like a whole book or more than 250 words of a poem. Along the lines with movies and stuff I think I will still show movies where it is appropriate to do so. But try not to use the same movie year in and year out. I think using YouTube will probably be a good idea since most of the stuff on there is short clips and will protect you under the Fair Use law. When in doubt I probably will not use something or go through the proper procedure to get permission to use what I need.

How will you enforce copyright within your own classroom with your students?

I plan on going over the copyright law with my students at the beginning of the year before we do any presentations. So the know what they legally can and can’t do. I plan on having rubrics for each presentation laid out in advanced, so they know what is expected of them. That way there might be less chance of having them break the copyright law. Plus that way if they do break it they also would not be following the rubric I laid out for them.