4.1 Copyright
Not something I have spent a whole lot of time exploring, Copyright is a surprisingly large issue for school libraries, particularly in small schools. In larger schools, I would imagine executives or teams highlight and educate staff on copyright guidelines, but in small schools, there is the potential for copyright to fall through the cracks when there is so much else happening. As such, I would suggest delegating copyright signposting and staff education to the TL as part of their role if possible.
Smartcopying is a great, simple to use resource to support understanding of copyright regulations within Australia. It has been developed for and by schools to simplify and clarify copyright in an educational context.
Interestingly, I know a number of schools who have teachers sign in to streaming services to play lunch time to rainy day videos. As long as the films are ‘G’ rated, in compliance with Department of Education guidelines, the general idea is that anything is ok. My interpretation of the above snippet from the Smartcopying website would suggest an additional license is required to do this. I may be unaware, but I don’t believe the majority of schools would have this license on-hand and many staff would not be aware of this as a requirement.
While the information goes on the explain that there is a blanket license to cover playing films etc for non-educational purposes, it also says that not every school is necessarily covered and that staff should check their local copyright advisor (National Copyright Unit). This is useful information to pass on to staff.
Search
Use the Smartcopying website search to search for copyright issues related to ‘music‘.
Select two references of interest and review them for relevance to your situation.
Search: ‘playing music in class’
Results: 22
Most relevant articles:
- Music Copyright Guide for Schools– Outlines the basics for schools to understand how they can and cannot use music as created by other people.
- Music- Guidelines– Outlines the basic concepts of ‘what is music’ and what classifies as music in order to apply the above copyright guide.
- The Copyright Access Reforms 2021– Discussion regarding the need for changes to copyright access in schools to keep up with the development of technology and the digital environment.
Does the school library you are familiar with accommodate children with disabilities?
Not that I am aware of. As a small school, we are limited in the number of students we have and possess a low percentage of students with disabilities. Additionally, I am in the process of developing a library policy for the school and, as of yet, have seen no evidence of past policies with or without accommodation for children with disabilities.
Exploring the article ‘Australian web accessibility laws and policies’ was a fascinating read in that, I would have assumed large companies already included accommodations for people with varying disabilities. However, it is clear that this has not happened in the past. I am pleased to see legislation is beginning to be developed and rolled out to support all citizens in accessing information and opportunities regardless of abilities or differences.
Discussion Forum 4.1: Activity, reflective practice and discussionFrom your reading of the Smartcopying website, choose some facts you think teachers or students in your school may not be clear about. Develop two questions for each fact – one for teachers and one for students.For example as teacher question might be: The Mathematics textbook you want to use for Year 10 next semester is not in stock locally. Is it okay to make a copy for each Year 10 student?
Teacher Question: During Learning from Home, you need to share a new set of sheet music with your choral group. Is it okay to email students a PDF copy of this sheet music?
Answer: Yes, so long as it is via the password protected/restricted DET website or sent via a platform like Google Classroom. Additionally, it is a good idea to mark the PDF with copyright information.
Student Question: We would like to raise some money for the Year 6 formal, can we show a film for a gold coin donation?
Answer: Generally, no unless the teacher has contacted the copyright owner directly.
References
National Copyright Unit. (n.d.) Playing films, television and radio in schools. https://smartcopying.edu.au/playing-films-television-and-radio-in-schools/
4.2 Creative Commons
A great overview of what Creative Commons is can be found on the Smartcopying website. Also, some really useful slides summarising the different CC Licenses Jessicacoates.
Discussion Forum 4.2 – Creative Commons licensed resourcesLocate at least two Creative Commons licensed resources. Write a short description of each and explain the CC license chosen.
- Attribution
- Noncommercial
- Attribution
- Noncommercial
- ShareAlike
While Copyright and Creative Commons are not areas I have thought much about in the past, I am curious about how well my current school adheres to these guidelines. I intend to investigate Copyright and CC uses closely over the coming term and discuss my findings with my Principal to ensure regulations are adhered to.
