One myth about fair use is "fair use is too unclear and complicated for me; it's better left to lawyers and administrators." Finding pictures and researching on the Internet has become the number one way students research for papers/projects. I know most teachers or professors go over fair use policy and how to cite information before beginning research. Most students know how to do this, but some do not do it properly. I still get confused how how to site information in a paper! I think in high school, and maybe even as early as middle school, there should be a class, or standards, devoted to how to research properly or how to cite references properly. It doesn't have to be complicated. I remember I dreaded citing my references at the end of a paper more than I did to write it! If we are taught at an early age to use fair use properly, it could make paper-writing, or researching, a enjoyable experience.
Myth #2 is "employing fair use is too much trouble, I don't want to fill out any forms." My husband is a co-host of the Georgia Dugout Club Conference for high school baseball in Atlanta every year. He was in charge of making the programs and running slide shows for presenters. As he was making the program, he wanted to showcase the coaches of schools who were presenting and wanted to use the school's logo. He contacted the athletic offices asking permission to use the logo. He wasn't really sure where to start, so he decided to start with the athletic office. All it took was a quick e-mail explaining what he was doing and it was a quick reply back, "yes!" Employing fair use does not have to be complicated, it can be as simple as a friendly, quick e-mail.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
FAIR USE OR THEFT?
MYTH: Fair use is only a defense, not a right.
17 U.S.C. § 107 : US Code - Section 107: Limitations on exclusive
rights: Fair use - See more at:
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/17/1/107#sthash.x450YXFh.dpuf
In fact, fair use is regulated by copyright law, provided for under federal statute 17 U.S.C. § 107: US Code - Section 107: Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use. The US code specifically contains references to teaching and classroom use. The law is intended to establish guidelines for a judge to determine whether or not a person has made reasonable use of copyrighted material. Fair use is a right of our country's citizens, including our educators who thoughtfully evaluate copyrighted material for its benefits to students.My school district, Fayette County, has a copyright/fair use policy in force that does not limit library media specialists from the full potential of their fair use rights:
" School personnel are responsible for adhering to the federal copyright law (Public Laws 94-553) in all use of instructional and educational media. The principal and the library media specialist are responsible for informing school personnel about copyright regulations and interpretations for the schools. School administrators are responsible for enforcing copyright adherence. In providing materials, the library media staff will adhere to federal copyright laws...
B. The System Media Contact Person shall be responsible for keeping abreast of and disseminating information on copyright regulations and interpretations to the school library media specialists.
C. School media specialists shall be responsible for disseminating information on copyright regulations and interpretations to the school staff.
Policy Reference:
| US Code | Description | ||
| 17 USC 107 | Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use" |
This stated policy asserts the rights of library media specialists to adhere to the federally established laws of copyright and fair use, and also clearly gives to media specialists the responsibility of ensuring that they communicate the laws to all school personnel in such a manner that they are understood. It is perhaps a bit surprising that the stated policy of responsibility does not extend to students; it may be that the school board assumes that the flow of information will be media specialist > teacher > student, and finds it unnecessary to specifically point this out. It is a relief to know that educational fair use of copyrighted material is indeed protected under the law.
Code of best practices in fair use for media literacy education. (n.d.) American University Center for Social Media. Retrieved from http://mediaeducationlab.com/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education-0
Board policy instructional materials IFA, Fayette County Board of Education. (Adopted 1980; revised 2007). Retrieved from https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/Policy.aspx?S=4067&Sch=4067&PC=IFA&revNo=1.22&srch=copyright&ktype=Exact
Board policy supplemental materials selection & adoption IFAB, Fayette County Board of Education. (Adopted 1986; revised 2007). Retrieved from https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/Policy.aspx?S=4067&Sch=4067&PC=IFAB&revNo=1.22&srch=copyright&ktype=Exact
Nancy Hart
§
17 U.S.C. § 107 : US Code - Section 107: Limitations on exclusive
rights: Fair use - See more at:
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/17/1/107#sthash.x450YXFh.dpuf
Thursday, March 13, 2014
School TV News
School TV News
School TV news has been around for a while, but with the new technology, more is available to schools. Back in my day, we would watch a broadcast from a thing called "Channel One" news. It featured a very young Mandy Moore and it was widely broadcast. It, of course, had nothing to do with our school, but we still watched it anyways. Today, many schools have a broadcast using students as their newscasters. It is a fun way to get the information to students and a good way to bring the school together.
