COOL

Copyright 101

By Dr. Carol Simpson

1. The Facts of Copyright

A. When citing information, you can use factual information. An example would be an Atlas. On the other hand, you cannot use nonfactual information without permission from the author. Nonfictional information includes all works where the author writes in their own style of writing. A lesson example would be a definition from the dictionary. One cannot copy the defintion  because the author detailed the definition in their words. Furthermore, there are numerous dictionaries with various defintions. A student would need the permission of the copyright owner to copy the information in the dicitonary. The student would also need to put the statement in their own words. This knowledge would help the teacher implement student learning. The students could look up a spelling word in a dictionary and have to write the word in their own sentence, with the permission from the copyright owner.

B. In researching information on the internet, not all works of others have a copyright symbol. You should just cite everything you copy to be on the safe side to avoid legal action from others. An example would be writing a paper and saving your work to your travel disk. The writer of the paper has a copyright of their own work. A student cannot copy another student’s work because it would be plagiarizing and lead to a failing grade.

C. The law for a copyright publisher is that they have the right to take legal action against anyone who dismisses the copyright. The right of the publisher will take place from the day the have it copyrighted to the day they die. This could be implemented in the school. If a student has an older friend that already completed an art project, the younger student does not have the right to turn in the art project to receive the credit.

D. Teachers are supplied with materials to use in class. The materials are given by a company have a legal right to press charges if, they do not follow the copyright. Although, the companies do allow the teachers to copy some material for their lessons. These materials may not be all the materials provided by the company. A teacher is able to copy dittos from workbooks to use in their lessons. The dittos that the teachers are allowed to copy may not all be given the permission. It is best to ask the company for the permission to copy pages from their textbooks. This will help teachers dismiss any charges that could occur with the copying .

2. Four Tests for Fair Use

The tests pertain to information provided publicly, such as the internet (Firefox). One can follow the criteria:

A. Make sure the items implemented in your lesson are not for public display. The items are used properly for instruction in the classroom. The teacher does not have the right to use the materials provided by the copyright owner for any other use then in the classroom. This will assist the copyright owner in making sure their work is not being displayed for a profit.

B. The way the information is being presented on the website. The information can include who are the author(s) of the work, the type of information given and they way the author(s) states the information. A teacher or student can check if the information provided is for public use. The way an author presents their words can determine if the information is factual and can be copied or if the information has their own feelings in the writing.

C. In citing work the quantity is important. If one uses a small piece of information, then the citation of the work may not be necessary. This is important for teachers to know but it is also important to never guess if the citation is necessary, one should just receive the permission. This small quantity could include a reading or image to show to the class.

D. One must consider how they are using the information they are copying. A person cannot use the information to make money off the author’s work. This is illegal and it is not fair to the copyright owner. A teacher should not charge their students for any materials that was provided by companies. The teacher should not make their students pay to use dittos during a lesson or look at a picture taken from the internet or any type of media.

*If you are unsure if the material should be citied; to be on the safe side cite everything you use and do not use these tests to question yourself and the work that you are thinking of not citing*.

3. The Medium Matters

A. In a schools, teachers are allowed to make copies of a item once and to implement into their lesson plan. The teachers can also make copies for the exact quantity of students in their class. In addition, when teaching one needs the permission of the copyright owner to make copies every school year. A teacher cannot assume that every year a copyright owner will allow them to copy information from the materials they have provided them. This will assist schools not to fraud others work and legally teach their lessons. If a teacher sets an example to her students that it is right to break the law then they too will believe that they can break the law.

B. A teacher may use media, such as videotapes, DVD’s any music, as long as the item being displayed is incorporated with the lesson. A teacher also cannot make copies of any items or use any tapes to pass time in school. This is a good rule because time in school is precious for children. Many children need all the extra time to assist them in their studies. A teacher should not be “wasting” time in school showing a visual or audio of something that does not incorporate with the lessons. A teacher should use the extra time to help students with their difficulties.

