Legal+and+Ethical+Issues

[] ** Legal and Ethical Issues of the Internet ** Legal and ethical issues remains a concern because of the fast pace of changing technology associated with the Internet and the World Wide Web. The Internet allows for communication among millions of people sharing information in a fast and efficient way that we have never been able to before. It is important that their intellectual properties and individuals rights be protected by laws.

Copyright laws are there to protect the literary works, pictures, music, website content, and software applications of works by the author or creator of that works. Copyright protection is automatic for those works that satisfy the requirements of copyright law. Copyright attaches as soon an artist creates and his works and they are fixed in tangible form. Many works that are found on the Internet are there for public use, but many are not unless special permission is granted. Most people are not aware that they are infringing on the rights of the artist when we borrow their work. We need to make teachers and students aware of the copyright laws so they will not come in violation of these laws.
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Here is the DESE link on copyright that clarifies the copyright laws for school personnel: If you become the creator of creative and expressive works you may choose to use Creative Commons licenses for your works. This license gives you the ability to dictate how other use your works. The following is a link to some posts and audios sharing information on the topics of Copyright, Creative Commons, and Fair Use. [] Here is a link to Eduscapes that has some of the better copyright-free and public domain resources: []
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Facebook, MySpace, Bing are just a few of the many social networking sites are rapidly gaining popularity among users of all ages. Many of these sites are not recommended for professional educators. There are also educational networking sites that are gaining popularity and used by many educators. These sites are usually limited to just a few users and are used for educational purposes only. Many districts recommend guidelines for teachers to follow for protection of their professional reputations. The Blue Skunk Blog provides networking guidelines for professionals to follow: []
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There is much controversy regarding the blockage of You Tube in schools for educational purposes. The following link provides ideas for educators to present to the administration so they will be able to access You Tube in the classroom. []
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Safety and security is of the utmost importance when students are surfing the Internet. Most schools have filters to block out the sites that do not meet district specifications. For further safety of the users, the school district requires the students, their parents, and the staff to sign a contract before they can access and use the Internet. This is known as an “Acceptable Use Policy”. This policy outlines the district’s rules for using the computers and the consequences for misuse. Below are some informational sites about managing students with computers and creating an Acceptable Use Policy: [|http//www.thirteen.org/edonline/] [] []
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Here is the link to the Maysville R-1 Acceptable Use Policy:



Internet Safety __** Internet safety programs are being established to educate both teachers and students about secure and proper online behavior, interactions on social networks and chat rooms, and cyberbulling awareness. The following link presents the proposed regulations for Internet safety. [|Nancy.Willard.Nov.11.2009.doc]
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