Copyright and Fair Use LR

14. I don't understand this one. Why is it not permissible? The students didn't pay to see the movie, isn't entertainment what movies are all about? Why does the school need to pay a licence? This must pertain to more than just Disney. Does this mean that a student can not bring in a movie to share on a fun day? As you can see, I have a lot of questions about this. It just doesn't make sense to me. The movie is not being copied, there is no fee to watch it. Does this mean that I need to get a $25 licence if my children have friends over for a movie night? Do the Girl Scouts have to pay this fee? I think I am going to go review the handy chart for teachers that outlines the fair use rules. Maybe I will understand a little better after that.

Copyright and Fair Use SR

1. (student snaps CD in half) I was not sure if copying these kinds of things would be legal. It makes sense that it is but making sense does not mean that it is allowed. It's interesting that it should be done in the library, I wonder if this is true for personal CD's.

2. I thought that putting Photoshop on the centeral server would be illegal. It doesn't sound like a good idea because it seems like it would be too easy to abuse this set up. It would be safer to put it on one computer that everyone has access to and do a sign up sheet!

6. I didn't realize that you can't put these back up on the web. So, if you create a project using downloaded material don't post it to the Web? I think we did that with our MEL project and our Team project... is that what they are talking about?

8. I didn't understand this one, I thought that the student was downloading actual Taiwanese music, :) silly me! Yes, I can see how illigitimate downloading could be a hazard from Web sites like the one described. There are a lot of other places that you can get music and if you go throug WalMart it's only 89 cents a song!

11. (copying PBS Frontier House) I understand that video can be pulled into class projects but this doesn't sound like an educational use. I don't mind using media in fun and creative ways but when people start running others down is not a good example to encourage, especially in a school setting where you should show respect for everyone, even if you do not agree with them.

12. (Psycho copying from tv) I didn't think that this was going to be ok. If the teacher had copied the movie for use at home would that have been legal or is it only legal because it was for a school project? Do copies have to be destroyed after they have fulfilled their educational use?

15. (Teacher made a compilation of movie clips) Does this mean that you can't use clips in the classsroom? I don't understand what he did, did he put clips together, what was it that he did wrong? It sounded like a good idea to me!

16. I didn't realize that you can legally use content from a movie that you rented, I guess I thought that if you owned it maybe that would be different. It is too bad that the movie companies are being so stuffy. I like the point that the author made about NOT copying movies for use at home.

How to help someone use a computer

My goal is to help them be more able to solve their own problems, let them take notes. I should keep telling myself this because there are many times that I want to be the one that knows it all... the sage on the stage. I could really relate to the rule about letting people do all the typing. So many times I when I am trying to learn something the person "teaching" me tries to do all the work and I end up not learnint anything! If I can do all the typing and understand each step I wouldn't need help next time.

We could have used this information in our presentation by having some of the students actually be the ones taking video and actually doing the file transfers. This would have made it much clearer at least to the students that were involved in the presentation!

http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html

Creativity Exercises

To exercise my right brain I meditated and did some yoga breathing.
To exercise my left brain I helped Heather with her math homework.
c. read something humorous MY ASSIGNMENT NOTEBOOK jk
d. read something inspirational MY BIBLE

Web 2.0 Educator

I chose to look over Cool Cat Teachr Vicki Davis' web site. Wow, she seems like an awesome teacher, full of energy, and amazing knowlege of "tech stuff". She is definatly pro technology for teaching and has some definate opinions regarding the public education class rooms. She has so many technological resources available to her, that I can take advantage of, that it blows my mind. I don't understand what most of them are about! She is a big fan of teachers connecting with teachers in order to share information and believs that these self made connections will be a the base for teachers taking advantage of the technology that is so slow to intigrate into classrooms through the educational system. She mentions something called WOW2 that I would like to know more about. I'm not sure what it is but I clicked on it and a little radio type think popped up with audio of what sounded like a meeting of people all around the globe. I know someone was on from Wells, Maine. I am going to look into this more later, as I am at home and it is having a hard time getting through my dial up system! I am really glad I checked into Vicki's web site. There is a welth of information here for any teacher that is searching for more. Her strength is definatly technology for teachers.

Foucs the Nation

I chose to watch “An Inconvenient Truth” on global warming and did some online research into some of the controversy around it.

• I learned that there is consensus in the scientific world that there is climatic change occurring.
  
• There is controversy over how quickly some of the events in this movie may take place.
  
• Though An Inconvenient Truth is very “global warming” oriented there are ways to read the scientific facts to argue the opposite view point.

I have had a hard time focusing on “global warming” because of the opposing views that are out there. There is so much information that can be interpreted in many ways and contain so many variables that in makes my mind swim. I know this seems politically incorrect and naïve, by guconsidering how persuasive Mr. Gore is in this movie, but this move can only be shown in England schools if it is accompanied idance giving the other side of the argument. I really want to know for sure and not be motivated by emotion only with no scientific backing.

With that said, I believe that it is very important for us to take care of the Earth and be good stewards of the assets that we have, and we have not been doing a very good job. Some of the suggestions in the movie are very good, including recycling, and reducing CO2 emmisions.

Here are a few ideas that I have for integrating environmental consciousness into my class room:
Have the students research current and past environmental regulation and the impact on the local, state, federal, and national levels, including impact on other cultures.
Students can learn about a specific issue and write to an appropriate government official with concerns, thoughts, or improvements that can be made.
On way that I think has great potential is to have students choose a political or activist organization like the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, or the Sierra Club and research or join it. They can learn how these groups operate, what they do to affect government, citizens, and popular view.