C. When teachers and students are working on the computer for instruction, such as Powerpoint, they need to cite all the information used in their presentation. Many teachers use Powerpoint to teach a lesson or integrated unit. It is easy for students to follow along. A secondary elementary student can use Powerpoint for taking notes. Many teachers receive their information from the internet and it should be cited. In addition, the students learn from the teachers. The students will see that all the teachers work is citied and they too will be able model the same citation in their work.

D. When a student is taking an online class, they are able to use any type of book. A teacher is able to use only books for their online classes. All other types of media need to be from their own work. An example is teaching a technology class and using a book they can retrieve off the internet. The students will be able to use the book to assist them in their study. The book will answer any questions they may have about the course. The teacher has the right to use a textbook from other author(s). On the other hand, a teacher cannot display any other media, unless they are the copyright owner. If a teacher needed to send a student a video of how to post a blog, they would need to use their own tutorial.

E. When a teacher is using the internet in their class, like My Teacher Pages, they need to receive permission from their students to display any type of work they did in class. This is an excellent regulation for teachers. A teacher would want to receive permission from the child and parent when displaying any type of work or image on the internet. This could offend a child or parent. It is safer to obtain the permission to avoid any problems occurring while one is teaching.

F. Websites cannot be copied and pasted. If you want to display a website, for example on MTP, a teacher needs to use the link or GoTo page. In addition, do not copy any images or information without permission from the copyright owner.

G. When using computer software on your computer, one cannot burn the software system onto another disk to use again. This is illegal for any type of computer program. In doing this activity, the programs will loss profit and this will become a legal issue. Copying software is the same thing as selling the software without permission.

4. Managing Copyright

A. In schools, the administrators should teach all employees at their school the knowledge of copyright. The employees should also know the consequences that come with the illegal use of information. The Administrators need to help their school from any legal issues. There are too many issues that need to be dealt with in schools. A school is using their time on a legal issue for not copying materials correctly and will be missing the other important concepts. Violence in schools is an example of a issue that should be more focused on in the schools.

B. Schools should remind teachers and students that it is illegal to copy someone’s work. The schools can remind the teachers and students through flyers around the technology areas. If a school wants their teachers and students to follow the rules, then they need to be implemented and reminded. One way to encourage proper citation is through a visual reminder display. This will help the teachers while they are making copies and assist everyone while they use the computers.

C. Keep track of all the employees that have been informed and taught the rules and regulations of copyright. This will help the Administrators and their school. If a teacher does not follow the rules, the Administrator will have documentation that they were given the proper information. The Administrator will then be able to pinpoint the teacher. This is not good for the teacher but it could save jobs in Administration and save the school.

D. As a teacher you do not want to think that it is right to copy something small and think that it will go unnoticed. The copyright owner(s) could find out about any small or large copying that you may do and fine you with charges. The only way to copy information is with citing and permission. Teachers need to model to the students the appropriate behavior in copying information.

Simpson, Carol (2001). Copyright 101. Retrieved October 16, 2007, from Educational Leadership Web site: http://www.ascd.org/authors/ed_lead/el200112_simpson.html
Websites: Five Ways to Stay Out of Trouble

I. Assume It’s Protected

A. One should always assume that information published has a copyright owner. This is to protect the teacher and students from any illegal copyrights. An example would be if there is no copyright symbol or an unknown author. A teacher should not believe that there is no copyright owner. If a person’s work is publicly displayed, then there is a copyright owner.

II. Read Click-Wrap Agreements

A. When using information off the internet (Firefox) one should read all the copyright regulations. The copyright rules will explain the rules of that particular author. Every copyright owner is different and it is best to read the regulations on the internet and in books. An example would be a teacher signing up for a website that encourages you to use their pre-made worksheets. There may be a section that you may not be able to copy and this will be stated in the regulations. Once you accept the rules of the website, you are then responsible for all your own actions.

