There are several reasons that we need to respect and abide by copyrights and fair use rules. First of all, we shouldn't get the recognition for something that someone else has created. In turn, we expect that someone else won't take the credit for what e have created. That is common courtesy. I believe that if I take another person's work and make it my own then I am stealing something that belongs to them, especially if it keeps the original author from making money or getting recognized. In order to teach students about copyright and fair use laws we need to talk to them about it. There is a good website that students can use to learn about these laws.( http://www.cyberee.com/cb_copyright.swf )
I believe that online safety and cyberbullying go hand in hand. What I mean is that, since there are bullies out there on the internet,we need to teach online safety to our students. We as teachers and parents should share this responsibility. Everyday, students are taken advantage of or asked to do something that is inappropriate
as they use online communication. Many times it is by someone that is much older than them and that wants to hurt them. Students need to understand about these potential predators.They can protect themselves by never putting personal information on the internet. Some things like full names, adresses, phone numbers, when mom and dad are gone and your home alone, or social security numbers are all innapropriate to put out there for all to see. We should also be careful about who we friend when we are using Facebook or Twitter. Everyone does not need to see everything.We should also teach our kids what the proper way to act when on the internet. This is called netiquette.( http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/computer/surfing/netiquette_kids.html
They can also use the website http://www.netsmartz.org/ for ways to be safe online.
I have always wondered about when it is appropriate to use materials and when it is not. When I first started on this lesson I took the Copyright Quiz and made a 68%. I realized that I have a lot to learn. I found it interesting that you automatically own the copyright to any work you create as long as soon as it is put in a tangible form. There are other steps that you can take to help secure your copyright. Everything on the internet is actually copyrighted, therefore, we need to be careful about documenting sources and getting permission in many cases to use the work. (http://www.ccsj.edu/blackboard/BB%20copyright_fair_use.pdf )
Fair use gives permission to allow certain portions of a copyrighted work to be utilized without the authors permission for certain uses. I have learned lots through this study,but I realize I have much more to learn about copyright and fair use.
http://www.bullying.co.uk/
http://www.copyright.gov/
Copyright Quiz: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/p/peachj/edte230/copyright/quiz.htm
