Image by Stephen Baum and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_copyright.svg#filelinks)
As I put the image above into the blog, I realized that this is my second question mark image of the semester. Considering this is week 5, it doesn't terrify me too much, but it does serve to show me that confusion may be a trend for me throughout the semester. That being said, I don't think saying I am confused about fair use and copyright is being too hard on myself. The reality is, both areas are extremely complex and just when you think you have figured them out, the ambiguity appears and you are right back at stage one.
A reason for most of my struggle - mostly because I am hard-headed - is that I cannot understand why educators are not exempt from fair use and copyright issues when the materials they are duplicating are used for educational purposes only. Yes, I do get there people will always take things a step beyond and make copies for personal use or for outside sources but I am speaking of those who play by the rules and only use the materials in their classrooms.
We are in a time of budget crisis. School districts have very few resources, as do individual schools and libraries, and even our public libraries are seeing drastic cuts, so how are our children supposed to get the tools they need for learning? I don't see harm in copying a chapter from a book for students to use in the classroom, so I guess my dilemma will be how I will handle my personal feelings about fair use and copyright against the legalities of fair use and copyright.
I certainly hope this all of the legalities/rights get easier for me to grasp as we go along. I know I have loads to learn but I think I would feel a little more comfortable if I actually agreed with (aka fully understood) some of the legalities/rights that are being presented.
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