III. Remove Unauthorized Material

A. On the internet (Firefox) there are many people that view a website. If a person contains information that does not belong to them, the owner of that information is able to press charges. In addition, the information should be discontinued as soon as possible. This rule is implemented to aide the copyright owners in keeping their work as their own. It is illegal and unfair to take credit for others work. If a student turns in another students work, then it is looked down upon. This is the same situation for those who take any type of media from others.

IV. Investigate Claims Promptly

A. The copyright owner is able to determine the amount of copies a person uses. This is fair for the owner to determine. They are publicly allowing others to use their work so it is their option to how much work they can copy. This important could be contained in the regulations of the website. Also, schools that buy their supplies from companies cannot make copies of any amount. The companies will determine how many copies the school will be able to make.

V. When in Doubt, Seek Permission

A. A person needs to receive permission when you have a website with information from another person or a image of another person displayed. The best way to have valid permission, is one that can be saved. A teacher needs written permission from a parent/ guardian for their children to complete any activity. This is the same for displaying any artwork or work that a child may do on the internet (MTP). An example would be a parent who may only want their child’s work displayed on MTP for one year. The parent will have written down their explanation and have valid proof of how they want the work displayed. In addition to the parent’s explanation, they will have included their signature and date.

Unknown, (2003). Five ways to stay out of trouble. Retrieved October 16, 2007, from Copyright and Fair Use Stanford University Libraries Web site: http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter6/6-a.html

1. I would like to know all the citations that need to be implemented. Currently, my question is still for the image citation. I do not know for sure if it is illegal not to cite others images.

A. Teachers and students complete various hands on activities or projects. Many activities or projects have images used to model the objective of the lesson. An example of a model picture is searching for images on the internet of a project already completed by a student. If the students are working on making a sundial, the teacher could find an image of a pre- made sundial. I believe that most teachers would find images to model instead of their own art work. Researching for the picture is less time consuming. In addition, the teachers make dittos everyday for the students. One way to retrieve dittos is off the internet. It is easy to copy and paste but it is illegal to not receive permission from the copyright owner. A teacher does not want to give their students illegal dittos because you never know who are the parents of the child.

2. I would like to know the proper way in citing a website. I honestly, research information the old fashion way. I use books and I cite the works from the author(s) in the book. I know when using information from a website, one would include the author and the website. I am not sure the other information contained in the citing process.

A. Since there is a growing population of technology used in schools, there is a less demand to research information on books alone. I feel that a teacher should know how to cite information from a website to teach their students. If I as teacher do not know how to cite correctly, then I cannot teach my students how to cite properly. This will lead to illegal action and poor teaching.

All ideas that I know will help students when they are citing any type of work from other author(s). The work being cited can be used in any subject. An example is in ELA. The students could write a research paper and cite others work to support their details or argument in their essay.

1. I know that when one or more authors has written a book of any type, including: fiction, nonfiction, biography, autobiography, mystery, poetry, science fiction, romance, etc., the author(s) have a copyright date in the first part of their work. The technology today, students will be able to locate books on the internet (Firefox) and read them off their computer.

A. It is easy for a teacher to know where to find the copyright date. This will save time for teachers and students when citing another author(s) work.

2. I know when one copies any pages of work from another author(s), they must receive permission from the copyright owner.

A. It is important for teachers and students to know that you cannot copy any work unless given the permission in the copyright or by the copyright owner. This will help the teachers and students keep all their work legal. Teachers and students should know that it is illegal to copy any type of work from others without their permission. They should also know that it could lead to legal issue in court if they do not cite properly.

3. I know that in all works of others there is a symbol that represents the copyright date. The symbol is a “c” with a circle around it.

A. This will assist the teachers and students to find the copyright date. This symbol also represents that an author(s) work has been published. In addition, this symbol will display all legal rights the owner of the copier has to the work.

4. I know that when citing a book on the internet in your essay you need to include the page number after a quote or sentence from the book.

A. This will assist the reader to locate the information quicker. The reader will also be able to determine if the work used is correct.

5. I know when citing a website one would include the author(s) and the website page.

A. In giving the website the reader will be able to locate the information used in the citation.