BLOG 7 : COPYRIGHT AND INTERNET SAFETY

Wow! Well, this was an overwhelming and slightly scary topic. I think this would be an excellent professional development for teachers, especially concerning issues of copyright. We so often go about our day without knowing what copyright laws we could possibly be violating. I thought to myself, the companies would only go after people who deliberately and knowingly committed copyright violations. Oh, how wrong I was! They have no problem going after teachers or unaware individuals. So, before you make copies or post anything on a website, you need to make yourself familiar with the copyright laws! First, you should take this quiz to see what you know about copyright laws: http://webinstituteforteachers.org/2000/curriculum/homeroommodules/copyright/copyrightquiz/copyrighttestc.htm I was shocked when I took it! I didn't know it was copyright infringement to make a copy of someones image and put it on a webpage. I see teachers and people do it all the time. I am glad I know now. You can usually find the author's email and send them a request to ask permission and then cite it on your page. Or, just use clip art and images that are free if you are worried. Basically, just know this and you can answer almost any question you have about copyright: The AUTHOR is the OWNER. That sums it up in basic terms. So if you have an image, link, or media file, then if you did not create it, it is not yours. Another great website is :http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/offsite.htm . The Copyright Act link takes you to Cornell Law School's webpage which organizes the copyright laws in sequential, organized manner that is friendly to the user. Lastly, and my favorite, was a website just for teachers. http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/copyrightlaw.html . I LOVED the Classroom Copyright Chart. It is a quick and easy reference for teachers. It would be beneficial to print it out and paste it next to your classroom computer. That way you won't forget and there is no need to memorize all the laws. If you just know the basics, and keep the chart by your computer, this will help you greatly. For Internet Safety, this involves the teacher, administration, students, and parents to be educated. First, schools need to have firewalls in place. Also, students need to learn about Internet Safety at a young age. I like reading books and showing videos to the young students. A great website to share with your young students on Internet safety is http://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/bigkids/netsafety.cfm . Also, it is important students are aware of online predators. However, in researching Internet safety, I learned students are more likely to be victims of cyberbullying than online predators. I also did a professional development on cyberbullying, so I am aware of current issues regarding this. Sadly, cyberbullying is a vicious cycle in which cyberbully victims often turn into cyberbullies themselves. Cyberbullying can occur anytime and anyplace. Often, it occurs outside of school. Schools that implement awareness programs and educate the community will help this problem. Again, affective education, educating the whole student, will help this problem. Children need to be aware of privacy issues and be careful about the information they give on the Internet.