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Wow! Movie copyright law is very different from what I expected. Showing a movie during inside recess, during meetings, on a charter bus, making a backup copy, and showing them at a school-sponsored event are all copyright violations. "Any display or performance of a copyrighted work...would require a license (Simpson, 73)." That is shocking to me! We always show movies during inside recess because we don't have a lot of games/activities for the kids to do and it keeps them quiet. I am going to have to re-evaluate some of the things I do in my classroom in regards to movies. It is important to make sure that your copy is either from the library or owned by a student or teacher and it must pertain to what is being taught in the classroom as well as align with your grade level standards.

CDs in the Classroom

I am putting this question out to all of you since I have not found a concrete answer in our book.

Is it okay to listen to a music CD in class? I have classical music CDs and Enya-type music that I play everyday during writing time. I am wondering if that is violating any copyright law. I hope not!

Classroom Print Materials

How much can teachers copy of print materials?

Teachers may copy for their own classroom use:
-a single copy of a chapter of a book
-a single copy of an article from a magazine or newspaper
-a single copy of a short story, essay, or poem, even if it is in an anthology
-a single copy of a chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, magazine, or newspaper.

The big thing to remember is that all of those are single copies. It is not okay for a teacher to make a classroom set of copies from a workbook that the school won't approve budget money for. These items usually fall under the "consumable" category.

Movie Anyone?

I have chosen to look at copyright law from the perspective of a classroom teacher, since that is the most meaningful to me at this time. I will look at copyright in regards to classroom assignments, movies/audiovisual, and books. Some of the things that I have discovered already are very shocking to me. I had no idea I may be breaking a copyright law in my classroom!

A start...

This is the beginning of my copyright blog. Much more to come later!