Luckily, copyright isn't as strictly enforced in education. Copyright can be a friend to education. I also found the following charts to be very helpful to reference in regards to using material in my classroom.
Cick on the following links to review the documents and print a copy for easy reference in your classroom.
Copyright Laws for Teachers
Administrator Copyright Scenario Checklist
Among these copyright laws, I was quite surprised at a few things I discovered. The most surprising thing I found was that showing a movie to students for entertainment or a reward is considered to be a violation. This surprised me because we use movies a lot for entertainment in my school. We use them for indoor recess in the cafeteria, as well as occasionally during popcorn parties. I had no idea this was a violation! I also found it very interesting that no copyright characters may be used for nay school purpose unless it is relevant to instructional use, and there aren't many situations where that applies. One of the articles stated that "permission is a virtual impossibility."
I have three tips for teachers in regards to copyright and fair use laws. I think many teachers are unaware or misinformed about copyright and fair use, so I hope my tips are helpful to some teachers.
1. Be sure to monitor software installed on student computers. Teachers must NOT install the software on more than one computer unless multiple licenses are purchased. The software must legitimately be purchased before installing.
2. Teachers may post copyrighted material on the internet IF the material is instructional AND behind a password protected site that is managed. Managed implies that the site is only active during the unit of study-- it can not be archived! Be sure to take down the site when the unit is no longer being studied.
3. If you are going to show a movie during reward time, you have two options. Your first option is to secure a license. These can be obtained through companies like Disney, usually for a price. In the case of Disney, you can pay $25 per tape use. The second option is to show more educational videos, such as Reading Rainbow, with a permit. These are the better option in my opinion because they are more educational and certainly cheaper.
I think the biggest mistake teachers run into is simply being unaware and uneducated in regards to copyright laws. Many teachers aren't informed about all of the regulations that revolve around copyright. I think every school district is responsible for educating their employees on copyright and fair use. Unfortunately, many teachers break these laws every day. I believe that many teachers aren't even aware they are doing it. I have printed these documents and have posted them in my classroom to use as a quick reference and to avoid any potential problems in the future. I hope that you do the same.
On a personal note, I got engaged this weekend! :)
Have a great week!
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