Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough

The trail about copyrights provided a lot of information and answered some of my questions.  I learned that any type of material can be copyrighted and there does not need to be a copyright notice.  You should just assume that there is a copyright and get permission to use a work.  A fact cannot be copyrighted but the expression of a fact can be.  Copyrights expire 70 years after the author’s death.

As far as copyrights in the classroom, one thing that I learned is that you cannot show a video for entertainment purposes.  I found that surprising because many of my teachers have done so, possibly without knowing that it is copyright infringement.  I still do not know, however, if districts or administrators monitor teachers’ use of copyrighted material and whether or not they would assist in gaining permission.  I suppose it would depend on the specific school you are working in.  In the future, I will always play it safe and not make unauthorized copies, show videos as rewards, or anything else that violates copyright laws. Even though there is a small chance of getting caught, I want to model good behavior for my students.  I think it would be good to incorporate copyright laws into a lesson to keep students informed.

I would like to know the specific rules regarding the use of copyrighted material in my classroom.  I also have several questions about copyrights:

Can a teacher as an individual be sued for copyright infringement?

Will districts assist teachers in obtaining permission to use copyrighted material?

What types of materials can be copyrighted?

Do copyrights ever expire?

How can I most effectively use copyrighted material in my classroom?

I don’t know a lot about the legal issues regarding copyrights.  If something is copyrighted it means that you cannot use is without the owners permission.  I think many teachers are guilty of copyright infringement by making copies of things and distributing them to students without permission.  In all of my undergraduate and graduate classes I heard a lot about plagiarism and the importance of citing sources but never anything about obeying copyrights.  I think that there are some exceptions for teachers and schools to use copyrighted material but I’m not sure of the specifics, or if it is even true.

Name: Christine Vaiana
Date: October 1, 2007
Hour: 1:00 PM
Your Mood: cheerful

Chapter 2 – “What Brain Research Tells us About Learner Differences”

1. recognition network (stimuli), strategic network (responses and actions), affective networks (value system) – all 3 networks involved in learning, students differ in all 3

Chapter 3 – “Why We Need Flexible Instructional Media”

1. Media can be transformed and offer different representations – medium can carry the same info but display it and engage kids in it in very different ways.

Chaper 4 – “What is Universal Design for Learning” -

1. has origins in architecture – architects were taught to design with the full range of users needs in mind; same ideas for teachers: design goals, methods, materials, and assessments with all students in mind;
multiple means of representation, expression, engagement

Chapter 5 approaches goals – using UDL to set clear goals

1. multiple ways for reaching a goal

Chapter 6 – materials and methods for reaching goals

1. highlight critical features, support background knowledge

Chapter 7 – focuses on assessment

1. accurate assessments support teachers in providing good instruction

Chapter 8 – “Making Universal Design for Learning a Reality.”

1. no perfect examples, no fixed recipe or blueprint, always about alternatives