Copyright

      The information I learned about copyright laws and fair use was very helpful to me.  I did not know that even though clip art and images may say that they are free for use they may not actually be. Sometimes they are not published by the original producer.  It is reassuring that most information, music and videos on the internet can be used by teachers or students with certain conditions: typically these materials can be used in the classroom for instruction. The materials from the internet can not be re posted as new or distributed outside the classroom. It is also important that teachers inform students not to use trade mark pictures as illustrations for research or power point projects.
     Every year during in service at the school where I work, the school gives a seminar about online safety for our students.  The focus has been about cyber bullying that included social media and cell phone use;there is an ever growing problem in the district. A few years ago there was an incident where a student became angry with a teacher. The student created a false Facebook account in this teacher's name and made very inappropriate postings on this account. When this event occurred it made me realize just how much students and teachers need to be aware of how powerful "cyber bullying" can be. We as educators need to make sure that we teach our students proper netiquette as well as the legal,professional, and emotional ramifications of not keeping within proper boundaries.