Thing 6: Copyright in the Digital Age

Within the materials for this assignment were two ideas that emerged for me that bear further investigation. The first idea is discussed in the section, "The Tyranny of Guidelines and Experts", and again in the conclusion of the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Medica Literacy Education. The authors affirm that "Educators need to be leaders, not followers, in establishing best practiews in fair use." I am convinced that much of what I (and other educators) have heard about fair use has been shaped by the concerns of commercial copyright holders and institutional adminstrators that are in a risk-aversion mode. However, the interpretation of fair use is a matter of perspective; and being aware and informed of other perspctives can free educators to inform their practice and be more effective in instruction without the "Sword of Damocles" hanging over their heads.

The other idea that stood out for me is the call for educators to be strategic in their uses of media from all sources, defining the purpose of the use and the connection to best practice. I can remember teachers have "movie days" as gap fillers that may or may not have had any connection to the curriculum or what was being taught. Those kind of practices have given those outside of education a low opinion of teachers as professionals. If we are going to use media in the classroom, then that use has to be intentional and instructionally sound.