Traci Gardner, known as "tengrrl" on most networks, writes lesson plans, classroom resources, and professional development materials for English language arts and college composition teachers. She is the author of Designing Writing Assignments, a contributing editor to the NCTE INBOX Blog, and the editor of Engaging Media-Savvy Students Topical Resource Kit.
Discussing Intellectual Property Rights
posted: 6.15.09 by Traci GardnerTeaching about Copyright
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently released their “Teaching Copyright” curriculum and website. Created in part as a response to The Copyright Alliance’s “Think First, Copy Later” collection, the EFF curriculum focuses on 5 lesson plans:
You may find the lesson plans are too scripted for the classes you teach, but the ideas and the linked materials are great resources for college classrooms.
In fact, you might skip the lessons altogether and go directly to the Resources Tab, where you’ll find the handouts, articles, and related information all on one Web page. Here are some examples:
- Take a look at the Fair Use FAQ, Copyright FAQ, and Public Domain FAQ to get started. These 3 pages are accessible, ready-to-share resources for the classroom.
- Pass out the Law and Technology Timeline, which lists significant events in copyright law alongside technology developments. It’s great background reading for discussions on how copyright has evolved.
- Choose articles from the P2P (peer-to-peer) list on the site as readings for a unit on downloading music and software files legally.
Teaching How to Avoid Plagiarism
If your intellectual property rights unit also includes a discussion of avoiding plagiarism, visit the St. Martin’s Tutorial on Avoiding Plagiarism. It’s a free resource that explains what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. The tutorial includes everything you need, from readings to practice exercises.
For a fast review of plagiarism with your class, be sure to take a look at The Bedford Researcher’s Checklist: Avoiding Plagiarism. The one-page handout makes a simple outline for class discussion and provides a handy take-away resource that students can use as they write.
Additional Information
If you want to learn more about copyright and fair use in the classroom, check out the Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in Media Literacy Education. This report and the related resources from the Media Education Lab at Temple University should answer any lingering questions you have about intellectual property rights.
Tags: copyright, fair use, intellectual property, public domain, teaching, writing
Categories: Assignment Idea, Integrating sources, Plagiarism
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September 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 am
[...] be confusing to explain to students. I rounded up some resources earlier this year in to help you discuss Intellectual Property Rights, but recently, I’ve found these two little tools from the Copyright Advisory Network that [...]