Sunday, March 31, 2013
Copyright and Multimedia
Throughout my studies at West Georgia, I have come across many pamphlets, websites and other resources for learning about Copyright laws. I still do not feel comfortable as an authority figure on how the Copyright laws work. I sometimes feel that trying to understand the guidelines for copyright and fair use require a legal background, because there seem to be so many loopholes and legalese that are included in the copyright laws. I think as educators first in the field of media, it is our job to understand the laws of copyright and fair use. In my own school system, DeKalb, we do get to view a power point or something similar during our preplanning session. It seems as if it is the same thing shown year after year and it is obviously unmemorable because I can't remember the details of the training. I also have been to several schools that have a faded copyright sign posted in a dank corner that no one ever looks at. I think as a media professional, it is one of our major responsibilities to not only understand the copyright laws but also to interpret them for others and execute them. I do think these laws are complicated, but we must try to familiarize ourselves with the guidelines. I also think that the copyright and fair use policies will become more complex in the future, with the new types of media that is constantly being introduced. I feel like it is incumbent upon the media specialist to get the information out to educators and perhaps send reminders about the copyright policies or video clips, pamphlets, etc. I have never seen a school in which copyright and fair use were things that were readily promoted by the media specialist. I would like to see a media center place just as much emphasis on the copyright guidelines as they do the Accelerated Reader program. The SLM program should be a place where other professionals can come to seek advice on the copyright guidelines. I have been to several of the DCSS media center pages and most of them were lacking any sort of link or information about copyright policies. I feel like the bottom line is that yes, copyright is a complicated topic, yes, copyright as it relates to media and fair use policies can be very difficult to navigate, but that is no excuse. It is the responsibility of the media specialist to explain and interpret the guidelines and if this is not an option then educators should feel comfortable seeking the advice of a trained media specialist to help assist with the interpretation of the laws. If the media specialist can not do these things then, she should at least be able to point other educators in the right direction.
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I agree that copyright needs to be more of a focus for media specialists. When I first started teaching, I did not know the copyright laws. I did not have a good grasp on the copyright laws until I started this media program. At my school we do have a big poster in the main copy room that explains the copyright laws. At the school I volunteer at, the media specialist has put copyright information on the copier so you see it when you are copying. I do think copyright is part of our "ethics" video that we watch during preplanning but it does not go into much detail. As a media specialist, I hope to develop some type of interactive training to help the teachers of my school understand copyright. (It won't hurt that my sister is going to school to be a lawyer...maybe she can help explain the laws to me :))
ReplyDeleteCrystal, you are so right! I cannot remember the last time anyone said anything about copyright law for teachers. And, it is a big deal. The other day I was teaching research to my seniors and they were taking photos of notes rather than writing. I said, "I didn't give you permission to take pictures of my notes." They didn't see anything wrong with it until I produced the next slide that told them images, slides, etc. were protected. Then, they started talking about all of the PowerPoints teachers use from the internet as their own. I tried to cover for my fellow comrades and make up something about use for educational purposes but in reality, we are all guilty, myself included; however, as my ed law professor would say, "ignorance of the law is no excuse."
ReplyDeleteAs a media specialist, I agree, we need to do more to raise awareness of copyright law. I think everyone needs a refresher.
I agree, Crystal. The Copyright laws will be more extensive as the years go by. Media Literacy includes understanding Fair Use doctrines and Copyrighted laws. If teachers are scared or anxious about what might happen if they get caught in a Copyright scandal, perhaps that tells us that the focus of Fair Use is more reasonable than the myths teach us. Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteIt was very refreshing to read, "The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education". The five principles applied to scenarios of which educators often engage. The limitations were described in clear language and in fact I thought of a recent scenario at my mentor's school where she's using Photo Story with the students to create multimedia books. The media specialist has cut digital photos from the web and placed them into the student drive at her school. The students are learning to cut and paste the photos as well as label the landforms to reinforce a social studies lesson. The music was not copyrighted as it's on the Cobb Co. Virtual Library
Soundzabound. The link states, "A collection of royalty-free music and sound effects for use in performance & multimedia production. Sound files are downloadable in MP3 format.
TIP: Soundzabound files are licensed for all educational uses. CCSD students and staff can use them freely in any school-related capacity without violating copyright, including PowerPoints, podcasts, videos, school news broadasts, pep rallies, sporting events - even for video yearbooks and other products designed for resale."