Week 1 Wimba Session

I have already listened to both week one and week two Wimba sessions on archive. I attended week three. On a technical note, I can say that the audio quality from week one is by far the best. The audio quality on weeks two and three can be challenging at times. With that said, week one Wimba session was pretty cut and dry. It mostly went over information that is found in the course syllabus and calendar. It was helpful to get some background information on the process of bringing this program to an end. I also picked up the information for submitting our literature review.

Wk1 Publishing_Leadership Project Part 1 of 2: To Publish or Present

I am still disappointed with my Action Research Project. My argument was not supported with my work. However, I learned a lot. I also know that there is not much research in this area. I am therefore not planning on publishing my project.
As far as the medium for delivery, at this point, I need to do it in the most time effective way possible. I got a late start to this class due to illness and have much to do in a very short amount of time. I believe I will submit written work.
Even though I am somewhat disappointed with my Action Research Project, I am not disappointed in this program. The two are not linked. Even the knowledge I gained through my Action Research Project is not linked to the fact that my work did not support my argument. How fascinating!

Wk 1 Response #2 to Janene Neal

At the beginning of the Full Sail EMDT program, our instructors drilled into our heads to not use copyrighted material. Most classes required comments and snippets of someone else’s work (movies, images, or music) in our media project/assignment. All through this program I kept thinking that I was infringing on copyrighted material, and at times would even question the instructor. I was wondering how we were able to get away without infringing on copyright laws. Then when I viewed Fair Use Fairytale, the answer was right in front of me.

Viewing all of the EDM613 Media Asset Creation videos really provided an eye opener on copyright laws. Good Copy Bad Copy was an informative video about piracy around the globe. It’s a shame that filmmakers, musicians, and artists are the ones that are hit the hardest because of these issues. I am shocked that European countries do not have the same outlook about copyright/piracy as the American government. I am also saddened that the US does not have a better grip on finding these thieves that steal other artists’ work.


How can these problems be fixed? Yes, fines can be placed. Yes, those pirates can be held accountable for stealing. But, these methods appear to not work, since these issues increase every year.

The Fair Use Fairytale video is a clever example, especially using Disney material representing how fair use policies can be implemented in multimedia projects. I know using the Code of Best Practices for Fair Use will be something I will use in future media projects. I am glad that this document is easy to assessable. When I googled fair use best practices, the first website listed appears to be a beneficial site for media users. http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use/best-practices has a code of best practices for fair use for just about any media topic.

Creative Commons has been extremely useful in my educational and professional life. Not only have I utilized Creative Commons for the EMDT graduate program, but I have also provided Creative Commons lessons to my upper grade level students. In the past, my fourth, fifth, and sixth grade learners have been taught to collect images using the standard Google site. When I was introduced to Creative Commons and copyright infringement, I tweaked my multimedia projects for students to include copyright free images. Fortunately, students learned from this lesson. My district holds a Digital Media Awards ceremony once a year, showcasing students’ technology projects. This benefit mimics the Golden Globes, and also has strict rules for project submission. When students from other classes were informed of the contest rules, many could not submit their projects, due to copyright laws. My students on the other hand included copyright free images provided from Creative Commons. Guess what? Out of four hundred submissions, two of my third grade students, and two fifth grade students placed second and third. One sixth grade student placed first in her multimedia category. Having students learn the importance of copyright rules really did pay off.

Leland's Response
Like you, I was “scared straight” at the beginning of this program regards to copyright laws. I will use that verbiage with my students to make the point. I'm so proud of your leadership with your students. It does not surprise me that your students did so well in the media awards. Once students understand the “rules” their creativity can blossom.

Wk 1 Response #1 to Josh Tolar

I was really blown away by the video on Martin Luther King and Fair Use.   The fact that the documentary, “Eyes on the Prize”, is unavailable to so many people because of the expired copyright licenses just seems so unreal.  Since I started at Full Sail I have been getting into documentary film making and learning more about Fair Use from this weeks reading helps me put things into perspective.  Before starting the development on my action research there was a film I wanted to use in my project, but I didn’t have the permission.  It was a documentary about Buddhism that aired on PBS and had Richard Gere as the narrator.  I was immediately intimated by the mere thought of using the documentary in any way so I decided to forget about it.  I finally contacted PBS about using the documentary and 2 months later they said I could use it as long as I was using it to teach Buddhism.  Of course I had already developed my own media and the response came too late, but I did become aware of Fair Use during this time.

I’m amazed at all the videos I have seen so far on copyright and how important it is in our lives today.  For so many years I have written music from the inspiration of many commercial artists and I have never used samples from anyone, like in the documentary “Good Copy/Bad Copy”, but its amazing how other cultures around the world are using those samples.  I have used samples before, but they have always been recordings of ambient sounds like traffic or construction sites and those samples were then imported into a sequencer for manipulation.