The Orenco Elementary "Kids News Network" is a great use of students! This program uses a green screen to play images behind students who are delivering the daily news. One segment in particular lasted about 20 minutes and included the weather, students singing, and school news. It was a fun show and a great way to deliver information. Check out their site to see more (http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/orenco/Home/tabid/2559/Default.aspx)!
As for the Eisenhower Middle School ETV program, they showed actual weather maps for the day! How cool is that? The students giving the announcements are made to look like a mini newset. They also switch anchors like you would see on a real news announcement! This school has a calendar of the news topic for each day and you can watch it again if you missed it. This would be a good feature for parents as well! This site also uses different students throughout. You can view this site at http://www.wyckoffschools.org/eisenhower/etv/index.html#.
When it comes to the school I currently work in, we have two different types of broadcast. We have the local school broadcast and an area-wide broadcast with all the schools in the "cluster." For the local school news, the technology teacher runs the show. He uses student council members as the anchors. This is broadcast every morning and includes the days announcements, pledge, and moment of silence. Occasionally, they will have sports team members discussing upcoming games or wins. Only when they have a problem with the media will the school announcements be dond over the loudspeakers and this is still performed by students. The only real problem encountered by this group is the loss of the microphone. Sometimes folks borrow it and forget to bring it back!
For the "cluster" news, several students were selected by the media specialist to perform this duty. Every week, these students get together to record their voices to pictures or they type of things that have happened during the week at school. This gets sent to the local high school that adds it to a video with the other schools in the community. Its basically an offset of the high school news. This news (at least from our school) usually covers sports games, school happenings, and students who have won awards or other recognition. This group uses Google Docs a good deal to share and edit with each other. The high school uploads the combined videos to YouTube which allows the whole community access. I suppose the major problem they encounter is just getting it done in time or finding enough information to fill a segment.
School TV News is a great idea for schools. With newer technology, I'm sure students will be able to produce more advanced shows for their viewers. Some videos I've already seen in the sites mentioned above, are very well done and include a lot of information. Also, these sites give parents a way to keep involved in school happenings!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Social Networking in Schools
As I read through the AASL article, I realized my middle school would be in all of those percentage totals. We use social networking sites and Smart devices weekly. I noticed that the article was dated in 2008. The survey percentages were from six years ago! I bet those numbers have almost doubled by now! You can't keep students away from their devices, so you might as well join 'em. I think BYOD is something that most teachers need to try to work into their lessons little by little.
From the article "Social Networking and your library OPAC", my favorite section was how Follett is using Destiny Quest as a way of social networking. I would say that most students do not know how to write a review or rate something. I think having the students read a book, rate i,t and then put their review on a social site like Destiny Quest, would be a nice updated version of the book report. This intermingles reading and writing skills with the 21st century!
I think Metz' article, "Secure Social Networking", is a great introductory journal for any teacher, parent or student who has mixed feelings about using social networking in a school setting. This journal article has many links to videos or guides to using social networking in a positive way and ways to prevent negativity.
TeacherLibrarianNing is a great social networking site for media specialists. I love googling ways to improve my lessons in mathematics and this site has many good ideas on how to make your library better than it already is. I saw a blog about "Elf on the Library Shelf", how cool is that! What a great idea to take away and it would be something the students would remember.
I think social networking sites would be great for student engagement, if used in the right way. I used Edmodo for an advanced math class and the students loved it! I started out slow and we were only turning in one assignment per week. Students loved socializing with each other. The students knew I was a member and could see everything they wrote and I invited parents to join. Our district has firewalls for most of the social networking sites. Our county uses My Big Campus in hopes that this would take place of Edmodo. My Big Campus is used by teachers and students. I love the idea of My Big Campus, but unfortunately I have not had the time to explore, upload or search for idea as much as I want to.
I think social networking sites would be a great outlet for students to discuss novels. Like in my earlier example, students can blog or write reviews in place of class discussions or a book report. I believe social networking and BYOD will have a positive effect on student engagement. The number one person to make this a success is the classroom teacher. Teachers have to WANT to include this in their lessons and take time to explore how to use these ideas in their classroom.
From the article "Social Networking and your library OPAC", my favorite section was how Follett is using Destiny Quest as a way of social networking. I would say that most students do not know how to write a review or rate something. I think having the students read a book, rate i,t and then put their review on a social site like Destiny Quest, would be a nice updated version of the book report. This intermingles reading and writing skills with the 21st century!
