Crystal Graham
The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education, a groundbreaking partnership between leaders in media literacy, provides educators with an understanding of fair use and it’s central role in educating 21st century learners.
One myth addressed by the authors is that:
"FAIR USE IS JUST FOR CRITIQUES, COMMENTARIES, OR PARODIES."
To explain why this notion is false--and why believing it is detrimental to robust teaching in the digital age--a good understanding of the analytical dispositions required for media literacy is necessary. The Code of Best Practices states that in order to fully analyse media, a student must understand that:
+ all media messages are constructed
+ each medium has different characteristics and strengths and a unique language of construction
media messages are produced for particular purposes
+ all media messages contain embedded values and points of view
+ people use their individual skills, beliefs, and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages
+ media and media messages can influence beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, and the democratic process
As an educator, especially as a school librarian, the thing to remember is that it is impossible to meet the knowledge goals above without exposing students to the text, images and applications that pervade popular media. You are going to have to use copyrighted material. And you will have to use it often.
Can you pass off work created by others as if it’s your own? Of course not. (But you wouldn’t do that anyway.) Can you violate licensing agreements made by your school or district and claim Fair Use? Probably not. Can you use copyrighted material willy-nilly just because you’re a teacher? Nope.
But if you are teaching a concept--any concept--that requires the use of copyrighted material, you have the right to use it as you see fit. You are excited and motivated and you want your students to love media analysis and creation. That desire brings us to the very heart of Fair Use:
You are fully qualified to determine the tools you need to teach what you teach.
Have concerns about copyright infringement kept you from using certain materials?
How do you explain or understand the limits of Fair Use?
I’d love to hear what you think.
"FAIR USE IS JUST FOR CRITIQUES, COMMENTARIES, OR PARODIES."
To explain why this notion is false--and why believing it is detrimental to robust teaching in the digital age--a good understanding of the analytical dispositions required for media literacy is necessary. The Code of Best Practices states that in order to fully analyse media, a student must understand that:
+ all media messages are constructed
+ each medium has different characteristics and strengths and a unique language of construction
media messages are produced for particular purposes
+ all media messages contain embedded values and points of view
+ people use their individual skills, beliefs, and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages
+ media and media messages can influence beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, and the democratic process
As an educator, especially as a school librarian, the thing to remember is that it is impossible to meet the knowledge goals above without exposing students to the text, images and applications that pervade popular media. You are going to have to use copyrighted material. And you will have to use it often.
Can you pass off work created by others as if it’s your own? Of course not. (But you wouldn’t do that anyway.) Can you violate licensing agreements made by your school or district and claim Fair Use? Probably not. Can you use copyrighted material willy-nilly just because you’re a teacher? Nope.
But if you are teaching a concept--any concept--that requires the use of copyrighted material, you have the right to use it as you see fit. You are excited and motivated and you want your students to love media analysis and creation. That desire brings us to the very heart of Fair Use:
You are fully qualified to determine the tools you need to teach what you teach.
Have concerns about copyright infringement kept you from using certain materials?
How do you explain or understand the limits of Fair Use?
I’d love to hear what you think.
I am not a current media specialist, however, since taking these media courses I am more aware of the copyright law. Honestly, this kind of scares me. There is not any way to monitor what teachers are photocopying for their lessons/classrooms. I know that at my school the media specialist hung a poster briefly explaining copyright infringement. Would this cover her back if one was to get fined for copyright infringement? Am I understanding that the Fair Use comes in effect if a teacher assigns a project such as an essay about Civil War and students need books to research their topic?
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