A Whole New Meaning to Don't Copy off your Neighbor

As we began going to school, teachers started to show us how to cite papers.  Reading some of the articles on copyright, even those citations don’t seem to be enough.  As I read the article Copyright 101 for Educators, written by Wesley Fryer, I noticed my jaw dropping slightly on how severe copyright laws are.  I knew that there was a lot of illegal downloading of songs off the internet and people disregard the labels on movies which even give a huge penalty for copyrighting.  I had no idea that copyright laws were so extreme for teacher/student situations.  Copyright is defined as the exclusive right to be able to copy material and the material is protected for the author’s lifetime unless you receive written permission.  In order for a person to safely copy someone’s work and use it for classroom activities you must first receive written permission from the author or do not use it at all.  Some ways that would break copyright laws include using a logo for a t-shirt, using work to create an essay, and to download and use a song while changing the file.  After seeing all of the information I know that I will be very careful in my classroom.  I no longer will want to copy files and images and just attach the website address. Instead I will think of fun and create ways to either create my own or have the class.  For example if i wanted to use a picture of an elephant, I could either draw one or have each student do so.  Fair Use is a guideline that is put into place for teachers about copyright laws.  While the guidelines are meant to help teachers they seem to be incorrect according to this article.  The fist was that citations are not included in fair use and also that portion limitations of media files do not exist within fair use.  The four factors of fair use which determine how you are using this information include the purpose, the nature of the work, the amount you are using, and the effect of how much you are using.  I would like to learn more about the specific nature of how all of these copyright laws came about.  I find it interesting that there are rules about using information to educate students.  I would love to know all of the specific guidelines that are put into place in copyright laws and it would be interesting to see how many people don’t listen to them.