As I reviewed the information on copyright and fair use, it became quite apparent how complex these guidelines can be and because of the complexity may result in several violations taking place within education. Hopefully the administration offers some support when educators are in doubt. I would say that the two most common copyright violations that I have witnessed are: copying printed materials and the use of online materials. I have also noticed the use of television broadcast being used in violation.
Printed materials – There are several guidelines related to copying printed material. Examples of printed material could include poems, chapter from book, article from a newspaper, short story, etc. It becomes a copyright violation when teachers exceed the amount of material that can be legally copied and when they use copying as a substitute for purchasing. Teachers also need to make sure that they aren’t copying more than one copy per student.
Online materials – The internet can be a great resource for teachers but they need to remember that without permission they should not be reproducing, distributing or transmitting other people’s material. Even though it’s on the internet it’s still printed material and should follow the printed material guidelines. If you read an article form a magazine or journal’s website and copy and paste it in your email and send to others, that is considered copyright infringement. A better option would be to send out the link to the website or just include a small excerpt from the article.
Off-air Television Recordings – Educators often use television broadcasts to help with classroom instruction which is considered fair use for educators. However, they should really pay attention to the copyright guidelines regarding how long they can retain that recording. The period is not to exceed 45 days and must be used within the first 10 days of that 45 day period.
Great post!!
ReplyDeleteAs a former teacher, I used an array of off-air television recording to show to my students simply because it pertained to the lesson or the unit that I was teaching at that time.
This blog as well as others has taught me that we really should pay close attention to everything we do, even if we think it is fair use or permissible.
I agree that administration should offer support regarding the fair use policy and copyright. Teachers are faced with a difficult role especially since the funding for educational resources is limited. Since there is limited funding, violating copyright law probably happens frequently. Additionally, like myself, I am sure many educators were not familiar with the complexity of copyright law and violations.
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