Lesson Plan #1 - Using the Internet for Collaboration

by JoAnne Benedict

Objective: To learn about copyright laws as they relate to creating personal or professional web pages.

Grade Level: 10 - 12

Subject: Advanced Computer Applications (Web Publishing)

Time to complete lesson: 5 class days

Materials: A computer, an internet account for e-mail, word processor, internet site about citing a web site

Procedures: Form teams of 4 students per team. Look over the following four topics and each person will select one topic.

1. Copyright laws
   
2. Application of copyright laws to internet (what can't you do)
   
3. "Fair Use" laws
   
4. What can you legally put on your web pages
   

Day 1: Use the internet to locate internet sources.. You may use any of the links on your handout sheet, or you may do a search on "copyright" and another term related to your topic. Save bookmarks of the best sources you find.

Day 2. Locate an person who developed a professional web page and write an e-mail explaining what your class project is and asking a question about how they feel about copyright laws and what would they allow someone to copy from their site. Try to select different individuals from other members of the class so we don't inundate one person with a lot of e-mail. You can e-mail the person that maintains one of the sites you found or go to the following location to Ask an Expert.

Day 3. Use a word processor to write up what you have learned about your topic.

Day 4. With the other members of your team, write a joint paper. Be sure to cite the sources of your information and show who wrote each part of the report. Include a copy of the e-mail you wrote and the answer you received at the end of the report.

Day 5. Class discussion of the results of the reports ending up with a list of things which are legal and a list of things which violate the copyright laws.

Assessment Rubric:
Individual contribution:
Content of report: 50 pts
Grammar 10 pts
Spelling 5 pts
e-mail (spelling, content) 10 pts
Quality of group project 25 pts

Reasons for using the Internet: The state of copyright laws as they pertain to the internet is a relatively new extension of the copyright laws and is in the process of evolving. The internet can locate the latest laws, case studies and opinions. Because many of the issues are complex and may not be resolved in court, the need for a expert opinion on specific issues is essential.

Student Worksheet

Form teams of 4 students per team. Look over the following four topics and each person in the team will select one topic.

1. Copyright laws
   
2. Application of copyright laws to internet (what can't you do)
   
3. "Fair Use" laws
   
4. What can you legally put on your web pages
   

Use the internet to locate internet sources about your topic. You may use any of the following links on your handout sheet, or you may do a search on "copyright" and another term related to your topic. Save bookmarks of the best sources you find.

Some Sites on Copyright

Copyright for Web Page Builders
http://www.carleton.edu/builders/copyright.html
Copyright considerations for :Your Web Page
http://scilib.ucsd.edu/electclass/CopyrightTips.html
coor-connect: Web Page Design: Copyright & Privacy Issues
http://www.connect.more.net/lists/coor-connect/1998.04/0045.html
Copyright Resources
http://bvsd.k12.co.us/curriculum/research/copyright.html
copyright.html
http://www.html.goodies.com/copyright.html

As you examine these and other sites on the internet, be sure you answer the following questions relating to your topic:

1. Copyright laws
   1. What is protected by the copyright laws?
      
   2. Who is protected by the copyright laws?
      
   3. When does the copyright law take effect and how long are item protected?
      
   4. How do other people gain the rights to a protected work?
      
2. Application of copyright laws to internet (what can't you do)
   
   1. Can you copy text, graphics, sound, code, other items?
      
   2. Can you create a link on your page to another page?
      
   3. Can you scan item into digital form and use them?
      
   4. Can you include photographs of other people if you take the picture?
      
   5. What is the penalty for copyright infringement?
      
3. "Fair Use" laws
   
   1. How does US copyright law define "fair use"?
      
   2. How does the concept of "fair use" affect student research on the web?
      
   3. Does "fair use" permit you to copy any items to your web page?
      
   4. How does the concept of "fair use" affect teachers in providing material for their classes?
      
4. What can you legally put on your web pages
   
   1. From what sources can you obtain clip art, background for your web pages.
      
   2. Where can you get sound (WAV or MIDI) for your web site?
      
   3. What is plagiarism?
      
   4. What are the penalties for plagiarism in high school or in college?
      

Write up a couple of paragraphs answering the questions using good grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Be sure properly cite your sources of information. You may use the following internet location to see how to cite the internet.

Bibliography Citation Maker
http://bvsd.k12.co.us/research/bibliography.html

Send an e-mail letter to someone on the web who has created a professional web site. Explain to that person what your class project is and ask that person how they feel about copyright laws and how they would feel if someone copied their web page or elements on their web page. Ask them if they would give permission to copy part of the page if they were asked.

Get together with the other members of your team and put together one paper consisting of the contributions of each team member. Be sure to indicate who wrote which part and include the citations. Hand in the paper as well as the e-mail messages you wrote and the response you received.

Be prepared to discuss the implications of your research with the class.