Policies Paper

8/8/2019 Policies Paper

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FRIT 7132

Policy Issues

Copyright Policies

Sarah K. Wiggins

11/24/2008


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admitted to copying workbooks, books, and/or images. When asked if they felt if this copying infringed on

copyright laws, 30% said yes, 10% said no, and 60% admitted that they were not really clear on whether or

not it did or did not. This is a clear example of the need to define what Fair Use is, and explain how it should

be used in the classroom setting. The Hillsborough County Schools Media Handbook is an excellent guide for

writing this into a policy. It clearly states the four criteria that should be used for determining if an item falls into

the Fair Use category. (Hillsborough County Public Schools Media Services, 2006) For further understanding

of this key issue, teachers can be directed to read the 2004 Education World article, Is fair Use a License to

Steal? by Linda Starr. She introduces questions that educators can ask concerning the piece of information they

are considering and how it relates to the four factors as defined in Section 107 of the Copyright Act. (Starr, Is

Fair Use a License to Steal? Part 2 of an Education World series on copyright and fair use, 2004)

Additionally, such a policy needs to devote a section to multimedia and technology. In Starr's article, she

quotes Nancy Willard in stating that the area with the greatest potential for liability is the district's public Web

site. (Starr, District Liability and teaching Responsibility Part 5: of an Educational World Series on copyright

and fair use, 2004) As technology advances, educators are being pushed to immerse our students in all forms of

technology. The Standards for the 21st Century Learner recently published by the American Association of

School Librarians guide students to being information literate. As part of these standards, the students are

expected to produce a final product. These products are encouraged to use a multitude of media. (AASL, 2008)

Without providing guidelines for our teachers to follow, we may be creating a generation that is susceptible to

liabilities they do not even know. Therefore, the policies on copyrighting need to be clearly defined with guides

for all stake holders to follow. Starr continues in her article District Liability and Teaching Responsibility by

recommending that districts create steps that would limit their liability in regards to websites and multimedia

projects. (Starr, District Liability and teaching Responsibility Part 5: of an Educational World Series on

copyright and fair use, 2004)

Forsyth County Schools do an excellent job of maintaining the highest level of technology within our

schools. The county has provided several ways to keep teachers, students, and parents informed of all activities.

On each school website there is a page called Clicks for the Classroom, this page could be an excellent link for


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communicating current copyright policies. Teachers could be provided with links that they could use to

understand copyright better, as well as educational links that could educate our students. Another wonderful tool

that could be used to share information with students about copyrighting iswww.copyrightkids.org

Through creating a solid policy that defines what is copyrighting, what is fair use, and the guidelines for

multimedia and technology, the stakeholders of Forsyth County Schools can be better informed. Additionally,

through keeping the Internet sites up to date and relevant, teacher, parents, and students can have their questions

answered immediately. By changing the current policy to reflect these new elements, it would take the sole

responsibility of communication off of the media center, and share it with all of the faculty and staff of the

school district. The end result would be creating a community of conscious and informed users of all forms of

media.
http://www.copyrightkids.org/http://www.copyrightkids.org/http://www.copyrightkids.org/http://www.copyrightkids.org/


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BibliographyAASL. (2008, September 17).AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. Retrieved September 23,

2008, from American Association of School Librarians:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm

Forsyth County Schools. (2007, July).Administrative Procedures Media Programs. Retrieved

November 18, 2008, from eboard solutions : https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/listing.aspx?S=4069&Sch=4069&C=I&F=

Heartland Area Education Agency 11. (1999, August). Copyright Condensed. Retrieved November 18,2008, from http://groton.k12.ct.us/docs/copyright_condensed.PDF

Hillsborough County Public Schools Media Services. (2006, July). Media Handbook Division of

Information and Technology Library Media Services. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from HCPS

Media Handbook On Line: http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/mediahandbook/

Simpson, C. (2005). Copyright for Schools. Worthington: Linworth.

Starr, L. (2004).District Liability and teaching Responsibility Part 5: of an Educational World Serieson copyright and fair use. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from Education World:http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr280e.shtml

Starr, L. (2004, December 17).Is Fair Use a License to Steal? Part 2 of an Education World series on

copyright and fair use. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from Education World: http://www.education-

world.com/a_curr/curr280b.shtml

Toor, Ruth; Weisburg, Hilda K. (2007).New On teh Job. Chicago: American Library Association.

Willard, N. (2002, June 28). Schools, the Internet, and Copyright Law. Retrieved November 20, 2008,from Education World: http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech121.shtml

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