To use or not to use...that is the question.
I have heard the term Fair Use before but I honestly
had no idea what it meant. Before
reading Copyright Clarity and the Code of Best Practices booklet
(which by the way I really liked, even more than Copyright Clarity because
I thought it was succinct and gave great examples), I was the teacher who
thought that I would get arrested if I used copyrighted material! I have always existed without any clear
guidelines of how and when it is ok to use copyrighted items in my classroom. I totally agree that “educational guidelines
about copyright and fair use have more often hurt than helped” (Media Education
Lab, Temple University). There are certainly times when I am planning instruction that I shy away from what
might be the best source of information or video clip or artifact because I am worried about “stealing”
someone else’s work and someone tattling on me (parents too; we have had parents complain to administration that copyright work is being mis-used).
This new copyright
education has definitely put my mind at ease and opened up a lot of
possibilities as I think about educational design. If the purpose of copyright is to “promote
the advancement of knowledge through balancing the rights of owners and users,”
then it makes sense that teachers should feel empowered when using copyrighted
material if they are using it in good faith and with the four guidelines of
Fair Use in mind (Media Education Lab, Temple University).
As we shift
to such a digital world, it seems sort of crazy that teachers aren’t given information
about fair use. Maybe it is because very
few people really understand it? I wonder
if our school-districts even understand it and the way a MIS-understanding can
stifle innovation, creativity and thinking?
I am thinking the Pecha-Kuchas we are making this week might be a great
way to introduce the ideas of fair use at our schools and start some
conversations about best practices in media literacy and education.
Fair use definitely needs to be a topic at schools now. I was like you, I used to think I would get in so much trouble if I used anything that was copyrighted. It was helpful to read that if you are using the material for "a different purpose than that of the original" or using it in a transformative way, then you are ok.
ReplyDeleteI found the copyright infringement cases that we read about this past week to be really interesting but also surprised with the outcome of Cariou vs. Prince.
I also had many misconceptions about what I can and can't use in regards to fair use. Most of my class repertoire is someone's intellectual property and I've always used an abundance of caution when deciding how to use it. I feel lighter after reading the book and articles. There are so many possibilities that I thought were out of bounds.
ReplyDeleteI am constantly amazed at how slow colleges and universities seem to be when it come to updating their programs to reflect the latest changes in technology usage. For instance, I am shocked that most music education programs still do not have any music technology or audio/visual components. When you arrive in the workplace you are expected to run a soundboard with ease, record and mix your own tracks, and use notational software like a pro. Why are these things not taught? I feel the same way about fair use. Its kind of an important concept. I like your idea about being leaders in the schools and I think the Pecha Kucha is a great way to start.
You are so right! We need this at our school for our teachers more than anything. I think so many teachers hear the "if you show this movie in your class you are violating copyright law..." and though that might be true, there are so many pieces of information and works that already exist that we are allowed to use and to change and that can still be published for others to see.
ReplyDeleteThe Pecha Kucha is a great idea to share with our staff. I am the librarian and I still feel like I learned a ton of information from Copyright Clarity. Why do you think there is so much confusion about this? Do you think it starts in college or do you think that our school systems need to do a better job training us?
I enjoyed your blog post! I can't agree with you more that with the changes in technology, we, as teachers, need to be better educated on copyright laws and the Fair Use act. I love your idea of using the Pecha-Kuchas to inform our teams, or staff. I am also one of those teachers who lived in fear of violating a copyright law. As, I stated in Lauren's post, for most of my career we had signs hanging above every copier stating the copyright laws. I also believe these signs were hung because of a parent, who worked for a text book publisher filled a complaint with our administration about how published materials were being used. There was an amazing opportunity to have staff trained on copyright laws and the Fair Use Act. Like you and our blog friends, I wonder why school systems haven't developed some type of training ?
ReplyDelete