Copyright and Fair Use

       To start learning about Copyright and Fair Use inside the classroom and school settings, I completed a brief pre-assessment quiz written by Hall Davidson. The quiz titled "The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use" gave different scenarios about teachers and what kinds of content such as VCR's, or computer programs were permissible and which would be breaking Copyright and Fair Use laws.

       Most of my answers were wrong, given that my knowledge of Copyright and Fair Use is very hazy. My answers nonetheless surprised me, but served as a good learning experience. Questions 2 discusses the issue of copying a computer program photoshop from one computer on a network so it can be accessed by multiple students. I got this question wrong because I thought that it was a violation of copyrighting. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the answer, because it was true! If the school owns a program it can be copied to the server where multiple students can access it. Question 7 deals with teachers uploading student work to a website that is only entered by students and other parents, by username and password. I got this question right, and was glad because I could envision myself using this in the classroom and it would satisfy the guidelines of fair use, as long as I monitored the website to see that "the outside world wasn't getting in". Question 11 has a teacher who is using a PBS film and having students "edit themselves into" to further their understanding of California. I got this question wrong and was actually surprised that teachers are allowed to do this in their classrooms. One question that got me a little upset was question 12. I did not understand why manufacturers are now instituting blocking technology which means that educators can't share more recent DVD's and VCR's which I think is absolutely ridiculous and inhibits our ability for sharing some media sources that would be beneficial for our students learning. Question 15, which talked about compiling video clips together does not fall under the fair use guidelines. This upset me a little bit because I feel as though students learn through video, and if teachers cannot use many different kinds of video it in their classroom, then students will ultimately pay the price for these restrictions. However, the answer did provide links to free videos that can be used. Question 17, I was glad that I got correct because it dealt with students using pictures of local businesses in their projects. I am satisfied that students can take pictures and then share them with the outside world. This made me feel a little better about their strict rules regarding copyrighting and fair use.

       This is all helpful information that I will use in the classroom because as an educator I want to set a good example for appropriate online behavior, and behaviors with media in general to my students. I also do not want to be responsible for getting my school in trouble with the fair use guidelines! Through taking this online quiz, I found many ways to incorporate different medias in my classroom while becoming aware and in touch with the copyrighting boundaries that exist.