Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Ethics and Technology

The article that I read was about teaching and using ethics in a school. The article began with a teacher going to a conference on copyright. She stated that in her classroom she had been modeling the wrong thing by reproducing and distributing things because she thought that it was covered under the fair use policy. Therefore after the conference it made her research property law and then begin to teach them to her students so that they can use it in a project. The the article transitioned to another teacher that questioned if students really understood copyright laws. She then wet forth to discuss that they may understand it but do not really know the consequences involve in violating the copyright and limits of fair use. She figures that they may even look at the consequences as just being a slap on the wrist until it hits home and someone is arrest for not adhering to these rules. Lastly was a teacher that questioned if students really retained the information that was taught on copyright. She later had the chance to see that students did retain that information and used it. So later in the article it is stated that people that do not take the time to learn the copyright laws and so forth may just be modeling the wrong thing.And considering that modeling was the first form of learning then it makes you wonder from what models are our children learning.




After reading the article and watching the video on copyright laws and fair use it has really opened my eyes to how important it is. The video really demonstrates how to properly use someone else material. Not following the proper copyright laws is like stealing. The video is basically saying get permission to use the material before you use it or suffer the consequences. I know most people don't follow copyright laws because they don't know how serious it is and they are just following the models that they have seen in their lives. For example, their teacher may have made copies out of a work book because of the lack of resources. Also people are not often taught how to get permission to use certain material. So that just goes to show that "People do perish because of lack of knowledge".

Thought provoking question:
Are you demonstrating the proper way to get permission to use someone else material, and do you think that copyright laws are necessary?

3 comments:

  1. I love this video!! It is very creative how they used small clips of disney movies to teach about the copyright laws.

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  2. I believe that students and teachers as well are unaware of the copyright laws when it comes to internet use. There should be a course on using copyright laws for students, teachers, and for people in any profession. It's not that we purposely use material without permission, it's that at times we don't realize we need permission for certain things.

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  3. I am not currently teaching, but I am in the school. I do know that teachers cut corners, ecspecially with textbooks and copying. Maybe teachers and students are aware, but they do not always demonstrate they are. I feel that it starts with the administrators and professional development.

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