Do You Have Permission?

Copyrights. Plagiarism. Permissions. Ethics. In the past these things seemed pretty cut and dried. Do not copy directly or paraphrase information without citing. My rule used to be cite everything just to be safe. Now information is readily available at your fingertips and finding what you need and making it yours seems easier then ever. There are sites on the Web that will give you papers or even write them if you are willing to pay. This is not ethical behavior. Students need to understand what is right and wrong. Unfortunately, even adults are not quite sure what is right and wrong when it comes to the Web.

Do you have permission to use those pictures or videos? As teachers, most of the time we are covered under fair use. We do not think about permission, but as we move from classroom presentations to websites the information we put out becomes public, for all to see. Making this information public on a website is a violation of the Copyright Law. You must obtain permission when putting anything on the Web that is not yours. Just think of the videos and pictures that you may have used in the last six weeks in your blogs. Did you have permission for those? What about software that you use on a trial basis. Have you ever not paid for software on the Web and still used it? Have you ever downloaded music and not paid for it? What about videos or bootlegs of movies? All could be illegal if the proper permission has not been granted or the proper fees paid. As I put this blog together I looked for a cartoon to post here. I found that Calvin and Hobbes would cost me $100 and I found an interesting letter from Gary Larson, the creator and author of the Far Side cartoons. Michael Lorenzen has a couple of great powerpoint presentations that cover Copyright Basics and Plagiarism. I would definitely use these as a springboard into my lesson on copyrights and ethics.

Shelly, Gunter & Gunter talk about three areas of objectionable material: (1) "all materials that most people consider pornographic, such as obscene pictures, stories, graphics, articles, cartoons and videos", and (2) "racist literature, controversial subjects such as gambling, and other similar materials", and (3) "Websites that contain incorrect material and thus are inappropriate for K-12 students" (p. 491). The first two pieces of information that Shelly, Gunter & Gunter speak of are pretty clear and should be fairly obvious to spot on the Internet. The third point is information that is not so easy to spot. Students need to verify their information to be sure that it is correct. Are they getting the correct information? Is the website a trusted source? Does the information match other information gathered from other websites? Students need to make sure their information is correct; it is always a good idea to check other websites and compare information.
Looking at all of the information out there on ethics and copyright laws gives a great opportunity for a debate. Some students will see the ethics as silly and meaningless, yet others will understand the situation and look for deeper meaning.
Here is where the lesson begins.

• This should take one to two class periods.


• It is recommended that you try to have at least two computers with Internet access to use for research.


• Creating a curriculum page with websites containing information on copyrights and ethics would help students get started with their research. Here are a couple to get you started.


• Cyberethics


• Copyright Law


• Software Ethics

Start a discussion on the ethical use of music, videos and movie bootlegs. Give your opinions and let the class discuss their views within reason. Keep it controlled. This could get out of hand. Many students do not see the wrong in taking music and movies without permission or payment. When the discussion gained some interest stop it and create groups for debate.

1. You should be able to create four groups (two for and two against).


2. One pair of groups can cover copyrights and plagiarism and the other pair can cover the three areas of objectionable material. You could break information down into more specific areas if you wanted to make the groups smaller.


3. Give each group a minimum of ten minutes on the computer to research their topic.


4. Time away from the computer should be used to organize points and decide who will be presenting which point. Each student in the group must present at least one point.


5. Rebuttals will be limited to two or three persons in each group.


6. The teacher and a select group of four members of the other two groups will be the judges.


7. Keep students from arguing out of turn or just being mean. This should be fun and a good learning experience.