What about copyright?

Educators in nearly every district are finishing out the year meeting their students online. Those of us who prepare teachers to use technology are attempting to offer suggestions for how educators could (not necessarily should) work with students under present circumstances.

I came across a post from CreativeCommons. org that explored policies related to copyright and whether or not such policies are being relaxed to allow educators more flexibility to deal with students at this time. This report is detailed and there is little point in my efforts to paraphrase what this source provides.

It is my opinion that most educators have learned the basics of copyright and fair use (I hope). I do try to emphasize one issue that might not be obvious. There is a difference between copyright rules for your classroom and copyright as it might apply to posting content to the open web. I refer educators to the TEACH Act in support of the importance of this distinction. My interpretation is that the TEACH act allows students to do online what they can legally do in their classrooms. This was the point of the legislation. Students who learn online should not be a disadvantage. However, the TEACH act requires careful attention to one important detail. Publishing to the Internet without access control is publishing and does not limit the resources made available to students in your class. This is the case whether you have general publication of resources in mind or not. So a content/course management system that allows control of access is important. The fair use opportunities you can apply in a face to face environment can be extended to an access-controlled online setting. It is safest to think in this way