1. Must be aware that all computer software is protected by copyright unless it is explicitly labeled as public domain.
2. Must not make software available for others to use or copy in violation of that software's license agreement.
3. Follow fair use guidelines when making copies of materials.
I found number two interesting because that implies you cannot even share your computer for others to use the software. During my internship I saw a lot of teachers doing this because the school was only able to purchase one license so they would all use that teachers computer if they needed that particular software.
I have found the information on copyright laws very interesting as it relates to teachers and education in general. I feel that a person is being robbed when someone shares their work and they are not getting paid for it.
Why are the students being robbed of a quality material because the school cannot afford or decided to use the monies other ways?
Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/rtrieger/eps304/copyright.htm
Cassandra,
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with you. Why should students have to suffer because of the way budgets are being allocated or misused?
I do think education is key. I read a couple of other blogs in which individuals said they don't remember even getting as much information about what constitutes a copyright violation as educators. If educators will be held accountable, and students end up feeling the brunt of the fallout, what do we have to lose by doing more upfront to ensure things like this do not happen.
Cassandra,
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about using software was very interesting. I did not realize that teachers were not allowed to shared software on their computer with other teachers. I orginally thought that the use of printed materials was probably the most violated guideline, but after reading your post, I'm starting to rethink that. Teachers share software on their computer all the time with other teachers and students. I understand why doing that would be in violation of the law, but I don't see it stopping any time soon.
I believe the use of copyrighted material will continue to be used outside the guidelines identified by the copyright laws for the very reasons already mentioned. Lack of knowledge and difficulty in adhering to the laws are the top two reasons for noncompliance as I see it. One thought did come to mind as a deterrent, tracking the use of downloaded documents as with trial purchases that become inactive after a certain amount of time. This action could at least limit the infringement on copyright laws.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article and yes my eyes are open now as to what I can and can not do in the classroom. Check out this website it offers up some good suggestions about copyrights.
ReplyDeletehttp://tlt.its.psu.edu/dmd/teachact/teachactFAQ.html