“The Internet has increasingly become one of the most widely used information sources in people’s daily lives” (Zhang, Duke, & Jimenez, 2011, p.150). I believe that discussing copyright is important as a first lesson in a class. I would go over the creative commons licenses with my students and make sure they understand the fair use guidelines. “Studies show that most students do not take a critical view toward information on the Internet” (Zhang, Duke, & Jimenez, 2011, p.151).
Students need to have a basic understanding of copyright. As stated, “copyright is…the rights to…reproduce the work, prepare derivative work to the public, distribute copies of the work, display or perform the works publicly” (AlSaffar, 2006). This is something that could be taught early on with students in a high school, or college setting. It is important that students understand that “getting permission to use a work is the surest way to avoid infringement” (AlSaffar, 2006). At a middle or elementary level, it is important to discuss plagiarism and giving authors the recognition. As students start to research, many media specialists (at least in my county) teach students how to use MLA to cite their work. This is a hard task for many third graders though. As teachers model how to look for copyright and how to ensure that they are falling under fair use/allowable use, students will begin to pick up on how to use articles, media, sites, etc.
I will teach my students the CRAAP/TRAAP method for understanding the validity of a source. I think it is also important to spice up how we teach website evaluation. I will also teach my students the WWWDOT method for evaluating online sources. I can see as the article says, this being more appropriate for elementary-aged children, which is the age level that I teach. Students need to be engaged in unpacking whether or not a website is valid and what makes it valid/invalid. Many students take a laid back approach and can be too cynical at times. It is important to ensure that students truly understand what to look for. In an online classroom, I would take the first class or first few classes to do some lessons with them. I have taught students about what to look for even in a third grade classroom, because research is such a huge part of our writing curriculum. I will also model for students when I use resources, how to properly cite the resources and how to check for copyright/ fair use.
References:
AlSaffar, J. (2006). Copyright Concerns in Online Education: What Students Need to Know. Journal of Library Administration, 45(1/2), 1–16. https://doi-org.ezproxy.messiah.edu/10.1300/J111v45n01_01
Zhang, S., Duke, N. K., & Jimenez, L. M. (2011). The WWWDOT Approach to Improving Students’ Critical Evaluation of Websites. Reading Teacher, 65(2), 150–158. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.messiah.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ961107&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Hannah Srour's Blog 