Internet Safety, Copyright, and Fair Use

Life is inherently dangerous.  At any given time anything can happen and parents spend a great deal of time teaching their children how to be safe.  Walking safe.  Running safe.  Riding a bike safe.  Crossing the road safely.  Driving safe.  Keeping safe at school by dealing with social issues appropriately.  This is all fairly basic and seems relatively easy to instill in kids.  As a parent I can attest that 'safety' in everything my children do is personal to me.  If they do what they do safely then I know I did my job.

Now parents need to be concerned with another potential hazard;  the Internet.  Being an Education student has made me aware of terms like cyberbullying and digizen.  Cyberbullying is an issue.  It is a fact of life now in schools.  It is basically when someone has used technology (usually the Internet or a mobile phone) to cause unpleasantness for someone else.  Technology has so many great benefits.  But with everything out in the world that serves a positive purpose you can pretty much count on someone to use it for a negative purpose. 

Digizen (a combination of "digital" and "Citizen") is an organization concerned with people building safe communities on the internet that they use to enhance creativity and learning.  I built this widget (below) using digizen.org.  Just roll your mouse over the image to see my wishes.

 

This is a tool that an Internet user could use to express his/her online citizen values and wishes for him/herself, friends and the world.  This could be posted on a site to let others know his/her wishes as an online citizen.

In a world of unlimited resources and an abundant supply of smart, innovative, forward-thinking people it is so important to give credit and use other's material in a respectful manner.  YouTube videos, for instance, are very popular as an enhancement for others work.  If these videos, or any other form of media, are used to get a different point accross or to add to the topic of the video then it is okay to use.  If it is being used for the same reason that it was make then credit needs to be given to the owner.  It's only fair to credit other's efforts that you use yourself.  Afterall, creditting others will keep your online presence safe as well.

I have not noticed if the schools I have substituted at have a Fair Use Policy.  I am sure they do.  I just wasn't in a position to be privvy to that information.