pictures and copyrights

What about cutting and pasting pictures from the internet? This weekend my son (a 6th grader) had a homework assignment where he had to find pictures and paste them on a science worksheet about the food chain. My first thought was does he need magazines to cut up (am I dating myself). When we would cut up magazines and use the pictures, we weren't thinking of copyrights. Anyways what about the copyrights of pictures off the internet that kids use for school assignments? My son used small images of the pictures. Would a cut and paste type of project be ok (thinking back to what we did with cutting up magazines but now it is pictures from the internet)? If it was a picture used for a report then maybe the students should be sure the copyright information is listed with the picture. Also are the rules different from what students could do at home and what the teachers could allow the students to do at school? In other words maybe teachers couldn't provide the students with pictures from the internet to cut up or allow them to find pictures on the internet at school but the students could find the pictures on the internet at home, cut them up, and bring in the completed assignment. What do you think?

another idea for a booktalk

I think it would be fun to do a booktalk about a book that was also made into a movie. During the booktalk I could show a clip of the movie. After they finished reading the book we could watch the movie during the school day or they could watch the movie on their own at home. Wait a minute - what about copyright?? Do I need public performance rights? In our textbook Copyright for Schools by Carol Simpson on pages 75 and 76 Simpson explains fair use for audiovisuals with 5 questions. "1. nonprofit educational" : Yes, both uses would be nonprofit. "2. classroom or similar place": Yes, both uses would take place in the library which is considered a "similiar place". "3. instructors and pupils": Yes, both uses would be just the members of one class and the librarian. "4. legally acquired copy": Yes both uses would be with a legally acquired copy of the movie. "5. face-to-face teaching activities": I think we might be able to make a case for fair use for the clip of the movie during the booktalk but I'm not sure we can make a case for fair use for showing the whole movie. Simpson says "this factor of AV fair use is generally the most difficult to meet because this is where Congress states that they expect to see the direct teach piece in the analysis. In other words, the display of the work must be related to the lesson at hand, not simply related to some type of lesson past or a lesson to come." Simpson gives us this question to keep in mind when deciding fair use: "Is this an integral part of the unit I am teaching right now?". I think for the clip of the movie that I would show during the booktalk, it could be considered fair use and I could show the clip without public performance rights. I think though for showing the whole movie I would need public performance rights because I don't think it would stand up for the test of the "face-to-face teaching activities". What do you think?

Now if I decided to have a book club after school and decided to do the booktalk and movie during the club, I think I would need public performance rights for both showing the clip of the movie during the booktalk and showing the movie after everyone had read the book. Both uses wouldn't stand up to the fair use assessment #3 about being a class and #5 about being part of a lesson.

creating my own video booktalks

Maybe I could videotape myself giving one of Scholastic's booktalks or a booktalk I have adapted from Scholastic's booktalk. Again what about copyright?? On Scholastic's website they make it very clear that we are being given permission to use these booktalks in "a live verbal presentation". So I would not be allowed to videotape my booktalk. I would have to contact Scholastic and get permission from them in order to videotape a booktalk. (I don't know if they would give permission or not.)

video booktalks

Now on that same page on Scholastic's website www.scholastic.com/librarians/ab/booktalks.htm , they also have video booktalks. I could show my students the video booktalks. Again though we have to think about copyrights. On their website Scholastic says "Now you can watch quick video versions of booktalks performed by Scholastic staff members. They're a fun, visual way to get your students excited about reading." Do these sentences give us permission to show the video booktalks to our students? What do you think? Although the video booktalks are listed on the same page as the booktalks we are able to use in our presentations, the permission given for those booktalks only include our "live verbal presentation". As far as acknowledgement, Scholastic has their name above the video, shown several times during the video, and has copyright information near the video screen so they would definitely be getting acknowledgement for the video. Scholastic doesn't say you are free to show these video booktalks to your students. However does Scholastic give us enough information that we can assume it is ok to use them with our students? They do say "They're a fun, visual way to get your students excited about reading." To me that implies that Scholastic wants us to show them to our students.

Welcome

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog for our class assignment about copyrights. I decided to think about when I become a librarian and how copyrights would affect me in my job. I specifically want to focus on booktalks because booktalks are a great way to get students excited about reading. I want to explore how copyright laws will affect the booktalks I envision doing for my students.



First I decided to search on the web about booktalks. On Scholastic's website I found out that they have already created booktalks for some books. www.scholastic.com/librarians/ab/booktalks.htm Using their booktalks sounds like a great way to get started with booktalks. Wait a minute though. What about copyrights?? On their web page above the list of booktalks Scholastic says "You are free to use these booktalks in a live verbal presentation without express permission or acknowledgement. You may either quote them word for word, or excerpt or adapt them any way you like. Be creative - make these booktalks your own and add them to your repertoire!" Wow, I don't even have to mention that the booktalk is from Scholastic. I can make any changes I want to with the book talk or repeat it word-for-word. Don't we wish all copyright questions were this easy.