Yes+They+Respect+Intellectual+Property+Rights

"Intellectual property (IP) is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which property rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law. (Wikipedia, 2010) Do today's students understand and respect the numerous distinct types of creations of the mind? Do they understand that copyright and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) go beyond written words?

Yes, students understand and respect the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to the extent that they have been taught. If educators and parents put emphasis on the properly citing others’ work, students will comply. However, there is a huge difference between respecting IPR and understanding IPR.  It is easy for the line of copying to be crossed with computers and technology making it so easy to infringe on copyright laws. The three cases below from a New York Times article show students misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of IPR.

1. “At Rhode Island College, a freshman copied and pasted from a Web site’s frequently asked questions page about homelessness — and did not think he needed to credit a source in his assignment because the page did not include author information.”

2. “At DePaul University, the tip-off to one student’s copying was the purple shade of several paragraphs he had lifted from the Web; when confronted by a writing tutor his professor had sent him to, he was not defensive — he just wanted to know how to change purple text to black.”

3. “And at the University of Maryland, a student reprimanded for copying from Wikipedia in a paper on the Great Depression said he thought its entries — unsigned and collectively written — did not need to be credited since they counted, essentially, as common knowledge.” (Gabriel, 2010)

If students are taught the importance of IPR, starting at a young age, they will understand and therefore act in accordance with the laws set forth.

The following video shows how copyright and interpretation of fair use can often get confused and how students and teachers can better understand them to use be able to use this media in the classroom.

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=﻿Teaching Respect In the Classroom =

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While students do respect Intellectual Property Rights to the extent that they understand it, as teachers we can help ensure that our students are properly documenting and crediting original authors and artists through our lessons. By teaching students the importance of seeking our permission, introducing the consequences for infringement and offering helpful resources and ideas, students will continue to see why this is no laughing matter. (Kirkeby, 2006) =====

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The Creative Commons is a fast growing project found on the internet, that allows students to find audio, images, text and photographs that are in public domain. There are numerous websites (Flickr) and some search engines (such as Google and Yahoo) that offer materials marked with this special approval. In addition, guiding students to websites (like ClipArt.com and Photos.com) that offer copyright-free content will help them make a conscious choice to choose images, music, etc that is free to use without penalty. (Kirkeby, 2006) However, education does not stop at just guiding students to websites with copyright-free content. Educators also have to be aware of the common misconceptions that students hear and believe so they can ensure students understanding of Intellectual Property Rights by providing the information to change their way of thinking about it. =====

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With the majority of information being stored and found on the internet, The National Educational Technology Standards, address social, ethical, and human issues of technology usage. The standards ensure that the proper usage of technology is being taught espcially when it comes to the issues of copyright and documentation. "By the end of 8th grade students identify legal and ethical issues related to the use of information and technology, recognize consequences of its misuse, and predict possible long-range effects of ethical and unethical use of technology on culture and society." (NETS, 2005) ======

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At most post-secondary institutions, library services usually contains a copyright clearance department which can be utilized by students who have copyright questions and/or need help obtaining copyright clearances. Most schools and universities have policies in place that discuss the schools stance and consequences on plagarism and copyright. In college courses, the syllabus for each class outlines the policy. Many educational establishments have a contract/agreement that students sign, stating that they understand the policies set forth and the consequences for disobeying them. For students at the K-12 level, many online sites exist to provide copyright information. The site "Copyright Kids" ([]) is user-friendly and grade appropriate, and also contains resources for educators and parents. "Cyberbee" ([]) is an interactive web page listing common copyright questions and answers. The U.S. Library of Congress has even gotten into the act by sponsoring a website detailing copyright issues in a kid-friendly cartoon format ([]). ======

The Copyright Society of the USA (@http://www.csusa.org/), <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">a group of lawyers, business people, and others interested in copyright laws have even developed lesson plans on how to introduce the subject to students. The elementary school level lessons are especially useful because teachers can easily break down the concept which is often difficult for even adults to understand. =<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teaching Respect at Home =

