Copyright and Fair Use

When assigning a project, have you ever had students use images in their PowerPoints with a big copyright watermark across the front?  I'm still surprised how many high school students think that any image they find online is free for them to use.  Or that they can add their favorite song as a soundtrack to the videos they make for class.

Any work created, regardless of where it is posted or shared, is copyrighted.  As a teacher, you and your students, do have some rights to use some copyrighted materials, but there are limitations to what constitutes fair use.  For example, if you want to photocopy a chapter of a textbook you are using for each of your students, you are only allowed to copy 1,000 words.  Or, if you use a song as a soundtrack to a video you have created, you can only use a maximum of 30 seconds.

Below is a summary of copyright and fair use with some great resources on fair use in education, where to find Creative Commons images, songs, and materials, and how to give proper attribution to the copyright owner.  

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