Saturday, July 14, 2007

Copyright Law & the Classroom

Copyright law is a fluid and mercurial area of the law. As I researched the use of copyrighted materials in the classroom, I kept coming back to the image of a child with his nose pressed up against the window of the candy store. So much sugary sweetness to be experienced, but the threat of parental repercussions outweigh the momentary pleasure. The plethora of new technology and the unlimited access to images and information that the Internet provides are a teacher's candy store. But breaking dense and often contradictory copyright laws gives the informed educator pause. A teacher can not claim ignorance of the law. He/she must be informed and follow the school's guidelines on the use of copyrighted material and should set a responsible standard for the use of copyrighted material in the classroom. A good rule of thumb is to apply the four-factor test of fair use to any use of copyrighted material and when in doubt, check with school administration. Click on this link for a pdf chart on Fair Use.
http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/events/techforum/tx05/TeacherCopyright_chart.pdf

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