Fair Use: Copyright in the Classroom

While reading Professor Domine's textbook, I found that the Fair Use laws play an

 interesting role in the classroom. For those that are unfamiliar with this law, Domine defines it as, "part of the U.S. copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without obtaining written permission, purchasing the work, or paying the author a royalty” (Domine, 75). Through my public school experience, I remember teachers would show images and do things like display videos in order to, as Domine puts it, “enliven the lesson”. I never thought that doing so could be a legal issue. There are also strange restrictions and guidelines teachers must follow in order to avoid infringing Fair Use Guide lines. An example provided, teachers can “utilize copyright-protected image in a PowerPoint presentation to instruct her class, BUT cannot upload that presentation to the World Wide Web without permission” (Domine, 75). I thought this was kind of weird, all because you change how the image is presented should not determine the legality issues Teachers are also not allowed to compile different videos on one DVD or VHS.

There are also websites teachers can use to check the guidelines of different types of media like print, photographs, and video. The website Domine provides is TechLearning, to understand copyright laws and education (The website also provides other resources for educators).I feel like intellectual property laws are a thought-provoking subject. Resources from different types of technologies and resources can help support lessons in the classroom. I do not think there should be strict copyright laws because I believe intellectual property should be considered public-domain. There should be no limit to what teachers can do in their classroom, in order to support the education of the students. However, Domine suggests teachers should lead by example so that students abide and understand copyright laws. I do not see the harm in utilizing information, especially with the accessibility of knowledge through the Internet.

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