Copyright and Fair Use

With the installation of Common Core many teachers have now had to change the way they have been teaching and what they have included in their lesson plans in the past.  Recently, I have seen teachers making copies of entire chapters of workbooks and using them for classwork or homework for the students.  I do realize that this is much easier than coming up with the information themselves however it is copyright infringement.  So it sounds like our school needs to ramp up their efforts to educate the staff on copyright laws and Fair Use.

While copyright laws can be confusing and daunting, educators cannot just rely on “rules of thumb” to make their decisions on what to include in their lesson plans, they do need to know the regulations.  For instance, they can make multiple copies of parts of documents for their classes (one per student); however they should not make copies of whole workbooks.  When they make copies they must include the citation (copyright information) for the work.  As long as the staff knows the rules they can make more educated decisions and one way to do this is get it in their faces, but do it nicely.  So with this assignment I started thinking that it would be nice to have a single informational poster that could be posted at every copy machine, in the media center and in all computer labs.  I was able to find a couple that I really liked and thought could be used in our school; both of which are legally reproducible.  The one for staff is pictured below along with the link; the link that is referenced on the poster no longer works.  There is also a poster that can be used for students at this link http://www.kleinisd.net/studentnet/index_files/Copyright%20and%20Fair%20Use%20for%20Students.pdf. 

Picture from http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/teachers-copyright.jpg

To remind our teachers at our school about copyright laws one of our LMS’s sends out an email to the staff during pre-planning which goes over copyright laws.  There is no other discussion about it.  Our school district references copyright laws in their Board Policies and Rules which is short and not very descriptive, but it is part of the Media Policy.   

“Copyright Laws:

a. Adherence to fair use guidelines and other relevant copyright stipulations shall be assured. In no instance shall library media materials and/or equipment be used in such a manner as to violate Board Policy, District Administrative Rules or state and federal law.

b. The library media specialist shall be responsible for ensuring the availability of copyright information, dealing with copyright and clearance questions (Administrative Rule GBT-R [Professional Publishing] and Administrative Rule IFBG-R [Internet Acceptable Use]). Provisions for copyright clearance are outlined on Form IFBG-2 (Permission to Use a Third Party Work Copyright Permission Request)”. (Cobb County, 2014)

I think educating our staff and students could be greatly enhanced.  When I become a LMS I will try to be a part of our pre-planning meetings and explain, in person, our copyright policy.  I also want to put together videos, one for staff and one for students, to be performed by our video broadcast students explaining key points of Fair Use.  These can be shown during pre-planning for staff and during the first week of school for students.  Another website that I found interesting was http://beckercopyright.com/.  This site had so much information, including PowerPoint presentations you could use for professional development and a section with Q & A.

Becker, Gary H. (2015). Retrieved from http://beckercopyright.com/

Cobb County School District. (2012). District administrative rule IFBC-R: Media programs.  Retrieved from http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/adminrules/I/IFBC-R.pdf.

KISD Media and Library Service Department.  (n.d.).  Copyright and Fair Use for students. Retrieved from http://www.kleinisd.net/studentnet/index_files/Copyright%20and%20Fair%20Use%20for%20Students.pdf

Media Education Lab University of Rhode Island. (2012). Intro video: Code of best practices in fair use for media literacy education.  Retrieved from http://mediaeducationlab.com/intro-video-code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education

University of Maryland University College. (2011). Copyright and fiar use in the UMUC online or face-to-face classroom.  Retrieved from http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/copyright.cfm#fairuse_notincluded

Video distribution systems, Georgia Public Broadcasting education resources, school TV news

Blog 4 Original Post (team 4) Melissa Gooch

Using the site GPB I was able to explore the educational resources that are available, I wasn’t aware that there was a professional development section available. The weekly planner that is available for use is really handy, and list out for a week’s worth of Georgia History happenings, you can also navigate to last week and the next week from this page. This resource tool would make a great resource for lesson planning needs.   

When viewing particularly the GPB Digital Education area, there are many resources available here as well, Common Core, DEN Network, Discovery Education, GPB Education Newsletter, GPB Family Blog, Passion for Learning, PBS Learning Media, PBS TeacherLine Southeast, Southern Education Desk, and the Ignite Show. The PBS Learning Media does require a login, but seems to hold a wealth of resources, with instant access to numerous classroom standard-aligned content (videos, games, audio clips, lesson plans and more!). From this portal you have the ability to search, save and share content. And this resource is available FREE to educators!

I am not familiar with the Discovery Education’s streaming videos, but I looked into them from the site. Looks like the discovery education offers professional development as well as another standards-aligned content of digital library media for educators available via an online portal.  I was able to click around without having to sign up or provide any log in credentials. I really liked this post on Lively Lessons: http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/blog/2015/02/22/lively-lessons-lyrical-genius/

I sent out four personal email messages to different school media specialist, below I have pasted the answers to the questions and answer session with one person that responded to my request. If I receive any other feedback, I will post it out in a reply to my original post, that way we have more than one school and level of answers on video distribution systems and Georgia Public Broadcasting resources.

