(PugnoM’s photostream on Flickr)
Intellectual Property, Copyright Laws, Digital Citizenship and Intellectual Freedom…although these terms were not unfamiliar to me, the implications and my understanding of them as an “up and coming” teacher-librarian of the 21st century were not as clear and well-defined. Let’s just say they were always a little FUZZY for me!!
So, I thought it best to go back to the basics with a “tried but true” KWL session…
KNOW…What did I know about “intellectual property”already? (Sadly, not as much as I’d thought...or liked to think!)
-Yes, there are copyright laws that teachers and students must follow!
-You shouldn’t copy out of a workbook that is designed for ONE student!
-Be careful what you “cut and paste” from the internet, as most of it is covered by copyright and you do not have permission to use it.
-It is illegal to copy directly from a text (digital or paper) and claim it as your own without citing the author and relevant information (ie. plagiarism)
-There ARE places on the internet to find pictures to use in projects that are “copyright free” (ex: http://search.creativecommons.org/)
-Most students are not informed on these laws and rules regarding “intellectual property”…for that matter, neither are most teachers!
WHAT…What do I want to learn about “intellectual property” in order to ensure my students (and fellow staff members) are respecting it in our digitally evolving world?
-What are the definitions of the terms: intellectual property, intellectual freedom and digital citizenship?
-What exactly are the laws surrounding intellectual property and copyright here in Canadian schools and libraries?
-What resources are available for me and my students to learn more about intellectual property so we can apply it on an on-going basis?
-Why are some students today not understanding and respecting the intellectual property of others?
-How can we as educators or as teacher-librarians help to bring awareness and the importance of understanding intellectual property to our students without appearing like “Copyright Cops”?
-Will we ever get through to these "digital natives" that "cutting and pasting" is a crime even though they don't see the victim?
LEARN…What did I learn about this topic that will impact my role as a teacher-librarian and educator? (TONS!!!)
-Since I had to make these definitions a little clearer for myself, I found the explanation of Intellectual Freedom in the article "Kids, Know your Rights!" a very simple and effective explanation. According to the ALA, "Intellectual Freedom is a natural right that every human being on this planet is born with, and that we should be able to see, read, or hear all sides of an issue before we decide what is the best thing for us to do." As a teacher and hopeful TL, it's clear that my role is to ensure my students are given those opportunities, either fighting for their right to access internet sites that are being unnecessarily blocked or providing them with literature that may extend their thinking or safeguarding them from censorship, etc.
-Intellectual Property or Copyright? In the article, "Social Responsibility" by Rebecca Butler, the differences between them can be hard to articulate to students (even teachers). My basic understanding from this article is that intellectual property can be defined as the "fruit of one's intellect"(Wherry 2002) and is categorized according to copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secrets and brand names...that's a lot to swallow for your average student. For years teachers have been toting the importance of "using one's own words" and not plagiarizing, but in today's digital classroom and educational experiences of "cutting and pasting", those rules are becoming very blurry and students don't understand the responsibility they have to respect the "intellectual property" that is available in the open forum of the internet! That is where we, as their teachers and role-models MUST play our part!
- To better understand the laws of copyright...specifically here in Canada, I found many invaluable resources: Copyright Matters (an excellent reference for Canadian specific laws pertinent to educators) and The Ethics of Information Use, A Teacher's Guide by the School Libraries in Canada 2001.
-There IS a problem that exists with students respecting intellectual property today! I believe one of the biggest reasons for that stems from the people they respect and learn from the most...their parents and teachers. Sadly, I have to put myself in that category as well, as I am guilty of committing "intellectual property offenses". How do I come to my defense? Ignorance in some cases, budget constraints in others and more recently, time restrictions to "get it done"! None of these are worthwhile excuses but are definitely the antithesis for my 'lack of respect of intellectual property laws". What is my point? Teachers and parents are the ones that need to make the change and bring this issue to the forefront for our "digital citizens" of today and tomorrow. My favorite article on this topic was Mike Ribble's "Passport to Digital Citizenship" where he states,"Students need to see that their teachers are following the proper technology-based citizen behaviors being taught to them." This means that, "we need not only to educate our children on the issues that are occurring with technology but provide resources for our teachers and parents as well."(Ribble, 2008) To reinforce this point, Tammy Morris states in her article, "If we, teachers and parents, do not clearly understand copyright and fair use issues, how do we properly teach our students?"
-Luckily for us, there are many resources available to help teachers (me!):
- "Intellectual Freedom For Youth" article by Annette Lamb was full of lesson ideas and great website resources. As Lamb states,"School Library media specialists should investigate the value of online tools for furthering intellectual freedom by promoting creative thought, communication and collaboration." She suggests Eight Ways to Take Action which is also available online with several links here!
- I am a big fan of the work that Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey have done in promoting Digital Citizenship. Their website is full of excellent resources for teachers, http://www.educ.ksu.edu/digitalcitizenship/TeachingDC.htm# . They've also published two books to help educators in educating students on becoming responsible digital citizens, Digital Citizenship in Schools and Raising a Digital Child. Their nine elements of Digital Citizenship are a great building block model to begin discussing and teaching these issues with our students. The Four Stage Technology Learning Framework helps teachers to guide them through the process of teaching our students about Digital Citizenship.
- Right here in Manitoba, we have resources right at our fingertips within our Literacy with ICT continuum document. In the "Affective Domain" of the document, two areas of general outcomes center around "Ethics and Responsibility" as well as "Social Implications". The Literacy with ICT site contains valuable resources in itself to help teachers begin integrating these outcomes into their technology learning experiences.
- Videos!!! There's nothing like some great audio-visual tools to help students understand the concepts of copyright "What's Copyright?"and CreativeCommons . Wesley Fryer has a great slideshare on his blog entitled "Copyright for Educators"(an American viewpoint of course) to help get teachers thinking more about copyright...I know there are more!
- I don't know if we'll ever be able to get students understanding how important and profound the topic of intellectual property really is, until it reaches them personally! Another idea that Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey developed was the idea of a "Technology Driver's License". I loved the idea so much that I want to make it part of my classroom and teaching (and include it here on this blog as well). So I began my first step towards becoming a role model for my students and I e-mailed Mr. Ribble himself to ask his permission to use this activity with my students and on his blog. He surprised me and replied very promptly (and favorably as you can see!). It's funny...with just this one small experience in following proper copyright protocal, I realized how easy and satisfying it is! It's given me hope and motivation to make the teaching of "intellectual property" and digital citizenship an integral part of my technology experiences and libary program and to help create responsible 21st century digital learners!
P.S. Thanks again, Mike! I'll be buying those books for my school library!
