Reflections on Copyright
With technology playing such an integral role in our lives, it is essential that, as educators, we effectively use copyrighted materials to enhance learning experiences for our students. The Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI) (2018) believes that “Educators need to be leaders, not followers, in establishing best practices in fair use.” It was a very interesting read learning about different myths of fair use in education and what we can do better as educators. I admit that I have not been the most educated about copyright and fair use, especially when it comes to my classroom. I thought I had a basic, functional understanding, but the readings this week have my head swimming. There is so much to know and understand, but it does seem, if I understand correctly, that there is a lot of leeway with fair use in education, and intentionally so. This makes it even more significant for educators to understand the power they have in enhancing learning experiences by integrating copyrighted materials into lessons.
Using copyrighted materials can seem daunting because there has been so much said about the severity of potential consequences for copyright infringement, but fair use is broadly written to allow educators access to materials in order to improve and enhance learning experiences. I know that I have used movie clips in my math class to introduce concepts or to engage my students in mathematical conversations, making the clips fall under fair use. I have used materials from Teachers Pay Teachers quite a bit and understand that I need to comply with all copyrights associated with any materials I use. Many of those resources require additional licenses if sharing with a team or have restrictions on how materials may be accessed by students. These copyrighted materials have been valuable resources in my classroom to enhance learning, but I make sure to respect the copyrights so those resources will continue to be available to others without infringing on the owner’s rights. Due to the copyrighted nature of these resources, many do not fall under fair use, but can still be used as long as you comply with the stated copyrights.
I think CMSI (2018) makes an important observation about how copying is required to build new culture. That is why fair use is significant for educators to use to their benefit to enhance learning experiences. As educators prepare lessons and curriculum involving copyrighted materials, they should consider two questions: Is the use transformative and was the amount used appropriate for the purpose? I had never heard about transformation in relation to copyright until this class and it took some reading to understand what it meant. I believe it means that if a work is used in a new or unexpected way from the original intention, it could qualify for fair use. This provides a lot of latitude for teachers in how they use copyrighted materials in teaching and learning. Teachers are very creative in how they incorporate various materials and resources from different sources, often using them in new and unexpected ways. I see my colleagues do this with amazing results.
Copyright exists to promote innovation and creativity. Effective use is the ultimate collaborative tool in education. Without it, we severely limit the opportunities for our students’ learning experiences. With it, we can open the world to them and provide experiences they might not have otherwise.
Reference
Center for Media and Social Impact. (2018). The code for best practices in fair use for media literacy education.
Retrieved from http://cmsimpact.org/code/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-
education/#code.
Using copyrighted materials can seem daunting because there has been so much said about the severity of potential consequences for copyright infringement, but fair use is broadly written to allow educators access to materials in order to improve and enhance learning experiences. I know that I have used movie clips in my math class to introduce concepts or to engage my students in mathematical conversations, making the clips fall under fair use. I have used materials from Teachers Pay Teachers quite a bit and understand that I need to comply with all copyrights associated with any materials I use. Many of those resources require additional licenses if sharing with a team or have restrictions on how materials may be accessed by students. These copyrighted materials have been valuable resources in my classroom to enhance learning, but I make sure to respect the copyrights so those resources will continue to be available to others without infringing on the owner’s rights. Due to the copyrighted nature of these resources, many do not fall under fair use, but can still be used as long as you comply with the stated copyrights.
I think CMSI (2018) makes an important observation about how copying is required to build new culture. That is why fair use is significant for educators to use to their benefit to enhance learning experiences. As educators prepare lessons and curriculum involving copyrighted materials, they should consider two questions: Is the use transformative and was the amount used appropriate for the purpose? I had never heard about transformation in relation to copyright until this class and it took some reading to understand what it meant. I believe it means that if a work is used in a new or unexpected way from the original intention, it could qualify for fair use. This provides a lot of latitude for teachers in how they use copyrighted materials in teaching and learning. Teachers are very creative in how they incorporate various materials and resources from different sources, often using them in new and unexpected ways. I see my colleagues do this with amazing results.
Copyright exists to promote innovation and creativity. Effective use is the ultimate collaborative tool in education. Without it, we severely limit the opportunities for our students’ learning experiences. With it, we can open the world to them and provide experiences they might not have otherwise.
Reference
Center for Media and Social Impact. (2018). The code for best practices in fair use for media literacy education.
Retrieved from http://cmsimpact.org/code/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-
education/#code.