Copyright protection is one of those things in the realm of education that educators both respect and despise at the same time. They respect the fact that the authors of materials should get credit where credit is due (especially when their own works are involved), but also despise the fact that they can’t just use any and every audio, video, image, and text they find to use and to disseminate to students. Bittersweet indeed.
Let’s say for a moment that you are an educator who actually wants to adhere to copyright rules. While some copyright language is somewhat ambiguous, such as the fair use doctrine, most of the copyright guidelines are very clear. You may spend more time properly preparing material for students, or find that you cannot use that “perfect” video you had in mind for the class, but following copyright guidelines will keep you in good standing with copyright holders and show that you are taking the needed effort to follow copyright laws. A great summary of copyright rules can be found on Liberty University’s website at http://www.liberty.edu/informationservices/ilrc/library/index.cfm?PID=20100. This site includes copyright basics, information on the Teach Act provisions, the Digital Millennium Act and fair use guidelines as well as many other resources for helping you determine the proper use of copyrighted material.
Another widely accepted method for copyright protection for digital resources is Creative Commons licensing. This allows copyright owners to establish specific restrictions/allowances on their content that is easily viewable by following a link with the Creative Commons logo. Hence, the consumer knows right away what they can and cannot do with the digital content. For more information on Creative Commons, visit http://creativecommons.org/.
What are some of the biggest difficulties you have when it comes to copyrights in your courses? What resources have you found helpful to keep you in line with regard to copyrights?
Copyrights laws are important to observe. I find that just ensuring that you are giving appropriate credit, even for clipart, requires great attention to detail. I think that there needs to be semi-annual professional development on copyright laws so that educators are properly observing them and serving as role models for their students.
ReplyDeleteThe resources I find most helpful are the APA manual and the sites that you have listed. I am not very familiar with the Creative Commons license; therefore, I plan to visit your recommended site.
I think that you make a great point when you stated basically that educators expect others to observe the copyright laws relating to the appropriate crediting of their personal works; therefore, I feel it is important that we also show other published author’s the same respect when using information from their created resources.
How do you feel the Fair Use Law's lack of clarity could be improved?
The Fair Use Doctrine consists of four main points:
ReplyDelete1. the purpose and character of the use (e.g., commercial vs. nonprofit educational);
2. the nature of the copyrighted work (e.g., workbook exercises vs. works of imagination);
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole;
4. the effect of the use upon the market for or value of the copyrighted work. (Liberty University, 2011)
One stipulation is avoiding term-to-term use of copyrighted materials. Teachers are able to use material for one term, but should make a good faith effort to secure permission for future terms. This could be a little unclear to teachers. One could potentially argue that they are using the material for one term in many different classes, hence, use the material for several years. Another stipulation mentions including a copyright notice on all copied material regardless of length. This could certainly be difficult if a teacher is using many different writings. And should this be on every page of a 30-page document or just once? Perhaps this information is in the details, but it could be up for debate.
Reference
Liberty University. (2011). Fair Use. http://www.liberty.edu/informationservices/ilrc/library/index.cfm?PID=20109
I've made use of Creative Commons materials before, both in and out of the classroom. My podcasts were always released under a CC license, and I've actually posted articles online under a CC license. Personally, I think that if an educator wants to create a learning object that can be used by others, Creative Commons is the best license under which to release it -- UNLESS you want to make money on it. Creative Commons still seems to me to be largely self-policed; I'm not sure how a Creative Commons license would hold up in a civil case.
ReplyDelete