Copyrighting and how to teach it to students

In todays society many teenagers especially high school in the United States have access to the internet. In the United States most teens have a strong internet presence. Having this internet presence is a blessing when it comes to finding information online. However, students have to know how to site their information and how to avoid copyright infringement. I plan to be a high school Health and Physical Education teacher. I still plan to integrate technology into the classroom and to help students learn the do’s and donts of the cyber world. As a teacher you have to make it so your students can analyze ethical issues and practices related to copyright. The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship help introduce the concept of Digital Citizenship. In North Carolina there is a specific curriculum on responsible behavior when using the internet. Along with this, Digital Law come into play when it comes to copyright. Digital Law is the electronic responsibility for actions and deeds. Copy right infringement falls under digital law.

There are many ways to teach proper internet use and how to avoid issues such as copyright. One lesson that can be taught to help students with copy right is the Fair Use policy. The fair use policy has come into play because of the increased flexibility on the internet. Fair use has many purposes. When using fair use students have to think outside the box and use creativity.  Fair use lets individuals use small clips of work as long as they pass the four factors used in determining copy right. Using fair use you can also teach your students about the fair use principles made in 1976. Fair use is a great way for students to practice assessing facts and applying logic to their argument. The four factors that weigh whether or not you can use copyrighted work are the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount of substantiality of the portion used and the effect of the use on originality. An example of how this can be used is by having a mock trial in class such as Walt Disney Vs a fairy tale made by a different organization and to determine if It can be used. Another idea that can be used in the classroom is to have each student make a mix or mashup of their favorite band or television show and to make three things and to find three copyrighted pictures or stats and explain how they can be used.

One of the main keys is to make responsible choices when using other peoples work. There are many legal principles when it comes to copyrighting. Students should have a strong grasp on copyright law to keep everything legal. Students should be able to understand individual’s responsibility and rights when it comes to their work. The purpose of the students work should be affected by the audience and the group the work is aimed towards. Students should be able to site their sources and be able to know when to site. An idea to use in class would be to have students split up into groups and have them work on an advertising project. Make the focus of the activity to come up with an ad campaign which also makes students participate in groups. This lesson is a good idea because it makes the students learn the vocab of the different kinds of copyrights and general vocabulary. Examples like exploring copy rights and wrongs do a great job of outlining the assignment and to know the legal parameters.

It is helpful to know the parameters of copyrights, especially when surfing the net. An example of this is implied consent. Some artists protect their work because of their exclusive rights. The copyright statute is used to clearly show laws when it comes to the copyrights of things such as websites or any digital means. Copyright infringement can happen through publishing other people’s work or displaying other people’s work as your own. The best way to avoid copyright is to come up with original work but if that’s not possible students should be sure to site their sources or ask permission from the company or owner of the piece of work.

The 21^st century has brought many new methods of communication that can be used in the classroom. The role of teachers and how they communicate with students and with parents has changed a good amount in the past 15 years. Teachers have become more innovative and have started to use technology more in the classroom. The use of social media has also increased in schools. In today’s classroom many teachers use social media to interact with students. By teachers using tools such as Blogger, Twitter and Pinterest it has changed the classroom significantly. By using social media in the classroom it has become easier for everyone to participate and voice their opinion without actually having to say their opinion out loud. Social media can be used for much more than just voicing opinions, it can be used to post discussions, homework, important dates and information for parents. By using social media in the classroom teachers can give students a digital presence that can stay with them by doing this, teachers can also teach students how to be mindful on the internet and social media. The Guilford County Schools have social media guidelines for their teachers. I agree with the guidelines from Guilford County Schools. There are many purposes of making these guidelines. The main reason is to make a collaborative environment where students can share knowledge, opinions and information. Teachers have special responsibilities when it comes to social media. Online behavior should reflect your professional life, not everything that says private is actually private. Bringing social media into the classroom can really help students flourish and communicate in a different way.

Twitter is a great use of social media in the classroom. With Twitter students can easily post and respond to others in the class. When teachers use Twitter they can use hashtags. If a teacher uses a unique hashtag students will be able to search for it on Twitter. Teachers can attach questions, responses and pictures to the tweet making it available in and out of class. By using Twitter, it lets the quieter kids still participate in class without having to speak in front of the whole class. As shown in the video doing this makes the classroom more unique and helps more of the class participate helping everyone. 

Pinterest is another social media site that can be very beneficial. It gives the teacher a place to share knowledge and add value to the discussion. Pinterest is like the Swiss army knife of social media. Pinterest can be used in many ways ranging from YouTube videos to photo journals to study guides. Pinterest is a very easy website to use. The user friendly website is great for group and individual projects because you can pin everything to your board making it available to the whole group. Students and teachers can also post to a board embedding videos and pictures along with it. Pinterest also makes it easier to have students with different educational backgrounds in the same class with gifted students. On the board you can have different groups that will do different things helping everyone learn at the level that helps them most. Having something like a Pinterest also helps students keep a digital portfolio of their best work. High school students can also use Pinterest as an online resume.

Blogger is a great resource in the classroom. Using blogging sites such as Blogger make it easier for students to post in discussions and comment on other people’s work. By being able to post your own work and by commenting on others it makes the classroom become much more interactive. Using Blogger helps improve writing skills and gives each student personalized learning. Blogger is an effective resource because you can post important dates and assignments, also it gives students the chance for a more independent individualized education.

In my mind social media in the classroom is a great idea. There are many ways that social media can be used in the classroom. Social media sites such as Twitter, Pinterest and Blogger are great ways to expand student learning and be innovative in the classroom. Using social media is good because it gives students another way to communicate with the class and the teacher. Social media can be used in all types of classrooms and age groups making it perfect for school.