Copyrights and fair use rules are put in place to respect the authors of published and unpublished works. They are meant to allow people to enjoy these works and use them to a certain extent without abusing the privilege and taking credit away from the authors. Thievery is illegal and immoral, and using something without permission, such as those protected by copyright, goes against the fundamentals of human morality, as well as the laws of the U.S. (and other) governments. After all, if you go through the time to write something and make a profit from it, you do not want people to cheat the system and steal it. To teach this to my students, I would start out by going over the legal consequences of violating copyright and fair use laws. Then, I would have them research the rules regarding copyrights and what they can do. The cyberbee quiz was also very helpful, and I could use that in class. When doing assignments, I would have them use a reference guide when needing to use an outside source of information.
Online/cyber safety refers to protecting yourself or others from online predators. Cyberbullying refers to being harassed by others online, which may sometimes be unintentional. While they are different, there are some similar characteristics. For example, both are dangerous and can overwhelm your students. Both should be brought to the attention of a higher authority, such as you (the teacher), parents, and in drastic cases, the police. In fact, when someone thinks they are being bullied by someone online, this “bully” may actually be a predator seeking to harm the person. The best way to protect our students is to advise them on several things. For one, if you are doing research for the class, never register for anything unless the teacher gives you permission. If you see that registering or accessing something requires questionable information about yourself, do not do it. When accessing sites that only require a name, such as a public forum, use an alias. You may even have the class choose one to use universally for the class.
While I did know the importance of copyrights and fair use, I had no idea that the rules were that extensive (and I’m sure my previous teachers don’t know either). I thought that educational facilities had permission to use several resources online, and while they do, the amount that they can is limited, and cannot be taken outside the educational domain. Everything about cyberbullying and online safety was fairly commonplace to me. I was planning on being very careful where students got their sources from the beginning, although I do not plan to do anything that requires resources that much anyways. Growing up using the internet, I realize the importance of online safety and the danger of cyberbullies. I feel that I can present the dangers from my students, and at least give them sound advice on how to avoid potential dangers.
References:
References:
U.S. Copyright Office. (2011). Copyright. Retrieved from http://www.copyright.gov/.
Cyberbee. (2011). Copyright Interactive Tool. Retrieved from http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf.
I agree that we should teach our students that it is not okay and illegal and immoral to steel and individual work. Teach them they must get permission. I also learned the importance of copyrights and fair use. There are certain limits on works and there are some thing now allowed when using software in schools.
ReplyDeleteI myself thought I knew the copyright rules, but wow, I was pretty amazed at how much there is to it! when it comes down to it, as you put it in your first sentence, it is all about respect, and that in the end is what we need to teach our future students.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, the I knew there were copyright rules and laws but I had no idea that it went to such extent. Looking back now, im wondering if my teachers followed the rules.
ReplyDeleteI like how you state that it is illegal and it is something that our students need to understand. It is a good idea to have the students research the information themselves to fully grasp what they can and cannot do. I agree, I did not have any idea how extensive the rules are and all the things that are not considered fair or illegal.
ReplyDeleteYour students will be so blessed to use your expertise in this area as an examlpe. You also have some good ideas on protecting the students from cyberbullying. Loved the idea of having a class alias for all students to use in public forums. We must be diligent and protect those that are naive about who and what can be online.
ReplyDeleteChristina
Dustin,
ReplyDeleteI thought your blog was right on target. I too enjoyed the CyberBee quiz. As a matter of fact, I learned a bit from taking it. I also learned quite a bit as I read about copyrights. I currently work as an aide and part of my job is making copies. Needless to say, I will be looking at my jobs alot closer now to be sure I'm not infringing.
Jinny