Copyright in the Classroom Rebecca Siler

What is Copyright? Form of intellectual property law Protects original works including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works Work does not have to be registered for the copyright to exist Works are protected from the moment of creation and fixed in a tangible form (U.S. Copyright Office)

7 Broad Categories Literary works Fiction and nonfiction, including books, periodicals, manuscripts, computer programs, manuals, phonorecords, film, audiotapes, and computer disks Musical works Songs, operas, musical plays Dramatic works Plays and dramatic readings (Hopkins)

7 Broad Categories Pantomimed and choreographed works Pictorial, graphics, and sculptural works Motion pictures and audiovisual works Multimedia presentations, filmstrips, films, videos Sound recordings and records (Hopkins)

What does this mean to you? You must give credit where credit is due! Add citations to any presentations you create to share with your students. Don’t make copies of copyrighted materials without permission from the author. Don’t use images, music, sound effects, etc. that you find online without permission from the author.

But Don’t School have “Fair Use” Fair Use does not mean, use what ever you want as long as it is for “instructional purposes.” There are some guidelines that will help you know what is okay to use. Click here for a reference chart.here Click here for Kathy Schrock’s Guidelines for School Projectshere

There are some alternatives You and your students can try to avoid the pitfalls of copyright infringement by using alternatives Public Domain Items considered “public domain” are those items with expired copyrights, items placed their by the intellectual owner, and government documents Use materials from Creative Commons This site allows the author to determine the level of which they would like to share their information Some grant total access, while others allow use of parts of their work (Hopkins)

Citing Sources While adding citations to your work does not necessarily protect you from copyright infringement (you still have to obtain permission to use some things), it is still necessary to avoid plagiarism. There are websites that make it easy for you and your students to cite your sources. These two sites allow free accounts and will guide you through the process, even completing some steps for you. EBSCO and Encyclopedia Britannica also offer citation tools to create the citation for each article you view, all you have to do is add it to your work.

Summary It is important that we teachers set a good example for our students by following all the necessary rules and guidelines and by giving them the knowledge and tools to do the same. Always seek an author’s permission before using or copying their work. Cite your sources.

Resources Hopkins, A. (n.d.). Copyright In The Classroom. Upload & Share PowerPoint presentations and documents. Retrieved January 2, 2012, from U.S. Copyright Office - Copyright in General (FAQ). (n.d.). U.S. Copyright Office. Retrieved January 2, 2012, from