Copyright Issues in the Classroom

There are so many issues we are educators are going to face in our classrooms, did you ever think one of them would be Copyright Issues? Well they very well could be if you are not careful. Things from movies you show, to printed off paper's you give your children, to things to pull off the Internet to post on your walls to decorate your room. All of these things could violate Fair Use Laws.

I found this wonderful website about Myths and Copy write material and us as Educators.
http://www6.district125.k12.il.us/staffdev/Copyright.html.
There are things on here such as; Just because something is on the Internet, and its on an educational website doesn't mean, we as teachers are free to print it, and use it. We still need to get permission to use it. Here are a few more examples:

Internet Myth #1: If I find something on the Net, it s okay to copy it and use it without getting permission.While you are free to copy public domain material that you find on the Net, generally you should not copy copyrighted material without getting permission from the copyright owner whether you find the material on the Net or in a more traditional medium (book, music CD, software disk, etc.). (http://www6.district125.k12.il.us/library/wwwcitation2.pdf)

Internet Myth #2: Anyone who puts material on a Web server wants people to use that material, so I can do anything I want with material that I get from a Web server.Individuals and organizations put material on a Web server to make it accessible by others. They do not give up their copyright rights by putting material on a Web server. Also, the person who posted the material may not own it.(http://www6.district125.k12.il.us/library/wwwcitation2.pdf)

They said to always say one thing to yourself: "You see it, you use it, you site it!"
In other words, get permission and avoid the copy write police! (http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/posting.html)

I believe there are so many other issues we will face as teachers, don't let something like this stand in the way of you being a GREAT educator.  Research, get permission, and cite your sources. Avoid simple destruction that could not only get you in trouble but your school and your district. Be the example for your students in every possible way!