Copy That Copycat?

As we discussed in class, some copyright laws are very subjective and some are very clear. What law that we learned about in class surprised you the most? Why? Do you have any specific examples of teachers who have violated copyright law (don't use names)? Is it your responsibility as a teacher to teach students respect for copyright? Do you think teachers should have to pay attention to copyright? Will you model copyright ethics when you are a teacher? How?

I think the fact that all of the laws are so grey surprised me the most. The fact that I could resell cds for a profit yet couldn’t burn a cd from iTunes was also very shocking. This way if I buy a physical cd I can let my friend buy it off my for a dollar he can upload it and then I can buy it back with the same dollar. That is legal but burning a cd is not. It is the same thing yet the laws are different.

Teachers that I have had and teachers that I have worked with have all violated the copyright laws. At home teachers have photocopied whole workbooks for students because they have been discontinued or we can’t afford to buy a whole set. I believe that it is our job as teachers to show our students how to live a proper lifestyle and that includes following all of the laws.

I think that the rules for teachers should be slightly different. Using materials for educational purposes can make the situation muddled. For example if the teacher blows up a single copy of a book to make the text larger for a student with impaired vision- that should be allowed. Or to have the teacher write problems on the board for students to answer that should be okay as well. But the teachers should not be allowed to photocopy and distribute anything they want.

I plan to do my best to model the correct copyright ethics as a teacher. I won’t lie and say I will be perfect I’m sure that I will slip up because I don’t know the entire law or because it is something that my students truly need. I will show this by not photocopying dittos especially when they have the not intended for copy logo on them (this has happened to me before). I will instead hand write my own ditto sheets by using the copyrighted ons as an example. I will also be sure to cover copyright in my English unit, and social science unit (patents and inventors).