My Copyright Action Plan

For information of copyrights for educators, I visited http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/copyright/finaldoc.pdf. All this information is based on the Missouri Department of Education. The copyright of videos makes a big difference in the classroom. Teachers and students are only allowed to use them if they are used as an educational source. The video must be relevant to the topic that is being presented. They can't be used as entertainment or as a reward to students. Copies made of the videos are not allowed by teachers or librarians. That makes a difference for me as a teacher, because I have to make sure that the video used in class is educational and relevant and not to just fill up time. Here is an example of what I could do. I can show the movie "The Emperor's New Groove" after learning about Incas and their culture.

It is important as a teacher to know the limitations of multimedia that can be used in a classroom. Things like time, portion, copying, and distribution are good to keep in mind. Teachers are only allowed to use certian media for a time period, usually one to two years. Teachers and students are not allowed to make any copies of the original. Teachers can display or perform their own projects in presentation to the peers. The rules are pretty forward and can easily be broken if there is no attention towards them. To be a teacher of example, it would be smart to check out the limitations of the media that is going to be used. An example would be to check out the rules on music before I present it to the class.

Copyright laws on the Internet is also important in the classroom when research projects are being done. Only ten percent or less is allowed to be presented in the classroom if there was no time for permission. High schoolers and college students use the Internet as a main source for projects because it is so accessible. Teachers need to go over these rules with students so they are not breaking any rules. Using a video clip off of a website would be an example of proper usage.

I honestly think my personal action plan concerning these laws is that I'll be something in between. Although I do strive to not break the copy rights law, I don't know every single rule. I will try my best as a teacher to look up on what I am using and to make sure it is legal. But I am sure there will probably be times where I do not know a particular rule.

Wikis for Classroom Use

I looked at some wikis that were done by eighth graders. They covered topics on global warming, acid rain, pollution, species endangerment, and more. Each one was slightly different, but most had the same outline of order. The page would show up with different titles to click on. They would have the general background information, pictures, videos, three year plans, funding resources, and other links. The wiki had the basics on them plus different media to add to the learning process.

A wiki is a type of software that is used to put information on and keep it up to date on the web browser. There are many different things that one can do with a wiki. Like setting up videos and pictures or different effects. Having students make their own wiki is a great group presentation. They learn about a certain topic and present it in a way that is interesting to others. In this process, they also learn technology skills and present things different. The website that discussed on a particular educational wiki is http://helpingstudents.org/JSPWiki/Wiki.jsp?page=Wikis