Copyright Policy Results in Teachers Password Protecting Websites
Having to switch email accounts or enter a password to access a teacher’s website is a small change to students’ daily schedules. Nonetheless, this miniscule adjustment marks an enormous shift in the school’s usage of teaching resources.
As of the 2014-2015 school year, copyright policy for educators has been more strictly enforced. “‘Fair use’ (i.e., the reproduction of limited portions of copyright materials without the copyright owner’s permission) is allowed for such purposes as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research,” as written in Title 17 of United States Code 107. Any copyrighted material posted onto the internet is considered illegal, and thus requires teachers and students to more frequently use website passwords and the district-provided Google network.
Robin Lilly, English and Philosophy teacher, said, “(Copyright policy enforcement) does make life a bit more difficult initially with the start-up. Some students have difficulty accessing it, but there are always technical issues in every new thing.”
Administrators have stressed enforcement of copyright policies in order to protect the rights of “works in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed,” as written in Title 17 of United States Code 107. Although copyrighted materials on teacher websites are posted online for students, when posted publicly there is no way to keep the material out of reach from anyone else.
“Teachers might (post materials on their website) and think they’re sharing it with their class, but no, they’re sharing it with the whole world,” Debra Dogancay, International Baccalaureate coordinator, said. “The authors and writers of (a) textbook could potentially take legal action if you are putting their stuff on the internet, because the whole world didn’t purchase it, only the district did.”
In the Conejo Valley Unified School District, teachers underwent training on the many solutions to alleviate the complications of the added enforcement.Google Drive, Google Classroom, and other applications for password protection allow teachers and students to adjust to the copyright policy.
“I’ve had a little training in copyright law just because I’ve been been an author of some things that have been published, but it’s not a part of our teacher training,” Dogancay said. “It’s just easier to password protect the website, so teachers don’t have to worry (about copyright infringement).”
