There is an article in eSchool News today about fair use. I think this topic is so misunderstood by teachers that I’ve decided to talk about it at next year’s tech conference.
When a teacher doesn’t understand copyright and ‘fair use’ of copyright protected materials, it is not only a potential crime, it is also a disservice to the students. The problem is hardly a “teacher” problem, as most districts have nothing more than vague guidelines for teachers to follow… if anything at all.
The eSchool News talks about a “Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use” established by documentary filmmakers. It would be great if Ohio’s schools had a similar document. There are some “guides” out there:
http://www.halldavidson.net/copyrightchart.html
http://www.copyrightkids.org/
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/10/copyright.php
We need something we can put into the hands of every teacher. Some thing like the University gave me.