Copyright Confusion Is Shortchanging Our Students
This article speaks to one of the fears that teachers have using media in the classroom. When we want to use something creatively we are afraid of becoming one of those high profile cases of copyright infringements with tens of thousands of dollars to pay. We, as teachers are also afraid of letting our students use media and stifle their creativity so that we can be sure that they are safe. However, there is a lot of misinformation out there from media producers to institutions of education. The fact is that there is a fair use law, which states that, “Copyright is designed not only to protect the rights of owners, but also to preserve the ability of users to promote creativity and innovation”. I don’t know if this is the exact letter of the law but it is a really clear definition that the article gives. I know that I have sort of lived in a fear about this. I’ve seen the misinformation and have, as most have, played it safe out of fear.
The implications for the classroom are that we should be clear on what the copyright laws are, and fair use. We need to give our students and ourselves as much creative wiggle room as possible. If our goal is grater creativity then we will naturally be in a safer place anyway and not stealing or doing little for the fear of getting fined.
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