Module+3


 * Description**:

Module 3 was very interesting because it discussed the issue of copyright infringement. I found myself identifying with a quote by University of Louisville professor David Ensign an article from Edutopia. Ensign stated, "I don't think most teachers willingly ignore copyright issues, but I do think many have the impression that any use of material in education is fair use." I often find myself struggling between the fine line between fair use and copyright infringement.

Crosta (2004) had mentioned that the idea of Fair Use Guidelines were created during the Conference of Fair Use (CONFU) in 1996 to serve as a guide on how to handle copyright issues; however, many courts have decided what equates to copyright infringement or fair use on a case by case basis. Even with Fair Use Guidelines, grey still exists.

**Impact**:

Educators by nature are always looking for the best resources to help students learn a topic or concept. In the era of high standards and low budgets, it is difficult to find cost effective resources. This particular challenge as well as inconsistency in court cases, makes it even more confusing to decide where Fair Use begins and ends. There is a fair amount of grey that exist in copyright law; therefore, many institutions try their best to fill in the grey with Fair Use Policies.

John Brim's website on defining copyright and fair use made a tremendous impact on me. I watched each clip with the intent of learning more about what is a clear copyright violation and what is fair use.


 * Intent**:

I began thinking about ways that I could be more conscious about how I am using materials, how I am teaching my students about copyrights, and what I am communicating to the world through my actions. One of the biggest struggles that I have is the whole idea of using pictures in a PowerPoint presentation. I tend to use tons of graphics; however, I do not tend to document them. Even though they are from Google images, they are not a part of the public domain.

I first got a taste of this when I designed an online course. After designing all of the PowerPoints, I was asked if I had permission to use the pictures, video clips, etc. I was completely ignorant to the fact that because it is on Google images does not mean that it is fair use. I am going to make more of a conscious effort to find ways to demonstrate this idea to my students. I want to learn more about realistic ways of documenting pictures.