One of my favorite shows to watch is Myth Busters. I feel like we should have a Myth Busters dedicated to Media Centers -- with a portion of the segment going towards copyright/fair use myths.
The myth that even I have used as an excuse in the past is this:
"If I'm not making any money off of it, it's fair use! (And if I'm making money off it, it's not!)"
The reason I think that this myth prevails is because educators most likely do not mean to steal others ideas. Copying another teacher's ideas is the highest form of flattery that we tend to pay each other. The problem occurs when you copy another one's idea to use in your own classroom with a specific amount of students one day. The lesson goes so swell that you decide to share it with your grade-level. Your grade-level teachers take the idea and use it in their classroom. Your grade-level ends up with such success that you are required to share at the next faculty meeting what you have done. Pretty soon, you are being asked to present at District and State wide conferences.
Somewhere between your classroom and the presentations at conferences with hundreds of teachers, the fair use law has been broken!
The hard thing about fair use is that it is NOT objective. It is a very SUBJECTIVE matter that depends more on a teachers intent and reach with the item being used. I cannot sit and tell you a certain amount of words or parts of a work would be considered under the Fair Use law. However, if the reach of the work found goes beyond the immediate scope of your teaching, then you are breaking the Fair Use law. Whether you financially benefit from it or not.
On second thought, this Myth Busters episode would be pretty boring because there are no explosions involved. However, making sure we understand the myths around Fair Use can make everyone a better user of copyrighted materials.
I like this theme. It is always great to present material in a creative way to capture your audience’s interest. The title definitely caught my attention. You brought up an interesting point about somewhere in the process of teacher stealing, fair use has been broken. This hits home for all of us I believe. I bring this up with my students as well. I always ask them how they would feel if someone were to steal their photos or tweets without their consent. They, of course, become perturbed but then understanding intellectual stealing or information stealing without giving credit to proper sources. If we can explain it in a way that makes it personal for the audience, I think we can start the conversation to inform our audience of fair use.
ReplyDeleteHey Stacy! I'm a little confused.. I get that teachers can "borrow" ideas from other as long as it's used within their classroom. BUT what happens when you visit sites such as Pinterest? People are always on there for "inspiration", well at least I am :). If, I get inspired to re-create a bulletin board for the media center and another media specialist sees it and decides to do the same, and so on, would I be in violation of the fair use policy?
ReplyDeleteHi Stacy,
ReplyDeleteFair Use policy and Mythbusters is a great concept. There are so many myths associated with fair use and copyright. I think that is a good way to get teachers to think about and remember the guidelines. Letting them know what is true or false could be a good game format in professional learning training. I think many do use the thought that if they are not making any money off of something them they can use it. I think some just continue with this wrong idea of thought for pure lazy reasons. They do not want to find out what they need to do to use material correctly and decide to side with ignorance. "I did not know" is usually not an excuse, especially as an educator. We should know better.
Love the idea of Mythbusters! There really does need to be a creative way to draw educators in to a topic that seems so uninteresting. Every year we have had to sit through professional development sessions that went over the copyright laws. Some years we told to watch a Powerpoint presentation on our own time and then sign off that we did it. Imagine how many teachers probably just signed and didn't bother to watch the presentation. Since starting this degree program, I have become more aware of what I make a copy of, share with others, and use in my classroom. I am even helping my own children become more aware. My oldest daughter likes to get 'free' music, but I had to explain to her how this affects many people within the music industry. I think that lessons on copyrights and fair use law should also be presented to students that have to do any form of research. Teachers often create assignments for students that require them to use images and information from the web, but how often were the students told how to properly give credit to the owner?
ReplyDeleteThe Fair Use mythbusters idea, I love it! Having teachers and students watch a show about that subject would be eye-opening and informative. During the school day, many fair use and copyright violations occur, often because of limited knowledge. Posting a sign in the copy room of the teacher's lounge is not enough to educate on fair use and copyright law. I believe that teachers and media specialists should work together to increase student's knowledge of what is right and wrong when dealing with this issue. "Free" music and videos are not free; people should get credit for their hardwork and dedication. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking the law.
ReplyDelete