Does your school have one (Video distribution system, some schools call this the closed circuit cable system), and is it working? 

Yes. We have a closed circuit cable system that was installed when the school was built 15 years ago. Unfortunately, as new classrooms have been added, the original system doesn't have a strong enough signal to reach 100% of classrooms clearly. I've had several work repairs done to try to amp up the system, but the signal is still kind of blurry in some wings. Still negotiating on this.

What gets sent out over the video distribution system? School news? Cable and/or broadcast programs? Channel One? 

We do school news in the morning. It's a pretty quick newscast since our school doesn't have very much time in the morning. The kids go over announcements, sports, and future activities. I've begun to have a couple "sports anchors" pre-film interviews, and we've done sports "specials" before announcements. The kids have enjoyed that. :)

What else is it used for? 

We also use distribution for movies for entire grade levels, multiple classrooms, and/or whole school reward videos. We subscribe to movlic.com licensing so that we can show certain movie studios for entertainment.

Do teachers have any input or control into the distribution system and if so what (for instance, some video distribution systems let teachers control what is sent over the distribution system through the number pad of their telephone!). 

I wish our system was this sophisticated! It may be time for an overhaul, but funding is *extremely* limited. As of now, teachers just make requests, and we play whatever they need within our license and fair use.

Does your school use a digital system, transmitting TV content over the data network? 

No. I've been interested in getting this set up though...it would be SO much easier (if you are collecting info from other schools, I'd love to know what other schools around are using)! 

How does your school and district use Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) Resources? 

Teachers search and use GPB for various curriculum needs. GA Studies, for example, uses tons of different GA resources.

Have any of you ever used this resource for school movies movlic.com? What about using a digital system to transmit TV content via your network? Do any school systems currently utilize this? Since the SLMS was so gracious to allow me her time for questions, I’d love to be able to provide her some feedback from other professionals out there.

Resources

DEN Blog Network. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/

Education Help | Georgia Public Broadcasting. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gpb.org/education

Pals/Jefferson City Schools, L. Interview by M. Gooch/Student.


----------------------------Updates received from additional feedback: 

Does your school have one (Video distribution system, some schools call this the closed circuit cable system), and is it working?  Yes it does work, we use it every day for our newscast but we hardly ever use it to show videos.

What gets sent out over the video distribution system? School news? Cable and/or broadcast programs? Channel One? School news is mostly the only thing we show on our closed circuit.

What else is it used for?  Nothing

Do teachers have any input or control into the distribution system and if so what (for instance, some video distribution systems let teachers control what is sent over the distribution system through the number pad of their telephone!). No teacher control.  However we are mostly using mediacast to show videos that go along with content.

Does your school use a digital system, transmitting TV content over the data network? MediaCast

How does your school and district use Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) Resources? We use discovery education through GPB a lot.

-------------------------------

Does your school have one (Video distribution system, some schools call this the closed circuit cable system), and is it working? yes

What gets sent out over the video distribution system? School news? Cable and/or broadcast programs? Channel One? DVD movies, VHS movies, Morning news

What else is it used for? nothing 

Do teachers have any input or control into the distribution system and if so what (for instance, some video distribution systems let teachers control what is sent over the distribution system through the number pad of their telephone!). no. They can request a video to be shown but they have to fill out a form and have it signed by an admin.

Does your school use a digital system, transmitting TV content over the data network? no

How does your school and district use Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) Resources? We don't have a satellite anymore.

  

References

Barber/Jackson County School System, M. Interview by M. Gooch/Student.

Lancaster/Jackson County School System, C. Interview by M. Gooch/Student.

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Blog 5: Copyright and Multimedia - Myths or Not

According to dictionary.com, a myth is a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite or phenomenon of nature.  In the School Library Media environment there are many myths about fair use for Media Education.  Personally, I enjoy myths, folktales and even fairy tales.  They tend to make the stories more interesting and exciting however that’s what they’re more than likely meant to do.  “Copyright law has several features that permit quotations from copyrighted works without permission or payment, under certain conditions.  Fair use is the most important of these features.  It has been an important part of copyright law for more than 170 years.  Where it applies, fair use is a user’s right.  In fact, as the Supreme Court has pointed out, fair use keeps copyright from violating the First Amendment” (“Code of Best Practices, Para 3. p. 5). 

