Copyright Resources

The article titled Copyright Resources does not have an author and was produced in the Learning and Leading with Technology journal to provide educators with numerous resources that address copyright issues, including fair use, ethics, and copyright guidelines, just to mention a few.  There is not an introduction or a conclusion in this article.  It was simply written for informational purposes to help clarify copyright confusion and detail resources for educators.  The resources are categorized into 5 sections: articles, books, pamphlets, videos, and websites.

For my blog entry I decided to explore the different resources and provide a brief synopsis on those that I found most beneficial.  I thought that Painter’s article titled “What Do You Mean Copyright Does Not Mean I Have the Right to Copy?” was very interesting because it explored students’ ideas concerning copyright and exemplified the need for teachers to truly satisfy NETS 4a and 4c.  This article helps to illustrate that teachers must address proper use of technology in the classroom.

Under the pamphlet section is “Fair Use of Copyrighted Works: A Crucial Element in Educating in America”, which is found on a website that has several great resources for teachers, including videos and many books available for purchase that concern copyright law, intellectual property, fair use, and trademark infringement.  I enjoyed viewing the videos and exploring this website exemplifies the need for educators to satisfy NETS 4 and also shows some ways in which teachers can participate in learning communities to work towards NETS 5.

One of my favorite resources that is briefly described in this article, was Copyright with Cyberbee.  I really enjoyed exploring this resource because it provides an interactive learning experience that we can actually bring into the classroom.  There is an interactive section where each student in the virtual class asks a different question and you explore the answers by clicking on each.  This section addresses music and image use, copyright, fair use, public domain, attribution, sound effects, and more.  This website also contains an eighth lesson plan on copyright, which can be used as a great starting guide to either adapt to differing grade levels, or be altered to be more focused on the needs of your particular class.  This website allows teachers to satisfy NETS 4 and also helps students to meet the standards in NETS 5.  The students can also use this tool to gather relevant information about digital citizenship, through which they will be satisfying NETS 3b, by analyzing and evaluating the information on the website.

I also found the website Play It Cyber Safe to be valuable for both teachers and students.  This website mainly deals with piracy, which is often an unmentioned part of copyright consideration.  Especially with children, piracy is often not given a second thought, but we truly must be teaching students about piracy in terms of legality and copyright.  This will help us to promote digital etiquette, therefore allowing us to satisfy NETS 4c.  This resource provides research, studies, policy reviews, articles, and other tools and resources to detail anti-piracy laws and policies.  This website provides news articles relating to the infringement of copyright, especially with regards to piracy.  If incorporating this into the classroom, students could be required to draw conclusions about piracy and copyright law from the articles they read about piracy settlements and prosecution.  This would allow them to satisfy NETS 3 (through their collection of information) NETS 4 (through their identification of a problem), and NETS 5 (through the recognition of safe and responsible use of information).

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With technology truly becoming part of every-day life in many of our students, it becomes essential for educators to teach their students about the responsible and ethical uses of information and technology.  By exploring these resources we can gain a deeper understanding of copyright issues so that we can be prepared to adequately teach our students.  In addition, many of these resources provide guidelines or ideas that teachers can draw upon to create meaningful learning experiences for their students that specifically target copyright laws and infringement.

I hope you explore some of these resources, I think you’ll find them very helpful!

Best,

Catherine Weldon

Reference:

International Society for Technology in Education (2005). Copyright Resources. Learning & Leading with Technology, 32(7), 22-23.

All Aboard!

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The article titled All Aboard, written by David and Margaret Carpenter, is a great compliment to the article Breathing Fire into Web 2.0 (by David Carpenter and Justin Hardman), which I wrote about in this blog in February.  It helped me to explore the implementation aspect of the program exemplified in Hong Kong International School (HKIS), whereas the article by Hardman and Carpenter discusses the beneficial aspects of the virtual learning environment, myDragonNet. 

