Awareness: I have had instruction in the four conditions that should be followed under the "Fair Use" policy.
I have followed the guidelines of Purpose, Nature, Amount, and Effect of the use in Market Value for the most part. I believe
every public educator has broken copyright laws unknowingly. The lack of funding and inadequate amounts of needed materials
has led many teachers to stretch the boundaries of copyright laws.
Exploration: The sites that explained copyright in depth were very helpful. The detailed information explaining
what "work" is eligible for protection under copyright law ws informative. There are many "works" not protected bycopyight
law, that I assumed were covered. I was not aware that the creators of copyrightable works are no longer required to register
their work with the Copyright Office.
Learning: I have believed that if I used materials for educational purposes that I had some flexibility when
following the guidelines of "Fair Use". I think the extremely overpriced "Market Value" of educational materials should have
been covered in the TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Application: I taught Middle School Science and Social Studies for 14 years. I was not aware the broadcasts
that I had taped for classroom use had a 45 day limit. I find the guidelines for photocopying consumable materials to
be problematic. When you teach in a school that has both low-income and high mobility rate, many times there is a shortage
of workbooks. Students leave, taking their workbooks with them, new students enroll, and previous students return (without
their original workbook).
Reflection: My understanding of the specifics of Copyright laws and the Fair Use Guidelines has greatly increased.
In the "Real World" of public education, Copyright/Fair Use guidelines, cause teachers to eliminate the use of materials that
would be of great educational benefit for the students.
