Wow... I hadn't realized how strict the copyright parameters are. After perusing the Fair Use Guidelines and seeing the slider scale, I now understand that teachers need to be very careful about the materials and information we use in our classrooms. I learned that copyrighted material from certain time periods can be protected for 70 years after the death of the "owner." I also came to learn that we are limited in our usage of movies and published works in the classroom. Certain things fall under public domain, but others are extremely protected by copyright law. It is our duty to know the rules and practice responsibility when using these items.

I think it is necessary for certain watchdogs to be in place, and a result, I think copyrighting is fair. If I were an author, I would be totally offended if my works were being fully repoduced and distributed without my consent (or without at the very least giving me credit). Similarly, I understand that many motion pictures and TV programs are protected and shouldn't be shown to audiences (even classes of students). It isn't fair for people to have the ability to rent and show these without following the proper channels. Although it may seem asinine for big companies (MGM, for instance) and even the middle man (Blockbuster) to complain about a lowly teacher showing a motion pictures to her students, at the end of the day business is business, and they should be making a profit on their movie distribution.

This means we need to avoid copyright infringement whenever possibe: we should give credit where due, ask permission when necessary and use discretion when "borrowing" material. Specifically, we should show videos for educational purposes only, and in all fairness we should rent several copies instead of one for 30 students. We should use minimally substantial amounts of copyrighted materials and incorporate items from public domain as much as possible to avoid trouble. If we want to take liberties with copyrighted material as a jumping-off point for a lesson (i.e. using a song to teach grammar), we must transform it enough that it differs from the original. Lastly, we should use these materials in moderation (as mentioned in the brevity clause of the guidelines).

As a result, I will make sure I'm following the copyright guidelines in my own class. I can't say I'll never show a movie without permission -- that would probably be a mistruth. But I will be sure to heed the rules when it comes to other areas. I will be teaching Language Arts, so my resources will include works by myriad authors. To make sure I'm staying within the appropriate copyright parameters, I'll photocopy snippets of poems, stories and excerpts in moderation and will be sure to distribute only one copy per student. Also, the CSU Faculty Guide to Copyright and Fair Use suggests putting original copies of authors' works on reserve in the school library as opposed to always giving out full copies. That makes a lot of sense.

Copyright and fair use are tricky. It seems vital for us to make sure we are following these strict guidelines to avoid problems. Teachers should be aware of the ramifications of copyright infringement; it's something that can come back to bite us. Giving credit where due and asking permission from the "owners" when necessary are truly important. Additionally, we should use these materials in moderation and only repoduce small amounts (like photocopying one chapter as opposed to an entire book). Last but not least, we need to use them for good intentions. It sounds simple, but I think we have more leeway when we're using copyrighted works for educational purposes.

I realize that I will need to pass these guidelines on to my students. Technology is far more common in classrooms today, and a result, kids will be incorporating media and print works into their own assigments. They need to be made aware of the specific rules so that they don't run into problems themselves. By explaining to them the concepts of copyright and fair use, I can (hopefully) instill in them responsible habits and appropriate methods for using others' works. In fact, the websites we were given as a reference would make a great resource for students, so I would direct them to the same sites.