Wimba Blog

I am so happy that we are approaching the end of this degree! I am also excited that our AR project is going to be completed this class! I am still slightly confused about the Summary page though.  Dr. Bedard specified that our summary page must be completed by the 9^th of July, but during the wimba session Professor Bustillos indicated that it should be completed at the end of month 11. I must email Professor Bustillos about this. Another tough project will be to sum up our entire AR project within 120 words in the Abstract. I have to ensure that I only tell the story and not try to explain like I always do. 

I really like the idea of using our Capstone Project to complete our leadership project. As I stated for my leadership blog, this is an excellent way to lend a helping hand to those either starting a graduate program, or doing research about my topic. I think that receiving comments from our classmates on the leadership project is an excellent idea. I know that I will need more eyes analyzing and correcting my work before submitting it. I just hope I will be able to make the week 3 wimba session. 

WK 1 Comment for Devloun Jeter

Friday, June 29, 2012

WK1 Blog Post #1 - Reading - Copyright Issues

Posted by msdedej at 12:16 PM

What is copyright ~ Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time. Generally, it is "the right to copy", but also gives the copyright holder the right to be credited for the work, to determine who may adapt the work to other forms, who may perform the work, who may financially benefit from it, and other related rights. It is an intellectual propertyform (like the patent, the trademark, and the trade secret) applicable to any expressible form of an idea or information that is substantive and discrete. (Says the Wikipedia) It never really accrued to me, also I didn’t know you can almost copyright anything until I see the video and read the section on copyright issues. People have copyrighted Dances, movies, phrases, looks etc. and this truly has amazed me that so many people would want to copyright the little things, but then again it makes since because you now own the right to whatever you copyright and now if any one uses it they will have to credit you or they can be sued.

What is Creative Commons Solutions ~ Creative Commons helps you share your knowledge, its technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation. Its a licensing tool developed by the open access movement to protect copyright while increasing public distribution, offer better solutions to these questions than existing oral history protocols?

The purpose of copyright law is to promote the progress of useful arts and science by protecting the exclusive right of authors and inventors to benefit from their works of authorship. To this end, the US Copyright Act of 1976 -a complete revision of the Copyright Act of 1909- protects all the works of authorship created between 1978 and the present. (Stim, R. West Publishing, 1979) This protection extends to works that are unpublished but are in a fixed and tangible form. The federal government regulates copyright law by registering copyrighted works through the Copyright Office and by enforcing copyright laws in the federal court system. The most commonly litigated issue in copyright law involves copyright infringement. Disputes regarding the violation of any exclusive right granted under copyright law, such as copying a work, are filed in federal courts due to Federal Preemption. Copyright law protects literary, musical, graphic, or other artistic forms in which an author expresses intellectual concepts. In the context of copyright law an author is the creator of any copyrightable creation. Any author creation that meets the standards of copyright law is protectable under copyright law and considered to be a work of authorship. The main two requirements to meet the standards of copyright law are originality and fixation. 

WK 1 Comment For Jena Wayt

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

WK 1 Reading - Copyright Issues

"If you can create it, then you have the right to protect it and legally claim it as your own." This is the legal definition of copyright. So, what does it mean? Well, any copyrightable materials are works such as audio, books, artwork, plays, movies and videos. Only the owner has the right to use and reuse his/her work without permission. I was surprised to learn that dance can also be copyrighted along with movies, film, and music. Are Michael Jackson's moves copyrighted? What about MC Hammer? I can think of a few others, but I'm sure you get my point. A copyright for a company lasts for 100 years and a lifetime plus 70 years for an individual owner. That is quite a long time. It seems that copyright is all about money and not about creativity. In Brazil, artists are more interested in becoming popular by allowing their music to be mixed and played at large parties and clubs. If the audience likes the music, the artist will be able to perform in a concert where he/she can make some big money. In the US, pirating and mixing music is a crime. What does that say about our country?


As an educator, we are not covered by the tag, "All images, clips, and audio captured are intended for educational use only." As stated in the videos I watched, if I can remove the copyrighted material and still teach the lesson, then that usage doesn't fall under the Fair Use umbrella. I would have to obtain permission from the original author or owner. With fair use, I can borrow a small amount of copyrighted work for teaching, news reporting, parody (comedy), and critical comment (Walter Cronkite type of stuff). Fair use is only a legal defensible position, not a right. I have to follow certain rules as with everything else. In short, how I use it and how much I use. It is very important to remember to always give credit to the original creator. Creative Commons (creativecommons.org) is a great place to look for this type of material. On this site, you can find all types of works that you are free to use as long as you site the source and give credit. Symbols of the creative commons license inform users how they are allowed to use the work. The owners are giving us permission to use their work in different creative ways instead of stifling our creativity. I really like the TED talk by Larry Lessig. What caught my attention the most was what he said about John Philip Sousa. What great foresight Sousa had about where our culture was headed, from a Read/Write society to a Read/Only society. This is so true in many areas. The kids of today are trying to tell us that they want to be allowed to have the right to be creative in any way they choose, but it is our job to teach them the correct and legal way in which to express their creativity. I feel confident that now I am able to do just that.

WK1: To Publish or To Present

I have decided to publish an article in a journal for my leadership project. I would like to have important information listed to assist others as it has assisted me during the EMDT program. I have gained esteemed information and skills during my matriculation in this program and it is time to share this valuable information with others. Peer reviewed articles gave me a start to complete my literature review as well as my capstone project. I feel that it’s my turn to lend a helping hand to those in need. I also believe that a publication will reach far and beyond the walls of a conference hall. Publications on a public domain can reach all corners of the earth and assist educators in learning new methods that may enhance their instruction. 

WK 1 Copyright Issues

Copyright laws have to be placed with some of the most frustrating laws to date. There is so much grey area with copyrighting that someone can clearly cross the line unknowingly. The 10 big myths discussed are perfect examples of commonly used statements I always hear. Most of the comments are from professionals who really have no idea that they’re breaking the law. I know I’ve heard my brother, the music producer, say a lot of those statements within the last 10 years. I have already contacted him and informed him to re-review his copyright teachings.

 What is the purpose of copyright law you ask? The purpose is to promote the progress of useful arts by protecting the rights of the inventors, which allows them to reap full benefits from their work. Types of work include art, videos, audio productions, and screen play productions. Items that are not protected include improves and dances not videotaped. After listening to this definition, I started to think about all of the musical artist who were hustled by corporations, loosing their copyrights to a masterpiece. One video stated that an individuals copyright last for a lifetime plus 70 years and a companies last for 100 years. That is beyond a long time for an artist to regain ownership of their works.

I was shocked to see how the rest of the worldviews piracy and laws set up to defend copyrighted works. I was even shocked to see that Nigeria set the bar as the worlds no. 1 producer of movies with the least amount of copyright infringements. This was an eye opener, especially since America sits at no. 3. I really like how musical artist around the world are working with each other for the common good of producing music. This brings me to Creative Common. This has to be the most effective way to ensure your work remains protected while giving others the opportunity to sample, modify, or build from without stealing. I have never heard of this company, but I will surely utilize materials protected under them for now on.

Each video allowed me to reminisce about my undergraduate business courses that discussed minor details of this law. Unfortunately, those courses barely touched all of the extensive information displayed. This lesson has really opened my eyes to what is actually considered copyright infringement and what’s acceptable. My perception of acceptable handling of copyrighted material has dramatically changed now. I think these videos would’ve been excellent during the start of EMDT. I know now that I have walked a thin line during my matriculation through this program. From here on, I plan to further gain an understanding of what is acceptable when dealing with copy written material.