Copyright and Fair Use in Education

This site gives a detailed definition of copyright and it's purpose.  From viewing the first page of this site, you should be able to answer the following question:

1.  What is copyright?

This webpage outlines what types of resources are protected under copyright law.  After viewing this page, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1.  What kind of creative works can be copyrighted?

2.  What qualifications does a creative work need to have in order for it to be copyrighted?

This website outlines what fair use is and how one can determine when and how they can fairly use copyrighted materials.  Upon viewing this site, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1.  What does "fair use" mean?

2.  What are the four fair use guidelines a person should consider when using copyrighted materials?

As educators, you are allowed under fair use guidelines to use copyrighted materials for educational purposes without receiving permission from the author.  But, there are limitations to when and how you can use those materials, this website outlines these limitations.  From viewing these sites, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1.  How much printed material can I use (and/or copy) from books (textbooks, reference books, etc.) under fair use?

2.  What are the limitations to using video productions for instruction?

3.  If I want to use a song in the classroom that relates to an educational topic I am teaching, am I able to use the whole song?

4.  Am I allowed to make copies of photos or pictures to use for handouts I want to give to my students?  How much can I use?

5.  Are students allowed to use materials under "fair use" in the same manner as their teachers?

In this Information Age, technology is growing rapidly in how it provides the availability of electronic resources and materials.  While many teachers and students use printed resources like books, encylopedias, microfiches, etc., there are many that prefer to research the World Wide Web for a vast amount of information on any topic with just a few keystrokes and the click of a mouse!  After view this webpage on Copyright in an Electronic Environment, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1.  Do the same exact fair use guidelines apply for any text taken from websites versus printed books?

2.  Are all websites copyrighted?  Are you freely able to use materials from any website without permission from the author?

Web 2.0 is the big talk now-a-days!  From blogging, voicethreads, and wikis to trailfire and many other great Web 2.0 information sharing (i.e. Teacher Tube).  Educators that I come in contact with are as excited as I am about using these tools, but do we understand how we can use them to share information and resources that are mostly the works of others without violating copyright!  In some cases, to me, it seems a little contrary?  After reading this Times Online page, answer the following question:

1.  How can Web 2.0 tools allows users to unknowedly violate copyright?

2.  In what ways can web 2.0 tools be used to incorporate the works for others without violating copyright law?

Let's say that you have some students in your class who did an excellent job on a class project.  This work could've been a poem they wrote or even an essay.  Do you, as an educator, have permission to use that student's work as an example in other classes?  After reading the following page on rights of the students, you be able to answer the following question:

1.  Can students be granted "copyright" of essays, poems, art, etc., even if they haven't filled out government papers to receive a copyright on their works?

2.  In what ways are you able to legally obtain permission to use student work?

Now that you understand under fair use guidelines, what and how you can use copyrighted material, it is important to always make sure that you are giving credit where credit is do!  Therefore, if you are creating a PowerPoint that utilizes a variety of resources such as pictures, music, and text, you must always make sure that you are giving the appropriate documentation showing where you got those resources from.

This website is an online citation machine which can teach you and your students how to cite your resources and even how to create a bibliography of resources in the correct format.

If you are unable to determine whether or not certain resources can be used under fair use guidelines, you need to obtain permission from the author of the work.

This website is awesome because it allows you a quick and easy way to know what types of permissions you can have on various works and even gives you contact information on the author!

As educators, many of us have the opportunity of creating some great original works ourselves that we believe many other educators around the world can benefit from!  It can be a great book on a topic of education, a great educational research publication, and if we're tech saavy enough, we can develop excellent teaching videos, software, and much more!

Just like any other author of a creative work, you may want your own works copyrighted!  This website gives great information on obtaining a copyright of your own works!  It provides direct access to forms and other documents that you need to make gaining copyright a success!

Now that we as educators know all the basics of copyright and fair use and how we and our students can use copyright for educational purposes, it's time to spread the knowledge!

In order to make sure your students are adhering to copyright laws and fair use guidelines, it is important for them to be as educated about copyright as we are!

This website, "Adventures of Cyberbee", has great links and interactive activities that you can use with your students to help them learn about copyright.  Furthermore, it provides an excellent lesson plan on how you can teach about copyright in your classroom!