The articles regarding sexting and teen suicide are both extremely upsetting and disappointing on the schools' part. In both cases, the schools dropped the ball and disregarded certain signs that could have prevented these tragedies. Schools need to play a bigger role in preventing cyber bullying, which could lead to depression and suicide.
Lessons on safe and responsible web browsing need to be implemented into the curricula. Teachers should be responsible for raising student awareness on the dangers of internet and technology, which include three important lessons that I believe need to be enforced. The first point teachers should make in their internet safety lesson is that nothing is private in the "internet world." Even with privacy settings, pictures on Facebook and videos sent through text messages or emails can be accessed by anyone. A second key point that teachers should stress is that no one is invincible. Many people think that it won't happen to them; that the pictures they send won't go viral. Unfortunaely, it is very easy to share anything and very hard to trust people with personal pictures or videos. The final lesson that should be taught, is that once a picture is out there the cyberworld, it is there forever, even if it's deleted. Incriminating pictures can affect future employment and college acceptances. Sexting will always be harmful, if not tragic. In health classes, the dangers of sexting should be taught along side with lessons on self- esteem issues. If students are well educated about the dangers of the internet, then hopefully cases of sexting will decrease.
Schools also have the responsibility for having a zero tolerance on cyber bullying, as well as face-to-face bullying. The schools need to create a comfortable environment that will allow students to annonymously report and instances of cyber bullying, and then take the approriate action to put it to an end. Teachers and school staff also need to aware of signs of depression and suicide that could be linked to cyber bullying, and always keep the parents informed. In Hope Witsell's case, it's unbelievable that the school didn't inform her parents on the signs on self-inflicted harm that they noticed on her body. By keeping the parents involved, more tragedies like this case can be prevented. Also, schools have the responsibility to monitor internet usage on school property closely and carefully. In Melanie Paradis's case, a racy video she had texted a fellow boy classmate was uploaded on a school computer. Schools need to prevent that from happening and take immediate action to carry out the consequences of doing such a thing.
With sexting on the rise, schools have a responsibility to educate students on approriate internet behavior and carry out the consequences of any cyber bullying that is reported.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Week 13: Copyrights, Fair Use, and Education
Because of the unlimited access to an abundance of information thanks to the internet and technology changing at a rapid pace, the copyright laws have become many shades of grey. The copyright laws protect the owner and creator of information by means of distribution and reproduction. However, because it has become easy to reuse copyrighted information without permission from the owner and by going undetected, many people believe copyright infringement is a victimless crime. Other people may not even realize that they are infringing copyright laws. When it comes to education, the boundaries of committing a crime by copyright infringement are becoming blurred because the copyright laws are constantly changing. "Fair use", as defined in section 107 of the Copyright Act, provides terms for a "legal defensible position" (A Fair(y) Tale Use) against copyright infringement cases. With copyright permissions becoming difficult and time consuming to obtain, it is very important for educations to become aware of the terms of "fair use" since it applies to the profession directly.
Fair use of copyrighted material means that as long as the material isn't being used as a means to avoid purchasing it, then it can be used for educational purposes. Of course there are four guidelines that must be met in order for fair use to be defendable. These four factors that must be considered for the determination of whether fair use is legitimate are the purpose of the use, the nature of the work, the portion of the whole work used, and the market effects because of use. (Thompson, K. 2005) As long as those factors are met, then material used to enhance the classroom my be defendable against copyright infringement lawsuits. The public domain, Creative Commons, and The Art Museum Image Consortium are alternatives for avoiding confusion by using copyrighted material. When the copyright expires, material then goes into the public domain and can be used freely by the general public. The life of a copyright equals the life of an author plus 70 years. The Creative Commons search engine facilitates the use of material for educational purposes without infringing copyright laws. Educators can use the search engine to find material that is permitted for reuse by the author for educational purposes. With a license, The Art Museum Image Consortium allows access to copyrighted images to be used in the classroom.
The internet makes it easy for teachers to find supplemental information to be used in the classroom, such as copies of articles from magazine, videos clips, and song clips. It is very important for educators to be aware of copyright laws and the terms of fair use because copyright abuse is more common than expected in schools, both intentional and unintentional. Installing a program with a single license purchases on multiple computers and showing movies for entertainment are copyright infringements and something that goes on in schools often. Having a librarian and technology director as a copyright specialist on staff, and keeping admininstrators and educators up-to-date on copyright laws are ways to prevent copyright disputes. Teachers also must convey the important of copyright laws to students and stress that copyright infringement will not be tolerated in the school.
The internet is a great tool for expanding learning in the classroom, and if used properly is beneficial to students. As long as educators and administrators are aware of copyright laws and "fair use", then supplemental material will enhance the learning process.
Resources:
Video: A Fair(y) Use Tale
Copyright 101- Kate A. Thompson
Fair use of copyrighted material means that as long as the material isn't being used as a means to avoid purchasing it, then it can be used for educational purposes. Of course there are four guidelines that must be met in order for fair use to be defendable. These four factors that must be considered for the determination of whether fair use is legitimate are the purpose of the use, the nature of the work, the portion of the whole work used, and the market effects because of use. (Thompson, K. 2005) As long as those factors are met, then material used to enhance the classroom my be defendable against copyright infringement lawsuits. The public domain, Creative Commons, and The Art Museum Image Consortium are alternatives for avoiding confusion by using copyrighted material. When the copyright expires, material then goes into the public domain and can be used freely by the general public. The life of a copyright equals the life of an author plus 70 years. The Creative Commons search engine facilitates the use of material for educational purposes without infringing copyright laws. Educators can use the search engine to find material that is permitted for reuse by the author for educational purposes. With a license, The Art Museum Image Consortium allows access to copyrighted images to be used in the classroom.
The internet makes it easy for teachers to find supplemental information to be used in the classroom, such as copies of articles from magazine, videos clips, and song clips. It is very important for educators to be aware of copyright laws and the terms of fair use because copyright abuse is more common than expected in schools, both intentional and unintentional. Installing a program with a single license purchases on multiple computers and showing movies for entertainment are copyright infringements and something that goes on in schools often. Having a librarian and technology director as a copyright specialist on staff, and keeping admininstrators and educators up-to-date on copyright laws are ways to prevent copyright disputes. Teachers also must convey the important of copyright laws to students and stress that copyright infringement will not be tolerated in the school.
The internet is a great tool for expanding learning in the classroom, and if used properly is beneficial to students. As long as educators and administrators are aware of copyright laws and "fair use", then supplemental material will enhance the learning process.
Resources:
Video: A Fair(y) Use Tale
Copyright 101- Kate A. Thompson
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