Bob Whalen slm521mc – Copyright
Scenario #1
Mr. Hamer is tutoring for the functional writing test out
of a copyrighted series of work books from Houghtin Mifflin. He has 27 students
but only 20 books were purchased for his class. The same material is available
at the HM web page. She prints enough pages for her kids each morning for
today's class.
Mr. Hamer is not violating copyright for a number of reasons. First, he is preparing the students for a proficiency functional test – one that is mandated by the state. He is required to have his students ready for the test. Secondly, he has purchased 20 books out of the school budget, and is restricted on money. To make it equitable for all students he is permitted to acquire 7 more copies. Mr. Hamer is reproducing what he needs on a daily basis. This is fair use. The Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia state that teachers who create educational multimedia projects containing original and copyrighted materials may use those projects for educational uses in the courses for which they were created. Mr. Hamer has purchased books and is using the Internet to balance what he could not purchase. Houghton-Mifflin usually provides support through the web for buyers of their products. Mr. Hamer should contact Houghton-Mifflin and request permission. All Xeroxed copies should include the Houghton-Mifflin copyright and should not be altered. Keep in mind according to www.templetonws.com that “Copyright has two main purposes, the protection of the author’s right to obtain commercial benefit from valuable work, and the protection of the author’s general right to control how a work is used. One needs to look at the intent of the project and what means are available to accomplish the project for educational use.
Scenario #2
A teacher in your school (who has a really rowdy bunch of
monsters) makes an agreement with them that they learn how to make power point
presentations on sports, war, hunting, rock music and such. She lets them get
graphics from anywhere on the Internet. Sites such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN,
DOD, Rock Music Hall of Fame. They make great presentations and become great
kids. What are the copyright implications?
Ms PowerPoint is using the material from “Sports Illustrated”, ESPN, Music Hall of Fame, and other sites for educational purposes – to have the students create a PowerPoint. This is fair use. According to www.educationan-world.com - “The Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia state that educators who create educational multimedia projects containing original and copyrighted materials may use those projects for educational uses in the courses for which they were created. The guidelines require that all multimedia projects credit their sources, display the copyright notice, and provide copyright ownership information. The copyright ownership information includes the copyright notice, year of first publication, and name of the copyright holder. No more than two copies of a project may be made. Projects cannot be replicated or distributed for any purpose other than those listed in the guidelines without obtaining permission form all copyright owners. Other limitations include up to 5 photographs or illustration by one person, and no more than 15 images or 10 percent form a single published work.”
Ms. PowerPoint should include in her lesson a segment on copyright for her students. The Power Point projects should state that this is copyrighted material and the source should be sited. For PowerPoint presentations, students can download images from the web or scan images – the web being the easier choice. One needs to look at the intent of the project and what means are available to accomplish the project for educational purposes.