Fair Use and Intellectual Property Hazards

     According to Kate A. Thompson, fair use is an exemption that was made in copyright law to allow limited portions of an original work to be used for educational purposes.  Furthermore, it is often used as part of a defense claim to rebut accusations of copyright infringement.  She breaks down the legal analysis of fair use into four factors: 1) whether the work is used for educational or commercial purposes, 2) the nature of the work (fact-based or creative), 3) "the amount of work used in relation to the work as a whole," and 4) the effect of the use on the market "or potential income for the work" (p. 11-12). 
      Other copyright commentators, such as Doug Johnson and Carol Simpson, point out that the concept of fair use often leads educators to take careless liberties in the distribution of protected works, feigning ignorance that if they are providing access to a work for the benefit of students, that they are automatically exempt from the tenets of intellectual property law.  Furthermore, the fact that teachers are not necessarily making money from distributing or presenting protected works, does not necessarily protect them either (p. 15).
     Some important items that teachers might want to consider when presenting or distributing a work, or in allowing students to do so, are the following:
     1) Using the work for educational purposes, and avoiding recreational or entertainment use of media. For example, playing a DVD or VHS for a class as a recreational reward for good behavior, should be avoided, or at the very least, done so carefully (i.e. acquiring proper licenses).
     2) Limiting the amount of work that is distributed for free in a classroom.  For example, photocopying an article from a magazine to share with the class would be acceptable, but photocopying the entire magazine, or large segments of it, would not (in this case, due to its impact on the market place).
     3) Limiting the audience viewing student or teacher-produced materials to the classroom or the school (not the general public, and not many places on the internet).  In the case that a student borrowed images, text, or other media to complete a class report, the teacher and student should be aware of potential legal hazards posed by sharing the report beyond the classroom.

Technology Integration Matrix and Learning Environments

Within the Technology Integration Matrix, I have chosen the Authentic Learning / Adoption Level / One-to-One Access cell to take a look at how it stacks up against the NETS for Teachers.  By having students participate together in geographically charting recent hurricanes, the teacher addresses the standard that asks teachers to "promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes" (1.c.).  This is done by having students take turns demonstrating to the class - on an electronic chalkboard - where hurricanes were detected in longitude and latitude.  This classroom assignment likewise addressed standard 1.d., which offers that teachers "model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments."  With the help of resources such as that electronic chalkboard, and all students' access to a laptop, the teacher is also addressing 2.b. by "develop[ing] technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress."

At the beginning of this course, I believe that I would have been able to supply a level of classroom technology integration somewhere between what is deemed Entry or Adoption.  However, after becoming acquainted with technologies newly introduced to me with this course (especially Powerpoint, podcasts, and slidecasts), I believe I could, with a bit of practice, confidently Adapt my classroom to a degree where students are not only introduced to software, but shown how to manipulate and use it to accomplish tasks and draw meaningful connections beyond their classroom.

Podcasting Class Lectures

The MP3, or "podcast," embedded in this blog post below is a brief lecture in civil rights history on school desegregation.  The lecture basically serves as a substitute for an in-class version of the lesson, to which students can listen.  Students would be encouraged to take notes and be prepared to discuss either orally (in class) or as a written assignment (at home or in class).  Another discussion component could involve an online message board if the class were to be conducted to a large extent, through online media and tools. 

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Skeptical, Yet Encouraged: 21st Century Skills

            While I can understand, and at many times, agree with, the concerns of anti-P21 mouthpieces such as Diane Ravitch or Jay Matthews, that a “skill-centered, knowledge-free education” (Ravitch) is no adequate substitute for strong content knowledge, I do believe there is something to be said in support of “21^st Century Skills.”  True enough that “knowledge is… required to identify the root nature of the problem you’re dealing with” when exercising critical skills (Willingham), but the teaching of these applicable critical skills is, in my opinion, an essential lesson that can serve students better in their adult lives.  I do believe that content is essential, and I also have an issue with the idea of wanting to churn out a bunch of empty-headed, yet cool and charismatic business leaders to the real world.

            However, there are certainly demands and challenges in that real world that require people to communicate effectively and build bridges to solve problems on the community, national, or global level.  There are certain things that cannot be learned about addressing these problems from reading more Shakespeare or from memorizing the periodic table.  I am with Judy Salpeter when she quotes Margaret Honey on the importance of “deep learning” by saying that "A broad overview is important… but stopping frequently to involve students in projects that allow them to go deep is equally important. We need a balanced approach."  She also discusses evidence that can be found in after-school, extracurricular activities, such as art, music, or drama, that expand the pool of opportunities for young people.  These connections made beyond the classroom supply experiences that should not be overlooked. 

Yet at the same time, we need to approach how we manage our time – for content or for skills – with caution.  As Stacy Teicher Khadaroo put it, we can introduce the teaching of these skills, “while still doing due diligence to the three R’s,” namely, of content learning in the core subjects.  Integration is key.  Perhaps a synthesis of these approaches will provide the outcomes we are looking for as we show our students the way into the 21^st Century.