Joanne Prettyman
SLM 521
Copyright
Discussion
Scenario One:
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. She recommends sites such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN, DOD, and
Rock Music Hall of Fame. They make great presentations and become great kids.
What are the copyright implications??
Scenario
Discussion:
The
teacher in this scenario was desperate and breaking the law – but it is
understandable that there are many teachers who do this, albeit how
unintentionally only that individual knows. Having a “bunch of rowdy monsters”
make power point presentations on a hobby is not a bad idea. But, if it was an
idea borne out of desperation – then, most likely, it will be an idea that will
not be thought out or well planned – and copyright infringement will be an easy
law to break.
According
to Fair Use
Guidelines for Educational Multimedia the teacher was within the guidelines
of copyright law – just slightly irresponsible! There was no problem with her
lesson being centered on power point slides that depicted pictures taken from
internet sources. However, she needed to notify her students of their
responsibilities, to the creator, to the government, and to the school.
1.
Students must credit the sources, display the copyright notice,
and provide copyright ownership information. Saving this information to a
student or the Library Media Centers’ server would make this available to all
in the school.
2.
Students must state on the opening screen and on any other printed
material notification that certain materials, in their presentation, are
included under the fair use exemption of the US Copyright Law.
3.
Review laws governing: amount of prints used, period of time
online instructional materials may be kept at the school, not making their own
copies of presentations, not replacing or distributing their presentations, and
the amount of copyrighted multimedia material that can be used in each project.
The
students in this scenario would then understand copyright law and would run a
better chance of not breaking said laws later in life – i.e. college, etc. The
teacher in this scenario would be showing legal responsibility for a technology
that is all too easy to abuse.
Scenario Two:
Mrs.
Urdvardy, a music teacher, downloads MP3 files from the Web and uses them to
instruct her students in the various kinds of music. She allows students to
copy the files and take them home, listen to them and complete a worksheet.
Scenario
Discussion:
I am
“musically challenged.” (You know…who sings this? Who, that group, with those
four guys, who play instruments!) But even I know that there has been so much
controversy, in the news, lately, that downloading anything from MP3 files is
touchy enough on its own – let alone allowing students to take the music home
to use! Mrs. Urdvardy, in short, is
breaking the law – as the scenario is stated. It sounds as if she downloaded
entire songs, did not purchase said music, and did not include the copyright
notice.
According
to guidelines based on the
Copyright Law and subsequent guidelines, amendments and endorsements, Mrs.
Urdvardy would have been permitted to download that music and use it in her
lesson IF:
- Emergency copies for
performance provided copies are later purchased.
- The music is used for study or
teaching, single or multiple copies of excerpts.
- The excerpts do not constitute
a performable unit such as a movement of aria.
- The user is editing purchased copies
for simplification.
- The character of the work is
not changed.
- The lyrics are not changed.
- There is a single copy of
performances by students made for evaluation or rehearsal purposes.
- A copy of the recording is for
purposes of aural testing.
- If a portion of a commercial
music piece is played as background music in a student media production.
The very idea of
students taking that music home to finish their work, no matter how innocent on
either party’s part, was unconscionable and a mistake – ignorance of the law is
no excuse for breaking the law. Mrs. Urdvardy needs to “read up” on copyright
laws and integrating music downloads into her lesson plans. She then needs to
discuss this very serious matter with her students and should instruct them,
through modeled behavior, what music may or may not be used off of the web.