Lead by Example: Educators and Copyright
Education is probably the field where copyright law gets broken the most. Teachers are told to beg, borrow, and steal so they do not have to reinvent the wheel. This mantra receives empathy, as the teaching profession is challenging and time consuming, but teachers need to remember copyright law when they are using materials in the classroom that they did not create. Having a license to teach does not give teachers a license to use copyrighted materials ineffectively in the classroom, regardless of whether or not student learning increases. When copyrighted materials are used effectively, the teaching and learning process is enhanced.
From a teaching perspective, copyrighted materials are everywhere. Online articles, products on Teachers Pay Teachers, and material from publishers like Harcourt are just a few of the many teaching materials that are protected by copyright. As tempting as it is to make one purchase on Teachers Pay Teachers to share the item with the team instead of having each person buy their own copy, it breaks copyright. As tempting as it is to only buy one textbook and make copies for the class, it breaks copyright. As tempting as it is to show your class a movie on Netflix as a reward before the holiday, it breaks copyright. These things may seem innocent and acceptable, but they are illegal and morally wrong. Doing the right thing is important as a teacher, and modeling professionalism is expected (Enghagen, 2005). Educators must lead by example to show their students that original work is appreciated and respected. They should follow the TEACH Act, which balances the needs of both copyright owners and content users to recognize that authors deserve respect, but teachers need materials (The TEACH Act, 2011). Also, adhering to copyright laws could encourage teachers to be creative and make their own content and activities. Incorrectly using copyrighted materials beyond fair use implies that original work is not worthy of recognition, while at the same time discourages teachers from creating original work.
From a learning perspective, students are learning more than academic content when copyright is followed; they are learning character and digital citizenship. Educators do more than teach academics. They must also help students develop character, both offline and online. Digital citizenship is character education for the digital age (Ohler, 2012). Part of being a good person is appreciating and valuing the original work of others. Additionally, a person with strong character behaves morally and ethically sound, following laws. Digital law, an element of digital citizenship, involves following the laws of the Internet such as copyright, pirating, and hacking (Ribble, 2015). A digital citizen must embrace this element. Digital rights and responsibilities, another element of digital citizenship, refers to the privileges and expectations in a digital technology world like following acceptable use policies and citing sources (Ribble, 2015). This aspect of digital citizenship can also be achieved through teachers modeling the effective use of copyrighted materials. When teachers follow copyright, their students follow their lead.
In regards to education as a whole, everybody wins when copyrighted materials are used effectively. Stealing is stealing, whether it is online or in real life. Just because an attorney is not knocking at teachers’ doors, does not make breaking copyright, beyond fair use, acceptable. Educators need to model and encourage ethical behavior and digital citizenship by using copyrighted materials appropriately to enhance the teaching and learning process.
References
Enghagen, L. (2005). Copyright compliance made simple: Six rules for course design [PDF]. The Sloan Consortium.
Ohler, J. (2012). Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 77(8), 14-17.
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
The TEACH act [PDF]. (2011). Copyright Clearance Center. Retrieved from https://www.copyright.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CR-Teach-Act.pdf
