'Fair Use' in Digital Education

The Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act was created in 2002 and is an update to the Copyright Act developed in 1976. It now includes digital age ideas involving distance learning and online computer courses. Teachers and professors are now able to use materials such as pictures, sound clips, or video clips without getting permission from the copyright owner. The old Copyright Act (1976) was developed by Congress just to underline the ideas of what is considered ‘fair use’ when it comes to copyright laws. However there are limitations to this new addition to the ‘fair use’ list. This copyright images and sounds can only be used one way but not two way; meaning that there can be no video conferencing or links that can be easily accessed from anyone on the Internet. This is a great way for teachers to get students to interact and enjoy the courses without breaking any copyright laws or restricting teachers to using certain resources.

For many of us, the thought of taking an online class as credit for high school or college is not very new. I took two classes online through my high school, so I understand the concept and it makes sense: if your school doesn’t offer a class, why not figure out a way to take it. The online classroom has its advantages and disadvantages. While you get all of the credits that perhaps your school doesn’t offer, there is also the potential for Internet outages, computer errors, and communication problems. With this being said, it is really important for teachers on the other end of the computer to represent an idea visually, through video, power points, and sound clips. This, especially with visual learners, will make the online learning experience much more informative as well as enjoyable.

With Congress passing the “Fair Use” clause in 2002, online teachers’ resources expanded, making the online classroom even more of a success. Without copyright restrictions, teachers don’t have to be afraid to use work made by another teacher and they are now free to use resources as educational tools. Teachers and professors are not trying to make a profit or exploit someone else’s work, which I think justifies why Congress passed this clause allowing them to use someone else’s work, because it is obviously only intended for educational purposes.



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