Week 6 Writing Prompt

Teachers and Copyright

What a minefield! It is beyond unfortunate that our society has created this "perfect storm" of circumstances: 1) music and video are "free" in people's minds because they are offered free and unfettered through radio, TV, and now the internet. 2) Computer and networking power now makes sharing high-quality content worldwide as easy as a mouse click. 3) Web 2.0 tools make everyone an author. 4) The original content creators are now suing the ground out from under ordinary people, in an effort to make examples of them.

Where does that leave us ordinary educators? It leaves us navigating the minefield of evolving copyright law, trying to exploit Web 2.0 tools but still protect our livelihoods! In my opinion, since education is state-regulated and the state Boards of Education have at least a little bit of legal resources at their disposal, each of the state Boards should be publishing a clear, easily interpreted "Guide to Fair Use" for the educators in their state. It should clearly spell out what the teacher's rights are in that state. I know I have seen similar documents floating around, but they really should come, in my humble opinion, directly from the regulating agency, to eliminate any confusion or guesswork. Simultaneously, the agencies should be lobbying their respective legislators to liberalize the fair use laws and enact protections for individuals against recording industry thugs, as a service to the educators they represent.

Note: the picture is a decidedly bad Simpsonizing of Mr. Langhorst's picture. Perhaps I should have spent a little more time on it. http://www.simpsonizeme.com