Copyright

Copyright is such a sticky issue. On the few (and far between) instances when teachers ask me about copyright, it's hard to give them a straight answer.  It really is wonderful being in education and having a certain amount of latitude when it comes to using resources, but when explaining copyright, once you get through your first couple of 'sometimes' and 'if you...'s, I can see that the listener is no longer listening.

I saw this infographic this morning (click & zoom in to read it, I know it's long and thin), and naturally it doesn't cover everything, but copyright is a great instance for when an infographic is the perfect tool to use.

It really is hard to understand copyright and how copyright influences what you do in a school.  I mean, there are attorneys who deal only in copyright- what does that mean for the rest of us? I see people creating amazing things and sharing them on Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers, but how much of that is actually their own work? How much of what is their own work contains parts that aren't...is that covered by copyright?  Fair use seems to be a part that is especially difficult to get a serious grasp on.  

Maybe it's time for me to schedule a Back to School Copyright information session...I'd better bake some cookies. 




How do you explain copyright to your staff or (if you're a teacher) to your students? It seems so simple...until it isn't.

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