I think Metz' article, "Secure Social Networking", is a great introductory journal for any teacher, parent or student who has mixed feelings about using social networking in a school setting. This journal article has many links to videos or guides to using social networking in a positive way and ways to prevent negativity.
TeacherLibrarianNing is a great social networking site for media specialists. I love googling ways to improve my lessons in mathematics and this site has many good ideas on how to make your library better than it already is. I saw a blog about "Elf on the Library Shelf", how cool is that! What a great idea to take away and it would be something the students would remember.
I think social networking sites would be great for student engagement, if used in the right way. I used Edmodo for an advanced math class and the students loved it! I started out slow and we were only turning in one assignment per week. Students loved socializing with each other. The students knew I was a member and could see everything they wrote and I invited parents to join. Our district has firewalls for most of the social networking sites. Our county uses My Big Campus in hopes that this would take place of Edmodo. My Big Campus is used by teachers and students. I love the idea of My Big Campus, but unfortunately I have not had the time to explore, upload or search for idea as much as I want to.
I think social networking sites would be a great outlet for students to discuss novels. Like in my earlier example, students can blog or write reviews in place of class discussions or a book report. I believe social networking and BYOD will have a positive effect on student engagement. The number one person to make this a success is the classroom teacher. Teachers have to WANT to include this in their lessons and take time to explore how to use these ideas in their classroom.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Social Networking in School
Why, many ask, do students and teachers need online social networking? Isn't the school environment enough of a social network? The fact is that social networking has become so prevalent in today's society that most corporations employ a staff of social network managers. Most for-profit and non-profit organizations communicate to their followers using social media.
The majority of school districts block access to sites like Twitter and Facebook, concerned about student privacy, cyber bullying, and distraction. Most social networking sites set an age limit of 13 in order to use the site. Despite the obstacles, educators should at least be educating students about appropriate ways to use social networking, knowing that it is or will be a significant part of their lives. Librarians have a particular responsibility to impart information knowledge.
Tools such as Ning,VoiceThread, and Second Life facilitate collaboration (an important skill to achieve) and promote professional development for teachers who often feel isolated in their classrooms. Social networking brings the world into the classroom - for instance, Shelly Terrell's kindergarten class collaborated with a kindergarten class in Turkey to create a book via VoiceThread and, using Second Life's avatars, teachers in North Carolina can participate in learning how to use audio and video equipment.
Some have a valid objection to merging a student's private life with a school activity, and voice concerns about what may go wrong when teachers and students connect online. Certainly guidelines and separation of personal and educational parameters must be established; this is a new venture, and mistakes will be made and solutions learned. By blocking social networking sites entirely, we may be losing the opportunity to instruct students about their value.
Davis, M.R. (2010). Social networking goes to school. Education Week, 3(3), 16,18,20, 22-23. Retrieved
from http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/06/16/03networking.h03.html
Why, many ask, do students and teachers need online social networking? Isn't the school environment enough of a social network? The fact is that social networking has become so prevalent in today's society that most corporations employ a staff of social network managers. Most for-profit and non-profit organizations communicate to their followers using social media.
The majority of school districts block access to sites like Twitter and Facebook, concerned about student privacy, cyber bullying, and distraction. Most social networking sites set an age limit of 13 in order to use the site. Despite the obstacles, educators should at least be educating students about appropriate ways to use social networking, knowing that it is or will be a significant part of their lives. Librarians have a particular responsibility to impart information knowledge.
Tools such as Ning,VoiceThread, and Second Life facilitate collaboration (an important skill to achieve) and promote professional development for teachers who often feel isolated in their classrooms. Social networking brings the world into the classroom - for instance, Shelly Terrell's kindergarten class collaborated with a kindergarten class in Turkey to create a book via VoiceThread and, using Second Life's avatars, teachers in North Carolina can participate in learning how to use audio and video equipment.
Some have a valid objection to merging a student's private life with a school activity, and voice concerns about what may go wrong when teachers and students connect online. Certainly guidelines and separation of personal and educational parameters must be established; this is a new venture, and mistakes will be made and solutions learned. By blocking social networking sites entirely, we may be losing the opportunity to instruct students about their value.
Davis, M.R. (2010). Social networking goes to school. Education Week, 3(3), 16,18,20, 22-23. Retrieved
from http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/06/16/03networking.h03.html
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