21 March- "Digital Stories 2"

This week in class we learned a lot about copyright and the creative commons licensing. I really enjoyed learning about all the copyright laws and how they first came about years and years ago and how they have drastically changed to meet the needs of our society today. I read the article on the website titled, "The Educators Guide to Copyright and Fair use." In this article the first sentence reads, When it comes to copyright law and the application of fair use exceptions, ignorance is definitely not bliss! Learn how to educate yourselves and your students and avoid making a costly mistake! I know that as an educator it is vital that I follow the copyright laws and especially as a student right now at UVU. I know that through the internet people can steal many things such as papers, ideas, projects, art etc. to get the grade that they want without putting forth any effort. I know that people do it because I have witnessed it for myself. But what good does it do anyone? If a student attending college cheats to get good grades they are simply cheating themselves. I don't understand how people pay $2,500/semester for an education and steal someone elses work so they don't have to put forth hard work. They surely aren't learning anything and they are stealing in the process. I want my students to know how strongly I feel about the copyright laws. I may even share an experience I've had so they know that it is real. Two semesters ago I was enrolled in an drawing I class. My dad is a professional illustrator and is pretty well known in the art world. Anyone I found out after a couple weeks into the semester that the professor hated my father. One day she accused me of tracing his work because I had made significant improvement since the beginning of the semester. Anyway it got pretty ugly and she told me I had broken copyright laws and such. I had to meet several times with an ombudsman, the professor, the chair of the department, and even the dean. I know that I didn't do anything wrong but it was very uncomfortable and I can't imagine if I really had cheated the guilty conscience that would have haunted me. I'm going to teach my students that copyright is very, very real and serious, especially in college. My professor ended up resigning because she knew she had seriously harassed me and that I was going to file harassment complaints with Human Resources. I'm very grateful that I have kept copyright laws and want my students to have the same clear conscience I do so if they are ever in the same situation they don't have any regrets.