Internet Resources: Week 4

This week we took a look at copyright law and fair use, as well as Creative Commons; which are both important issues when considering use of technology in the classroom. There are many tools and techniques that make the process of "lifting" another person's creative work quite easy to do. The sharing and collaborative nature of the internet makes claiming ownership of one's creative and intellectual property difficult to control. One of the resources we tapped into is a YouTube video: Copyright 101 for Teachers which looked at copyright law and fair use from a more traditional perspective. We also refered to http://creativecommons.org which is a vast resource that helps consumers of information found on the internet know our limitations when it comes to how specific products can be used or adapted, and steps that need to be taken in doing so.

We also addressed Internet safety for children, which is a critical topic in an educational setting. Some of the resources we investigated include:

• Children’s Internet Protection Act: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cipa.html .
• Internet Safety for Kids:  http://www.komputers4rkids.com/Protection.html is a huge clearinghouse of resources for teachers and parents related to keeping children safe on the Internet.
• Government Publications:  http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
• The Wise Kids website:  http://www.webwisekids.org/index.asp?page=parents

All of these websites were found to be quite valuable. I am especially interested in going back to look at the Wise Kids site in further detail.