Copyright & Mulitmedia
Renee Hobbs, a communication professor at Temple University said it best when she said, "In an increasingly copyrighted world, Fair use makes it possible to develop critical thinking and communication skills that are essential for participation in 21st century life." But what is Fair Use? There are 4 factors to consider when looking at Fair Use -
1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial or nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount of substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work
A famous myth about Fair Use is that Fair Use is too unclear and complicated for users; its better left to lawyers and administrators. This myth is rampant throughout many school systems because teachers aren't fully aware of how Fair Use work. Fair Use has such a broad spectrum on its use that teachers should educate themselves and their students. Does that mean that all work can be used freely, of course not, but the limitations set by Fair Use allows educators to use copyrighted work when the situation falls into the right guideline. A rule of thumb that can be followed is that if copyright material is used outside a marketplace (for money), such as in a classroom, would receive special consideration under the Fair Use doctrine.
At my school, the media center has a section on their webpage that students can refer to when they have copyright questions. Our media specialist has listed an easy guide to use when students or teachers have questions about Copyright and/or Fair Use. Copyright will always be at the forefront of schools and work created by students. Educators need to be aware of how to best equip their students with knowledge about copyright and fair use.
Ugarte, Melissa (Producer). "Fair Use for Media Literacy Education." Video retrieved from www.centerforsocialmedia.org/medialiteracy
U.S. Copyright Office. Fair Use. June 2012. Retrieved from http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
Hobbs, Renee, Jaszi, Peter, & Aufderheide, Particia. "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Eduaction." Retrieved from http://mediaeducationlab.com/sites/mediaeducationlab.com/files/CodeofBestPracticesinFairUse_0.pdf
Amanda it is a given that we need copyright fair use to teach students to be creative and foster innovative learning to be competitive in this century. We as educators have to learn what fair use is and what it is not and transfer that learning to the students. We could start by reviewing the four factors of Fair Use and make sure we stay within the boundaries. Media specialists should have visual reminders posted around the copy machines and other areas to remind teachers and students the importance of misusing fair use for educational purposes. Let us be pro active to ensure effective use of copyright fair use to help build ingenious minds.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that you posed on your blog about including a link or resource page on the media center website for students to refer to is an excellent idea and one that I had never thought of before. This would also be an excellent resource for teachers as well. It is so easy to just "copy, cut, and paste" in today's world. As an educator, I feel that I need a refresher course every so often, so I can stay updated on copyright laws and fair use policies. A media specialist could design a professional development lesson on copyright and fair use to use at the beginning of the year for educators and students. I think this would be a great idea for parents as well, since many of them are the ones that help their children with projects at home.
ReplyDeleteAmanda (Team 5),
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in saying that teachers don’t educate themselves enough in the matter on fair use. This is unfortunate because there are so many websites and information out there that break down fair use into fairly easy to understand chunks. This is why I don’t understand why so many users think that Fair Use is too unclear and complicated for users. The four factors that you listed are good things to keep in mind when deciding on if you have used a fair amount of someone else’s work to be in violation or not. I think that of those four items, the nature of the use of the copyrighted work would have to be the most important in my opinion. I say this because usually if the work being used is for educational purposes solely with no profit involved, that is a good determining factor on if you are breaking fair use rules or not. However, to get around all copyright and fair use laws/rules, it best to put most things into your own words and credit the original source, even if you make someone’s else’s work into your own piece of work. I also think that it is a great idea that your media specialist posted this helpful information on copyright and fair use law on your school’s webpage to further bring down any confusion that students and teachers may be experiencing.
Amanda, I think it is so important that you have reminded us to provide this information to our students. Our county currently uses a system to reinforce this knowledge with our teachers. Each year they are made aware of the various Copyright and Fair Use policies but I’m not cognizant of any procedures used to inform our students. I am sure that this becomes especially important as they reach the middle / high school levels of education. Students today have access to massive amounts of information and materials. We must begin to instill in them at an early age that we are being held accountable. Educators and students alike are to act responsibly when handling these resources.
ReplyDeleteThe four factors to consider helped me in knowing how I can use the content that I borrow from other sites. I thought it was great to show your high schools media center page that focuses on copyright and fair use. I learned how much I could take of something like a video without breaking any rules. It is good to keep our patrons/students up to date in what they can do and cannot do so they can be productive individuals in the future past high school.
ReplyDeleteCopyright and multimedia is a very important topic. It’s something that media specialist must pay attention to and take cautious notes. It was originally very confusing to students and staff, however after breaking it down in a language that is more receptive it’s better understood. I also noticed how teachers usually don’t understand why it’s important, when they want to show what they want. However, copyright policies explain federal copyright law and “fair use guidelines” for educational institutions, so it’s in my best interest to follow those guidelines. This is why I personally hold a mandatory orientation for students and teachers at the beginning of the school year. This has to be done before they schedule time in the media center. By doing this I am ensuring that I have communicated with the entire student body and staff to avoid confusion. The one thing I am lacking is communicating with parents or having this same orientation with parents, however the webpage could suffice in that matter. This is why I also agree with putting the information on a webpage or anywhere else that patrons can access to ensure you are protection. I can appreciate you uncovering certain myths that are related to fair use because it is a bit unclear to many. It’s the job of the media specialist to communicate and advocate fair use guidelines.
ReplyDeleteI like how your media center has a section of their webpage dedicated to questions regarding copyright. This surely is an area where a lot hands are raised. Not only do students struggle with this area, but adults also have many questions and concerns. I sometimes think that adults need to be reminded more often than once regarding copyright and Fair Use. Teachers may need to read a variety of situations and then determine if a law was broken. This would help them to make future decisions when using materials.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to have Fair Use information listed on the media center's homepage! With that accessibility students have no excuse to not at least try to abide by copyright and Fair Use laws, even at home, because the information is there at their fingertips. I need to add that information to our media centers' homepage for sure. As it stands I have the information posted above the copiers and printers throughout the building, but that only covers teachers. I wonder if it would be worth the paper and laminating film to have one made for every child to keep in his or her notebook as a quick reference guide when they can't get to a computer. I think in the case of copyright and Fair Use law you just can't have the information available in too many places.
ReplyDeleteThe quote that you provided at the beginning of your post was telling. It is important that students (and adults alike) know how to navigate a world where people believe that information should be free. As educated as I am, fair use and copyright law can be murky. I love your media center's placement of the fair use and copyright policy; having that information readily available on the school site is great for students and teachers alike. There are many examples in the real world where copyright violations impacted a person's wallet and students need to understand that what is free is not always free.
Delete