Blog 8- Examine the Copyright issues within schools

Part One Formal- Examine the Copyright issues within schools

The copyright law was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1709 known as, the Statute of Anne. This became statutory with the passing of the Copyright Act 1911. The current Copyright Act is, the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 (Patterson, 1965). When someone creates a piece of original work, it automatically becomes copyright. The piece of work does not have to be registered before it is protected, however the creator can also assign the copyright to a third party, such as a publishing business (Davies, 2012). This means that unless the copyright owner gives permission, then you cannot use for use or copy the piece of protected work (Intellectual Property Office, 2010) (Online). It is important that teachers are aware of the Copyright law when using and copying work for lessons.

Copyright laws apply to everyone, therefore, teachers need to be aware that it applies to them, even though they may be using it for educational purposes. Whilst copyright applies to everyone, there are specific concessions and licensing schemes that schools and educational establishments can use in order to stay within the law (Davies, 2012).Teachers can use material for educational purposes however, if the teacher uses the material to make reprographic copies or broadcasts passages from literary, musical or dramatic works then a licence is needed, if they are copying without reprographic methods such as writing it down then a license is not needed. Anything for setting or answering examination questions and performing, showing or playing work within the school does need a license, however if parents are included in the audience then a license will be needed (Intellectual Property Office, 2011) (Online).  

Copyright is a serious and complex process, it is therefore important that teachers and especially as student teachers, we find out what other teachers do when working in schools. It is important to remember that schools are given more of a leeway when using works for educational purposes, therefore it is important to not let copyright stop you from using any other works. It is also important that teachers make children aware of copyright laws, so that they can work safely both within schools and at home. The internet and media can greatly enhance teaching and lessons so as long as the guidelines are followed the law will not be broken.  

Bibliography:

Davies G. (2012) General guidelines on copyright. In Davies G. (ed.) Information and Communications Technology for Language Teachers (ICT4LT), Slough, Thames Valley University [Online]. Available at:http://www.ict4lt.org/en/en_copyright.htm [Accessed 25/03/14].

Intellectual Property Office (2011) Copyright: Essential Reading [Online] http://www.ipo.gov.uk/c-essential.pdf.

Intellectual Property Office (2010) [Online] About Copyright http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-about.htm.

Patterson, L. R. (1965) The Statute of Anne: Copyright Misconstrued, Harvard Journal on Legislation, 3 (1). Harvard Law School: Harvard.

Part Two: Informal

During the seminar, you will have trialled
a number of different Apps. Please
reflect on these, selecting one to discuss in
depth, exploring its potential for literacy
learning. Identify any implications of this
session for your future practice, drawing on
any relevant sources.

During the seminar I was introduced to a range of different Apps. I really liked the Big Cat Phonics books, sock puppets and the Winnie the Pooh app. I was really surprised at how many different Apps there are and how even really young children will be able to access them.

I worked in a group to explore Book Creator. As it was pancake day, we created a fact book on Shrove Tuesday. I found the app really easy to use and navigate around, which is child user friendly. The app not only allows you to write text, it also can insert film clips, pictures and sound. This is great as children can create interactive books which are more engaging and exciting to create rather than just using paper. Due to the versatility of the app, it could be used for any subject and any topic, which make it extremely adaptable. The app could also be used by children which would develop their ICT skills, literacy and subject knowledge for the topic they are researching or writing about.  It could also be used by teachers as a starter or plenary which makes it very versatile. One negative about the app is that it has to stay on the iPads, however a positive is that with an adaptor or by using AirDrop the teacher or children can present their work onto a big screen.

I thought Book Creator is a really versatile, fun and different app which could be used by any ability, age or for any subject. I would definitely use it in my practise in the future and think that it has many different uses which children would enjoy to work with. It is a platform in which those children who are less confident with transcribing onto paper, would feel safer due to its interactivity and those children who are more competent, would be able to challenge themselves further.