Since we are reading and discussing copyright, I thought this was the perfect time to get feedback on an ongoing problem with students today. I teach 8th grade Computer Literacy and I think I really have some really great students. I teach a three week unit on Copyright where we discuss what is copyright, what can and cannot be copy-written, and fair use guidelines. Our students have a lot expected of them and are required to complete Science and History Fair projects where they must do research. The problem is when doing their research, they tend to just copy just what they see instead of rephrasing and/or siting their sources.
This really becomes a problem when they attempt to compete in district and state fairs and are often disqualified because of copyright issues. Some say they are too young to really understand that using someone else's material and claiming it as their own is not really a big problem. But they tend to understand everything else.
Please feel free to comment on this issue your thoughts and or solutions. Thanks
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perhaps for the purpose of getting them in the habit of asking for permission, make the letter of request for usage part of the assignment guidelines. (make it part of the grade points)
ReplyDeleteEven if they are using something with "fair use" make them write it out anyway. They need not know what is and is not fair use all the time because it is more important for them to get in the habit of legally requesting use of others work. (especially if they are seriously considering a creating vocation)
JC111
Do you start with plagiarism?
ReplyDeleteBased on the reading assignment this week, it seems that even people with a doctoral degree (and teaching copyright) are struggling with what is and what is not. Internet research is standard fare for almost all levels of students and thus copy – paste (plagiarism) is more the norm than the exception.
I do not think that your 8th graders are too young to learn important elements of copyright. I agree with the wonderful suggestion provided by classmate John Carter, “getting them in the habit of asking for permission, make the letter of request for usage part of the assignment guidelines.” I wish that I had said it first, yet I could not have said it better than John Carter.
Marsona I think that because copyright and fair use are, as many of the videos stated, moving targets there is grey area that students get a little lost in. They don't see the importance of asking permission, nor do they see exactly what fair use is. They just assume that since they are using it for school it must be ok to do. I agree with Tim, you need to make the tie in with plagiarism for them. Perhaps if your school has a policy about plagiarism you could start with that and give them an idea of the consequences of plagiarism and then look at how people have been prosecuted for downloading music illegally or for publishing work that isn't theirs. Let that be the springboard into the discussion of copyright, fair use and giving credit where credit is due. Eighth graders are not to young to understand this, but I think they need explicitly pointed out to them.
ReplyDeleteA recent incident in my class makes good fodder for the copyright debate and when it might be acceptable to use copy written material without “authorization.” It also sounds all too familiar. During my cycle 2 phase, I explained to students that they would have to get express permission (from the artist) to use any popular music. In each instance, they informed me of fair use practice information. Their source: the iTunes store.
ReplyDeleteTheir attitudes also indicated that if the artist didn’t know, what did it matter? During their final presentations, a maverick by the name of Jason used popular artist Wiz Khalifa’s “Roll Up” as a soundtrack to his digital story. I saw this as teachable moment for information literacy skills. As a result, I did some research in hopes of getting students to understand the legality of the issue and found information from Washington State University http://publishing.wsu.edu/copyright/music.html#Education
After reading it and a class discussion, it was determined that students were correct in their assertion that popular music could be used for their projects because it was for educational purposes and would not be played in it’s entirety. Now I am not so sure. “Roll Up” wasn’t necessary for Jason to share his story. It was appropriate, but not necessary. Which is why I will revise the project and add Creative Commons as a resource
Marsi
ReplyDeleteAs a special education teacher, I think students lack the skills to paraphrase research. Many students need guided support in literacy skills. I know your students are middle school age, but you will be surprised which students have trouble retelling what they have read. Most students are striving to get the grade and feel what they write is ok.
Jo
Interesting problem. Copyright is very very complex, but the basics should be easily understood. I taught journalism to seventh & eighth grade students and had the same problem of students just wanting to lift a story from the LA Times and say that they'd "written" a story. The first steps of training any artist going back centuries was for the apprentice to copy the works of the master until the apprentice showed signs of his/her own potential expertise. Writing is a bit different because we don't want our students to just copy, but how do they develop their own sense of voice if they don't begin by mimicking those around them. It's more complex than the admonishment to not steal. There's a transition from not being a writer, to being a beginning writer, to identifying oneself as a writer that seems to be largely ignored when one says, "Don't copy!" Ack!
ReplyDelete