The authors wrote this article in an attempt to persuade schools to implement Web 2.0 tools such as myDragonNet.  They begin their article by stating that there will only be successful implementation of the essential technology skills “when those skills are seen as relevant to the pressing agendas that coexist in their schools” (Carpenter & Carpenter, 2008, p. 18).  The authors then go on to detail the process of implementing this program into HKIS and how it has led to interactive and creative exploration within the classrooms.  They seek to show educators and schools that it IS possible to make the move to these tools.

Carpenter and Carpenter (2008) explain that it was essential to have a Collaboration Team that consisted of numerous teachers, specialists, and administrators.  This allowed teachers to voice aspects of the Web 2.0 tool that would be most useful for themselves and their students.  The Collaboration Team allowed for a multifaceted approach, which took into account more than just immediate curriculum, and included interdisciplinary methods as well as the ability to have a long-term goal focus.  The authors also give specific examples of how the learning experience has been improved through this program: third graders were able to virtually explore Buddhism, forth graders worked to tie their personal habits with their nutrition unit via wikis, while 5^th graders worked to create photo essays.  Carpenter and Carpenter (2008) also give examples of how each of the following have been actively incorporated into the learning experience: podcasts, mind maps, and multimedia presentations. 

I appreciate the interdisciplinary aspect that is made more accessible through myDragonNet.  I nanny for children with special needs, predominantly children with autism, and am going for my special education credential.  This causes me to look into the integration of subjects.  With any students, but especially those with special needs, transitioning abruptly from one subject to another is very difficult.  Through online collaboration, lesson plans, and definitively defined goals, interdisciplinary units become a possibility! 

I also appreciated that this program gives students and teachers the opportunity to learn together.  Carpenter and Carpenter (2008) explain that “classroom teachers learned…alongside their students” (p. 20).   I am a strong advocate for teachers showing their students that they are active learners also.  I think we must lead by example, and modeling open-mindedness to our students will help their vision of learning. 

I do recognize the barriers that some may address with the initiation of a program such as myDragonNet, but Carpenter and Carpenter (2008) explain the solution that HKIS teachers came up with: “teachers gave themselves a manageable task” (p. 19).  I think that sometimes, when looking at a huge project, such as incorporating a virtual learning community into the classroom, teachers often get overwhelmed with all of the additional things that need to be done.  By slowly transitioning into a virtual environment, we are much more likely to gain support. 

This would help both students and teachers to satisfy several of the NETS.  Teachers would address NETS 1c through the student reflection that is provided in the portfolio portion of this Web 2.0 tool.  Also, because collaboration and communication are emphasized in this program, teachers would be able to satisfy NETS 1d.  Through collaboration and suggestive lessons that are provided in this program teachers would also be able to more efficiently satisfy NETS 2.  And a major part of this tool is to help educators to better their teaching practices, which addresses NETS 5.  Students would also be able to view technology as a valuable tool to aid them in their education, which satisfies the student NETS 5.  Student NETS 6 would also be addressed by the incorporation of this tool because they will become more knowledgeable about various technology systems and be able to use it effectively.

The authors conclude their article by explaining that making a switch to a more 21^st-century relevant learning environment is not as difficult as it may initially seem.  They encourage the readers to examine the different aspects of their curriculum and explore how it can be adapted to a more valuable and appropriate experience.  The authors note the importance of “avoiding redundancy and providing for growth from one grade level to the next” (Carpenter & Carpenter, 2008, p. 21).  They sum up the article by providing reflective questions and thought concerning the reader’s curriculum.  They truly work to highlight that implementation of tools, such as myDragonNet, is beneficial in numerous aspects to students, teachers, and communities.

Thanks for reading!

Best,

Catherine Weldon

Reference:

Carpenter, D., & Carpenter, M. (2008). All Aboard. Learning & Leading with Technology, (December/January 2008-09), 18-21.

Also noted:

Hardman, J., & Carpenter, D. (2007). Breathing Fire into Web 2.0. Learning & Leading with Technology, (February 2007), 18-21.