Myth #1: Fair use is too unclear and complicated and should be left to lawyers and administrators.
Unfortunately, many educators do not fully understand the fair use guidelines and instead of reaching out and educating themselves they do their best to avoid copyrighting issues at any cost. This is unfortunate because the fair use guidelines are meant to be by educators for educators. The purpose of fair use is so that we can use copyrighted material to produce culture. In order for teachers and students to receive the full benefits of fair use then those in charge should attempt to understand it! There is a lot of great material out there that could enhance lessons and projects but they will never be used in fear of violating a law and being sued.
Instead of having fear, educators should be leaders in media literacy and fair use. At conferences, many educators are taught the "strict" rules for fair use and are told to NEVER go outside of their guidelines or else they will be sued. However, this isn't the case and actually hurts us more than it helps. As it says in "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education", " ...educators should explore with students the distinction between material that should be licensed, material that is in public domain or otherwise openly available, and copyrighted material that is subject to fair use". I can understand people's fear of fair use. It can be tricky to know which guidelines you're supposed to follow and there is ALWAYS that fear of legal action looming over your head. Not to mention, you're supposed to teach your students how to properly use materials during their educational years, but you can be just as unsure as they are at times.
I think the best way to combat this fear is to be open with coworkers and other educational professionals about fair use. If you have questions, ask the media specialist or do a little research! I think the less afraid people are of the "strict" guidelines of fair use then the more our students will get out of their lessons. I still have a lot to learn, but I hope to be the kind of LMS that teachers can ask questions about copyrighted material and fair use. It is actually a topic I surprisingly found really interesting! I know this will definitely help me in the future.
I would love to hear some personal experiences about fair use in your schools! Leave me a comment below!
Copyright and fair use does seem complicated when you start to look at it and try to abide by what it is saying. Media can be greatly engaging for lessons and add that spark of interest that wouldn't otherwise be captured. As a teacher myself, I don't have the time or knowledge to create songs, videos, and other media for every lesson that I prepare to teach. I love finding songs that introduce topics for my lessons. The kids love to listen to them while they work or transition. I can see them singing along in their heads during tests. :) As the say, it takes a village. In this case, teachers can have much richer lessons with materials made my people from different walks of life. I often think about the copyright and fair use laws when I'm writing lesson plans and wonder if I can use the materials I've found. The other concern is with sharing with my teammates. My team plans collaboratively. Each person plans a subject and we share. If I find a video, song, or other media to go with a lesson, is it okay for six people to use it? I would like to have a short training about fair use laws somewhere down the road to make sure that I'm clear and that the information I share with teachers is correct.
ReplyDeleteHey Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI agree the best way to combat the fear associated with Fair Use is through knowledge. Answers, answers, and more answers, as future/current School Library Media Specialists (SLMS) we must educate ourselves and be willing to take the time research what we do not know and keep up with the changing laws/rules of that we do know to answer the barrage of questions about fair use. One presentation or mandatory video just won’t do.
Every year our SLMS and our County address Copyright Laws through dull mandatory movies that honestly no one watches. Fair use rarely enters the conversation and even less is known – I know I’ve got some catching up to do. So often as teachers we just assume that that short story we copied or video that we watched is covered as we are using it to educate future generations – at what cost? And what message does this send to students? Students often just pull images and videos off of the Internet without any consequences and even worse without the knowledge that he/she is doing anything wrong.
Time to educate and let all parties know that it is better to ask questions than to break the law!
Copyright and Fair Use is a big issue, (for some educators) and I agree that we need educate ourselves and other teachers. I remember discussing this with one of the Media Specialists regarding Copyright and Fair Use and asked her how she dealt with it. One idea is that she included copyright links on her webpage. As for copyright issues, many of the policies and procedures were in place when she began at the school media center. Nevertheless, she has adapted and utilized some of the Policies and Procedures handbook that she created while attending her Graduate Studies. Copyright issues have been addressed at the beginning of the year during a faculty meeting. Unfortunately, many teachers don’t seem interested or really care. She is hoping to present a power point for the teachers and administrators to further explore the area of copyright laws within the school system.
ReplyDeleteBy providing PowerPoints for teachers and administrators to further explore the area of copyright laws is a great start to create awareness of such laws but again, how can a media specialist monitor and or insure the staff abides by the rules? I feel this is an nearly impossible task for anyone let alone for the media specialist. I understand the use for these laws however, I do not think that it is logical to expect anyone to monitor the whole school to ensure the copy right laws are being abused. A media specialist cannot possible go individually to each staff member to check for any copyright infringements. I may not be understanding or interpreting these laws correctly but this is how I feel on the subject.
ReplyDelete