Copy that?

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1. Discuss copyright for teachers. What surprised you? What ways have you observed copyright laws being violated in schools (no names, please, just examples)? How about out of schools? Is it your job to teach copyright respect to your students? How will you do this? 

Copyright is a tricky subject to analyze.  As an educator, there is just not enough time in the day to create all material from scratch...nor would it be necessary.  Why fix something that isn't broken...or recreate the wheel.  However, when doing this, one has to be careful that material is not protected by copyright laws.  It is a quick fix to copy from a workbook or to use a powerpoint already created.  Teaching is the art of sharing what you know with others, so in a sense sharing with other teachers can just be observed as part of the job.   One must simply be careful of the amount copied and the reasons it is to be used and ensure they fall under the 'fair use' category.  The readings provided were very informative in regards to the laws and their exceptions.  Did you know that items such as architecture, maps and the yellow pages of the phone book are protected by copyright? It is interesting to think that everyday items such as that are not allowed to be reproduced (under the provisions set forth by the law).  It was also interesting to learn the reasons behind copyright laws-> They are not merely to protect the individual and their work, but also to promote science and the arts by forcing people to create their own ideas and thus advance their area of specialtise.  There is a fine line in which one must walk in order to determine if/how much of something is able to be used.  One of the authors stated the amount of time in which an item is protected keeps increasing in order to keep Walt Disney out of the public domain.  It is mindboggling to think that there is such an organization that has enough power to effect the laws for almost every other piece of creation.  Is this a case that will ever be concluded?
A teacher needs to explain to students the results of cheating and stealing and how they relate to the lives of the students - whether it is copying homework or cheating off of a test.