Apart from the documentaries on Fair use and Copyright, the Ted Talk with Larry Lessig was nothing short of brilliant.  Taking away from his talk, I am reminded about my professional environment and the restrictions on using Creative Commons.  It is important to start embracing this type of licensed material, but there is a belief in my professional environment that the owner of a certain license might decide to change the license at any given time and ultimately restricting the use of media that is already being used.  I’m not sure if this is possible and I understand the concern, but if individuals are intimated by Creative Commons, it only limits our creative abilities.  In developing content for my action research, I used a lot of creative commons material and doing so dramatically increased my ability to produce a rich educational product.

My knowledge of copyright was limited before viewing the videos this week.  I found the content to be exhilarating and sometimes emotional, especially the video about Fair Use with the documentary on Martin Luther King.  We live in a network of social media and intertwined within that media are the creative minds willing to express their very being.  The opportunity to create something to teach people and to enrich their lives is truly a wonderful experience and being able to tap into the massive amounts of media that already exists only increases our ability to create and flourish in the vast social network.
Leland's Reponse:
I wanted to comment on your post because I know you well enough to know how creative and prolific you are. You create. Probably more than most, you are immersed in media. I think the argument can be made that none of us have a 100% original idea. It is not possible. We are all inspired and moved by our experiences which traces of which can be found in our own works. We both agree that Creative Commons is in court and so that creative expression is not limited. I especially appreciated the comments from Peter Jaszi from American University. The laws were designed to further arts and sciences. Too much protection stifles creativity. You are one I would hate to see stifled.

W1_Readings- Copyright Issues

I am constantly confronted with copyright issues. Most of my students are from poor, Mexican immigrant families. Copyright laws are not a blip on their radar. Students are constantly asking me to copy music for them or copy their music for someone else. When I talk about intellectual rights, I can tell by the glazed look on their faces it means absolutely nothing to them. Their view is that the artists have plenty of money and that they have little so it is only just and right for them to have intellectual property free of charge.

My colleagues’ view is not much different. With such little resources and such great need, it is easy to justify “breaking the rules.” In other words, the end can justify the means. As the school librarian, part of my job is to remind my colleagues and principal of copyright laws. If I was held responsible for the school’s compliance with copyright laws, I would be in big trouble.

I am embarrassed to say that I have not used a document to guide my use of copyrighted material. After viewing the videos, I looked up the center for social media and went to their website (http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use/best-practices/media-literacy).

I have not taken Fair Use and copyright laws as seriously as I should. Knowing that the laws can be gray and that they are changing, the last few years I have used the attitude, “best guess and reasonable.” Sure, I have over 600 student contacts a week and am responsible for teaching the technology standards for seven different grade levels. Knowing I wouldn't be perfect even if I tried, I chose to take this attitude for mere survival. The good news is, I have been pretty close to what I have learned from these videos and the reading. The fact of the matter is that it is not black and white and that our laws still need to catch up.  The information gathered here will definitely help streamline and clarify and help my colleagues do a better job of following the law the best they can.
 

Wk1_Topic #2_ Technology in my Workplace

I teach technology in an elementary school. My first year in this position, the computer lab was made up of 10 year old G3 iMacs. Consequently, I did very little teaching and mostly ran around troubleshooting computers. My district is completely Mac and is fairly progressive in the area of technology. When the district purchases new computers, they purchase them for the high schools. The high schools then hand their old computers to the middle schools. The middle schools then and their old computers to the elementary schools. By the time the elementary schools get new computers, they are typically 7 to 8 years old. My computers were 11 years old. In addition, my students come from families in a very low socioeconomic bracket. Most of them do not have access to a computer at home. Through lobbying, cooperation, coercion, and old fashioned arm-twisting, and a couple of years I have been able to secure the latest flat-panel iMacs for my students.
My students are now able to create multimedia projects with iMovie, GarageBand, and the rest of the Apple suite of programs. They are using a learning management system and experiencing online simulations and media rich games.

Wk 1 Topic #1 - Difficulties with Technology

I can think of several times when technology did not cooperate for a presentation. My MO is that if I do not immediately know what is wrong and can fix it within a few seconds, I scrap the technology altogether. If there is a glitch, the audience’s attention is immediately strained. If one fiddles with the technology for a time, my feelings are that they will lose the audience altogether. Therefore, if I have to ditch the technology, I share a laugh with the audience (we have all been there), and use the power of my voice and storytelling.
It is also important to note that preparation and setup is of vital importance. If one commits the time to properly set up and test equipment, the likelihood of a technological glitch is minimized.