I was surprised to find out during our class lesson on copyright issues that we as educators actually have a lot of freedom when including copyrighted works into our lesson plans. It does make sense when you think about it though, that, for the most part, an educator is allowed to include many copyrighted works into lessons as long as they serve an educational purpose. And of course, as long as they are not kept and used for an excessive amount of time. This eases my mind a little because now I know in the future that I will not have to worry a whole lot about breaking the law when writing my lesson plans!
However, it is important for all educators to be aware that they are likely breaking the law by including some kind of multimedia presentation in the free time they give their students. I was surprised to find out that schools are not allowed by any means to show movies for entertainment purposes without obtaining permission. Permission, of course, gets expensive. This made me think of all the times during my schooling when we would watch movies in class before a vacation or a holiday just for fun. And I'm sure that my school didn't have permission to do this.
Overall, I think the most important thing for educators to take away from this lesson is to simply be aware of the laws. Most of what educators and their students are doing with copyrighted works will be fine, as long as that educational component is recognizable. When using a protected work becomes more about enjoyment than education, you should probably step back and rearrange your agenda for the day, just to be safe.
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