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Copyright Policy Critique

May 29, 2009

ITEC 8530

Laurie Roberts

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I firmly believe that you are never too young or too old to learn about copyright

laws (Shaw, 2003). Who would have ever thought that anyone would have ever been put

on probation for copyright infringement? However, it is occurring now, more than ever.

This is a result of our society being able to access a wide variety of information through

the internet. If you were to walk into a school media center today, you would see almost

every computer screen opened to an internet browser. Years ago, you would have never

imagined being able to download a song or ring tone to a MP3 player or cell phone.

Many people do not realize what can and cannot be copied off of the internet because

they think that if it is on there for free, it is fair game. This is why copyright laws should

be made readily accessible for students and teachers. Our school has a copyright policy,

but it is too vague. It should be changed so that it states what can and cannot be copied

or used, in terms that can be understood by all.

The current policy states that the school system media specialists recognize the

significance of the Copyright Law of the United States and Fair Use guidelines with

reference to print and non- print materials, and other media and/ or instructional

materials. Could you see a first graders face if you read this policy to them and asked

them to tell you what it meant? The statement expresses their belief and informs everyone

that the school understands the importance of abiding by the copyright laws. This

statement would be good to place on the media center website, however, teachers and

students need examples of things that they can and cannot copy. This not only applies at

school, but also at home. The children need to know that it is wrong to download things

like music, video clips, copying CD’s, etc., off of the internet without permission.

Students might see their older brothers and sisters downloading music and videos from

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the web, and think that it is okay. But they have to know, it is not only wrong, it is illegal

(Shaw, 2003).

The policy should be updated to include a list of examples of things that can and

cannot be used. It needs to be simplified so that it does not take a copyright expert to

interpret it. The students and teachers also need to be made aware of the consequences of

using something that someone else has created and not giving them credit for it. Both

educators and their students need to be aware of the kinds of activities that risk copyright

infringement and need to develop strategies to minimize that risk (Willard, 2004). They

need to know that just because it is out there, does not mean that they can use it without

acknowledging the person that worked hard to create it. Always remember, if you are

unsure, do not do it.

The school did include the copyright and fair use guidelines for teachers from

Tech Learning in their handbook. I think that this is a great policy. It includes the

medium and the specifics of each medium or what is included under each category. It

also includes what can be done and the fine print, which gives a great detail to how it can

be used if it is going to be copied. For example, it includes the medium category of

videotaping. It states that videos can be used that whether they were purchased or rented,

dvds can be used, and laserdiscs can be used. It also states that teachers may use the

materials in their classroom, and that they may be copied for archival purposes or if they

are being used to replace something that was lost or stolen. The last part of this category

states that the material must be used in the classroom where the teacher will be using face

to face instruction, and should not be used for entertainment or reward. The last thing

that it states is that if these are used in a project, then credit needs to be given to the

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copyright holder. I think that this is an example of a plan that should be used and

followed. It tells everything without leaving any room for confusion. If someone were to

read this chart and didn’t know anything about copyright, they would be able to follow it.

When students understand that copyright laws protect their personal interests,

they will be more inclined to respect the copyright rights of other creators. Copyright law

reflects an important balance between the rights of the creators and the benefits to society

resulting from the creation and dissemination of creative works. It is important to keep

this balance in mind when addressing copyright in schools (Willard, 2004). It is the

responsibility of the media specialist to present this information to the teachers and

students. Copyright laws are often overlooked, with thoughts that no one will ever catch

me doing this. They are often overlooked because many people are not educated on

them. In addition to the focusing on the importance of the laws, it is also necessary to

focus on the importance of a more effective school policy. When students and teachers

become aware of the importance of the laws and understand them more clearly, they will

be able to be followed more closely. How can we say that we are abiding by the laws, if

our policy is so vague? By updating our policy, it will ensure that our school is following

the goals that we have set. It is essential that we constantly update and improve our

policy for copyright, because of new information being placed on the internet daily. The

new policy will establish the criteria for what the students and teachers are legally

allowed to copy and use.

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References

Shaw, R. (2003, September 1). Kindergarten Copyright. TechLearning. Retrieved May 29. 2009 from http://www.techlearning.com/ Show Article.

php?articleID=13100799

Willard, N. (2002, June 28). School, the Internet, and Copyright Law. Education World. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from educationworld.com/a_tech/ tech/tech121.shtml

Chart retrieved from: http://www.halldavidson.net/copyrightTEACH.pdf