The first myth about Fair Use, I’d like to address is:  Educators can rely on “Rules of Thumb” for fair use guidance.  Well as much as we’d like to have a cut and dry number to say this or that is right or wrong, there really is no set number that can justify the use.  It’s just a guideline I think to make sure that you don’t go too far.  When researching copyright and fair use, I was confronted with all sorts of numbers, percentages and verbiage about what I could use legally to make my case.  To me, fair use is like having access to eat a whole cake knowing it’s not good for you so you only have the one slice or serving size you’re suppose too.  You’ll feel better for having not eaten the whole cake and your stomach and waistline will appreciate it also.  Just because it’s there for the taking, doesn't mean you can and or will take it all.  Only sample what you need and be satisfied that you didn't do anything wrong.  It’s good to know that this is a myth when it comes to educating our students, because at times we do need a little extra to get our points across to the students. 

So not having to recreate the wheel is awesome, which brings me to the next myth I’d like to address:  School system rules are the last word of Fair Use by Educators.  Unfortunately, in our school district there isn't any unlimited use of Fair Use.  The Media Specialist that I have come in contact with, take this very seriously and try extremely hard to make sure the staff and students understand as well.  There is a fine line between violating it and being sued.  To do their best work the video states that teachers should be allowed to use fair use without penalty.  That’s where the code of best practices comes into play.  It’s the guide that should be used in education.  Copyrighted materials are all over our Library media centers and in the classrooms.  Just knowing what your rights are and how to use it effectively is very important for successful instruction. 

The last myth I’d like to discuss is:  Fair use could get me sued.  It’s likely you can get sued for almost anything these days, but fair use apparently isn't one of them that will take your life savings and put you in the poor house.  Nonetheless, it’s not good practice to just use information freely on a consistent basis just because the owner doesn't have time to pursue a lawsuit for infringes your educational facility may have violated.  The law, I think, is there to protect everyone involved.  It’s not meant to be ignored because you won’t be sued, it’s meant to protect those who have already created it and have gotten recognition and payment.  It’s not yours to claim, so don’t do anything that will make your system look back.  “Educators need to be leaders, not followers, in establishing best practices in fair use” according to the code of best practices in fair use for Media Literacy education. 

References

Code of best practices in fair use for media literacy education retrieved February 19, 2015 from (http://mediaeducationlab.com/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education-0

Dictionary.com retrieved February 21, 2015

Blog 4 - Villasenor

We Have No Cable

This past year we received a change in our TV system. Before, we were able to access basic cable and a selection of channels. Unfortunately, I think some of the channels were abused so all of the channels have been removed except for the Weather channel. We have a channel that shows scrolling announcements, and teachers are instructed to keep this on during advisement so students can see pertinent announcements. We also have a channel for local school news broadcast on Fridays. Other than that, we do not receive anything else. We do use a digital system to transmit TV content over the data network. I believe this is partly for budget, and also I believe some were watching local TV stations during planning or instructional time. The media committee does have input into the distribution system; however, this decision is primarily left to the district level office instead of the local schools.

Since our county is a large county, it does have its own separate broadcast available on the local television station outside of the school. Here, there are a variety of programs available not only for students but for teachers, parents, and the local community. Although I have not heard of many watching it, the intention is positive: to get everyone involved in the local classrooms and provide as much support as necessary for the students.  It can also be streamed online which is a beneficial tool. 

 

 

In terms of Georgia Public Broadcasting Resources, I wish this resource was used more often. Each week, the media specialist sends out a list of programs that will be running and asks for requests to record. I know I have personally asked for recordings of author visits and author talks. I do not think this resource is used as much as it should be, and I think a mini staff development or lunch and learn would be helpful to introduce this resource to teachers. 

Specifically, I think teachers would benefit from the teachers resource section, common core, and Discovery Education. As we incorporate Common Core into our instruction, I think this would be a great resource to provide additional resources and supplemental material to our teachers.

 

 

In addition, Discover Education is another fantastic resource to enhance instruction and embrace digital learning. I have personally used this to spice up a novel unit such as Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby. It is the same issue as the other resources. They offer a lot, but I do think there is a lack of awareness. Teachers can select resources based on grade level and content. Resources include clip art, homework help, lesson plans, work sheets, and other different types of media material. With the emphasis on digital learning, these are perfect gems to incorporate into a teacher’s website. They could ask students to look at the painting or read the article for homework from their computer, and then they could come in the next day ready to discuss. There is also an opportunity for online staff development with this website. Learning new ways to differentiate instruction from the comfort of a computer screen is way more appealing than sitting in a classroom after a long day of teaching.

Like many other items in the media center, I think there are a lot of unused resources due to a lack of awareness and time. When testing dominates the instructional focus, it can be challenging to allocate time and resources for supplemental material that is not test pre. This is where the media specialist comes in! Whether it is through a breakfast reception Open House or a lunch and learn or a one on one appointment, it is our job to educate our teachers and students about these resources. Adding a digital resource here or there could help enhance the unit nicely and appeal to a student’s digital interest. It could also help incorporate digital literacy and information literacy, which is the ultimate goal of any media specialist. It is our job to sort through the resources and present the best ones to our teachers and students so we can all create an environment conducive to higher level learning.

                   Written by Lorraine Villasenor