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Parents are the last piece of the pie to making sure that students respect Intellectual Property. Parents can easily play a role in helping their students to stay out of trouble with school and the law by simplying being involved with essays and projects that are brought home. The following are simple ways that parents can help their students respect Intellectual Property Rights:

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">1. Use Common Sense. When a student is writing an eassy or doing a project, more than likely they are researching information. This information is not theirs and should not be <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">taken and claimed as theirs.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">2. Read Terms of Use policies on websites. It is important that your student read the legal rights when using any material. Look for either "Terms of Use" or the "Permissions" link.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">3. If your student wants to reproduce statements of another person or group, make sure that they have permission to do so or cite the source correctly.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">4. Don't allow your student to use another person's verbal statements without asking for permission or acknowledging the source.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">5. Don't allow your student to paraphrase another person's verbal statements or written word without the person's permission or acknowledging the source.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">6. Don't allow your student to use statistical data, artwork (including illustrations and photographs), or facts unless the information is common knowledge, without asking for permission or acknowledging the source.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">7. Don't let someone else do your child's work.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">8. Don't allow your child to work as a group on an assignment and then hand in as solely his/her work. (Richter, 2010)

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">As mentioned in the above "Teaching Respect at School" section, if parents need information or tips on guiding their children with copyright issues, there are an abundance of reliable websites dealing with the topic.

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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Parents also need to understand that they can be held legally liable for actions that take place on their home computer, even if they are not the one who is downloading information. (Childnet International and Net Family News, Inc. 2005) ===== = =

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teaching IPR Resources for Teachers and Parents:
= = = IP Lessons Should Not Be Just for the Young = = = Our young are not the only ones in need of the knowledge of intellectual property rights. There are also challenges to respecting intellectual property for adults at a post-secondary level. Most post-secondary professors and instructors assume those lessons have been taught and learned at some point, but that could be a huge misunderstanding. I have seen this first-hand. Sometimes, it is a matter of improperly citing sources from the Internet; other times, it is a matter of sharing the work with a classmate. Regardless of the circumstances, for the most part, the behavior can be attributed to more of a lack of understanding of intellectual properties. So although IPR should be taught to the young, I believe this should be reinforced at a post-secondary level as well. The very nature of intellectual properties lends itself to ever-changing material, and most adults will graduate and move on to careers reliant on the uses of IP. Why not make it a part of the standard course work for undergraduates and graduates. According the Cambridge University Press in Teaching of Intellectual Property: Principles and Methods, IP education should be a part of the curriculum in all universities. A recommendation from Cambridge is to create and implement governmental policies in order to make it possible to have practicing lawyers or highly-trained lecturers provide quality IP courses. After all, our college students of today are our future leaders of tomorrow, these leaders need to be aware of the basics of respecting the properties of others.

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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">iSAFE, Inc. - i-©®eaTM Curriculum: []
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Intellectual Property - Creativity in Bloom: []

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">References

 * 1) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Gabriel, Trip. Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age. The New York Times. August 2010. [] Retrieved 11-14-10
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|Teach Respect for Copyright in Your Classroom] Cynthia Kirkeby. April 2, 2006. Retrieved 11-15-10
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Richter, Darrel. Help Kids Improve Writing Skills and Respect Intellectual Property Rights. EduGuide. 2010. [] Retrieved 11-17-10.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|Intellectual Property Defined]. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11-17-10.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">NETS for Students. 2005. []Retrieved 11-18-10.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Copyright Awareness Week Copyright Society of the USA. 2008. Retrieved 11-19-10
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Center for Social Media (2007-2008) "The Cost of Copyright Confusion." @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUxIDF-3Pdk <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Retrieved 11-19-10.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Childnet International and Net Family News, Inc. "Young People, Music & The Net." 2005. Retrieved 11-19-10 []
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Cambridge University Press. Teaching of Intellectual Propery: Principles and Methods. [] Retrieve 11-20-10.