Week 9 - Ethics and Legal Uses of Technology.

                From the score of my quiz, I clearly need to study up on my copyright knowledge. Based on the articles I read, fair use in schools needs to consider 4 "fair use" factors when using copyrighted work. These factors are:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

   

      The main factor that schools need to pay attention to is the purpose and the nature of the work being used. For schools to justify that the use of a certain product is fair, they need to prove that they are advancing the knowledge of the individuals who are using it. There are also certain rules that need to be followed when using a taped news show, or downloading and sharing a new computer program. These rules are very specific and can easily be broken if the instructor does not pay attention.

With the age of technology advancing every day, this issue of copyright becomes more and more sensitive. This matter is taken very seriously and is protected by the US constitution. The problem is that many of these laws are unclear, and all of them must be followed to avoid infringement. I will continue to read up on the articles supplied in this weeks lesson, to help avoid future infringement.