Information Ethics and Copyright

Information Ethics and Copyright

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This week, I learned a lot about Copyright Clarity.  It was pretty eye-opening to read about how fair use supports digital learning!  I was surprised by some of the facts mentioned in the book, because it changed the way I was used to thinking about things.  In a way, I was left feeling energized because of the concept of fair use and how it applies to us as educators.  Often times, teachers feel hindered by copyright laws (or their interpretation of them) and it can prevent amazing things from happening within the classroom.  As mentioned in the book, teachers are scared by the specifics of the charts and graphs notifying what you can and can’t do, but, in the end, it matters if/how you or your students transformed the content in a fair-use manner.  The U.S. Constitution says that the purpose of copyright is to promote the spread of knowledge and innovation and Renee Hobbs points out that, “At the heart of copyright law, the doctrine of fair use states that people have a right to use copyrighted materials freely without payment or permission, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.”  As long as students are creating new material out of old material, that’s what counts.  That is what promotes critical thinking in a new age of digital innovation.

These concepts mean a lot, in my opinion.  Teachers need to understand the true meaning of fair use and what it means to them.  We need to develop a different mindset and “instead of hiding our students’ work, we need to open the classroom door.” (Renee Hobbs)  There are so many resources out there, and reasoning and judgement have to come into play.  You sometimes have to ask the question, “Does the specific use of copyrighted works benefit society more than it hurts the copyright holder?” (Renee Hobbs)  Teachers, along with students, need to clarify the meaning of fair use to today’s day in age so that meaningful learning experiences can take place in the classroom.  If you discourage your students from using certain multimedia materials when they could possibly be used in transformative ways, “the full potential of 21^st century literacy is diminished.” (Renee Hobbs)  Creative work should not be limited to closed audiences if it is altered creatively though innovation.

Copyright Clarity impacts my occupation because I want to be able to communicate an accurate message to students and teachers.  Because I am an IFT (Instructional Facilitator, Technology), there are boatloads of resources online that students and teachers will be faced with now and in the future and I want them to be able to realize the true meaning of fair use and transformativeness.  I want to be able to promote critical thinking, creative expression, and the spread of knowledge in my school building.  We can improve the quality of teaching and learning if we better understand the fair use policy.