Reflection #11 Last week reflection post on Fair Use, Digital Portfolios, and ibooks author app
Fair use and copyright laws, digital protifolios, and ibook author were the topics of this week's class discussion. Eric Peterson, our guest speaker, had some interesting things to say about copyright laws and how it impacts teachers and educators. Teachers rely on different sources or scholarly work, whether it be from films, music, or documents, to inform their students. The sources come from different people with unique ideas and teachers need to properly recognize the unique ideas and creative work of individuals. I have showed films and documentaries to my students not knowing that I possibly violated some copyright laws. Eric Peterson explained that as long as the material we use in our classes are for educational purposes, teachers are protected from violations of copyright laws. Teachers and educators are protected through FAIR USE laws. There are some cases where teachers show a film just for entertainment and this does not fall into fair use. A discussion must be involved for us to use films in our classrooms. There must not be any monetary gain from showing a film in class. Complete books cannot be used in the classroom unless there is an agreement with the publisher and the author. These laws heavily restrict teacher's ability to teach but I also believe that copyright laws helps teachers stay accountable to what they teach. Teachers should be aware of whether they are teaching or just banking information to students by handing them a book or showing a film. Copyrights laws are made to protect the creative works of individuals but the laws can be seen as a way for teachers interpret creative works in different ways.
photo of Fair use log taken from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fair_use_logo.svg
Digital portfolios and its importance to instructional designers was discussed in this week's class as well. A digital portfolio is an organized web page showcasing an individuals skills and experience. Instructional designers can market and network themselves to employers using a digital portfolio. Media can be placed in a digital portfolio so videos demonstrating experience can be seen rather than just explained. Accessibility and user-friendliness are what make digital portfolios necessary for Instructional designers to have, especially in a competitive job market. Digital portfolios defines an individuals goals, and philosophy more than a resume.
The last thing we discussed in class was the ibooks author app. The app allows users to create their own digital ebooks. It is empowering to individuals to create their own books without having to deal with publishers. The interface of ibook author is filled with toolbars and templates to easily get started. Media can be inserted to create interactive ebooks. Schools can benefit from the ibooks author app because it does not take a lot of money or resources to use it. The time to create a book is fast and easy. The drawback to the app is that it is MAC compatible only. PC users cannot access the books created in ibooks author. Students who do not own a MAC will be left out. The app cannot easily be integrated in classrooms unless there is funding to supply each student access to a MAC computer or Ipad.
photo of ibooks app icon taken from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IBooks_OS_X.svg
I learned so much about different technologies in this class but the most important thing I would like to take with me and what I want for all teachers to understand is that technology needs to be integrated into schools. Technology is just a tool and it is the teacher's responsibility and duty to use technology to develop learning and not just a way to "jazz" up their curriculum. Teachers must be able to rely on their knowledge and experience to teach and use technology as a supplement rather than a crutch.
photo of Fair use log taken from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fair_use_logo.svgDigital portfolios and its importance to instructional designers was discussed in this week's class as well. A digital portfolio is an organized web page showcasing an individuals skills and experience. Instructional designers can market and network themselves to employers using a digital portfolio. Media can be placed in a digital portfolio so videos demonstrating experience can be seen rather than just explained. Accessibility and user-friendliness are what make digital portfolios necessary for Instructional designers to have, especially in a competitive job market. Digital portfolios defines an individuals goals, and philosophy more than a resume.
The last thing we discussed in class was the ibooks author app. The app allows users to create their own digital ebooks. It is empowering to individuals to create their own books without having to deal with publishers. The interface of ibook author is filled with toolbars and templates to easily get started. Media can be inserted to create interactive ebooks. Schools can benefit from the ibooks author app because it does not take a lot of money or resources to use it. The time to create a book is fast and easy. The drawback to the app is that it is MAC compatible only. PC users cannot access the books created in ibooks author. Students who do not own a MAC will be left out. The app cannot easily be integrated in classrooms unless there is funding to supply each student access to a MAC computer or Ipad.
photo of ibooks app icon taken from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IBooks_OS_X.svgI learned so much about different technologies in this class but the most important thing I would like to take with me and what I want for all teachers to understand is that technology needs to be integrated into schools. Technology is just a tool and it is the teacher's responsibility and duty to use technology to develop learning and not just a way to "jazz" up their curriculum. Teachers must be able to rely on their knowledge and experience to teach and use technology as a supplement rather than a crutch.
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