Copyright and Fair Use LR

Question 18 deals with the use of music in a presentation and the length that is allowed. The problem with using music in presentations is the royalty fees that are associated with the copyright and fair use of music. It boils down in my mind to greed. If a student wants to use popular music in a presentation that is not being distributed and the music was found in a legitimate way then they should be able to use as much as they want as long as they give credit at the end of their presentation. It is kind of stupid that musicians are greedy enough to want royalty fees for everything. Through the distribution of their music they can actually gain more money because who is to say that a student hearing the music in a class presentation is not going to go buy their music and also the license that you get to listen to the music if you get it legitimately should cover using it in a presentation without distributing the music afterword. 

Copyright and Fair Use SR

Question 6 surprised me because I thought that it would be infringement if you use the images and materials without giving credit. 

Question 9 also was surprising because MP3.com has free downloads and I did not realize they came with legit copyrights and such.

Question 12 allowance of teachers using materials from movies and such for educational uses is an exception to the copyright law that I didn't understand. I didn't understand because there are programs that can lift the copyright off of DVD's so I don't understand if that is legit for teachers.

Question 16 answered my questions raised in question 12 and does not make sense to me because those programs are being blocked by the government but are permissible for certain people. 

Question 17 raises some concern with me because I don't think it is right that people can use my image online without my knowledge and that is permissible.

Question 19 shocked me because the fair use laws on music are the toughest ones and a video yearbook is just a way for people to keep their memories so it should be eligible for exemption.

Question 1 should not be a problem. If a person pays a lot of money for a program they should be allowed to create a back up copy of the program for themselves in case of an emergency. However, if it is found they are sharing their program without proper licenses they should be taken to court for a lot of money. 

Question 2 should be true. Unless the school system can guarantee that it is being used properly then they should have to buy additional licenses. They shouldn't have to buy new programs and such but at least licenses that allow them to use it multiple times off the same server. 

Creativity Exercises

I exercised my right brain today by doing watching SportsCenter today and learning the stats that Roger Clemens had during his career and watching him before the Senate Committee. I exercised my left brain by helping develop a cryptogram based on a Ronald Reagan quote and then solving it. During the snow day I also listened to stories from some of my friends. Actually one of the was a humorous anecdote about people watching at Union Station in DC while the other was about how Mike Huckabee was talking about how inspiration is the reason why he is staying in the election race. These helped my creativity by giving me ideas, ideas for running for office and also ideas for the classroom and what a role model should be.

How to help someone use a computer

The one thing that I have to tell myself when I am helping someone use a computer, "If it's not obvious to them, it's not obvious." The one rule I will probably follow is, "Don't take the keyboard. Let them do all the typing, even if it's slower that way, and even if you have to point them to every key they need to type. That's the only way they're going to learn from the interaction." These stood out to me because I have those same two problems all the time when I am teaching my step dad how to do things on the computer. It is comical to watch because everything I am teaching him is obvious and I can do and then I watch him struggle and get frustrated.

After reading that article I can use those ideas to keep myself in line and realize that the students won't know until they know.

Ideas were borrowed from the following article: http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html

Focus the Nation

I decided to look at the facts that were presented on the Focus the Nation website. And I found the following to be very interesting:

• Greehouse gas emissions need to be reduced to stop global warming
• Global warming is more than just an enviornmental issue it is a social/global issue
• The students who are in school now are the ones that can affect the future

To help my students face the issue of global warming I would have to research the position more, I personally believe the global warming is a myth. However, in order to present my students with the facts I would have to look beyond my personal beliefs and implement scientific facts. I would also welcome students to plan and participate in a national day like the one that took place on January 31, 2008.

Web 2.0 Educator

I picked Wes Fryer because he seems to be the most advanced in his field of blogging and teaching with technology. Wes' specialty is being on the cutting edge of technology and its integration into the classroom. In his blog he attaches mp3's, weblinks and also podcasts. I think that Wes' integration of technology in the classroom shows his knowledge of it. With going to conferences and judging other ideas and also presenting his own ideas. I think that Wes' ideas are good and are the best ones that I have seen.