Fair Use - A Major PANE

The reason I'm keeping this blog is for EDM 349, also known as "Technology Tools to Transform Teaching and Learning". Basically, this class is the nitty-gritty on how future teachers can integrate technology into their classrooms. Last Monday, our class focused on the topic of fair use. If your first thought is "what's that?", don't worry, I know how you feel. Until now, I'd heard the term 'fair use' get thrown around from time to time, but never knew what it meant. And even after a class period covering its meaning, I'm still a little lost. Although I'm no expert, let me at least share what I know in case this topic has you feeling completely in the dark. 

According to the powerpoint we viewed in class that Dr. Stephen Marvin put together, fair use is "a legal principle that defines the limitations on exclusive rights of copyright holders". Basically, if you're going to use someone else's material, there's guidelines you can follow to be sure that your usage is fair. There are four factors to determine whether use is fair: purpose, amount, nature, and effect (otherwise known as PANE, the inspiration for my post title). Here are some general questions about each factor that can help you determine if your use is fair or not:

Purpose - Are you using the material for commercial uses, or nonprofit educational purposes?
Amount - Are you using a reasonable amount of the work as a whole?
Nature - Is the work fiction or non-fiction? 
Effect - What is the effect on the market? Does your use have an impact on the money the original work makes?

(For more information, I liked the way this site put PANE into perspective.)

For example, say I wanted to use the preamble of the Declaration of Independence in a Social Studies unit. 

Purpose - I would be using this work for nonprofit/educational purposes.
Amount - I would only be using a small portion of the document.
Nature - The work is non-fiction.
Effect - My use has no effect on the market.

Therefore, my use of the preamble would be considered fair. I should note that fair use and its factors aren't technically law, but guidelines you should consider carefully. When in doubt, ask permission. And always, always, always give credit where credit is due. Cite your sources, people! Better safe than sorry. Breaking copyright laws can be bad news. I'm sure you'd rather go through life without being sued (at least, that's how I feel. Somehow I doubt court is as exciting as they make it seem on TV).

Even after all this talk of PANE and fair use in class, I still have my fair share of questions. The guidelines that suggest using a "reasonable amount" of the work is fair. Does anyone else think this is super vague? What counts as a "reasonable amount"? As long as I cite my sources, is everything A-OK? What consequences are there if I slip up? What's a kid-friendly way to teach my students about fair use? 

Hopefully as I look more into these questions/as this class goes on, I'll gain some clarity and some answers to my questions. Do you have the answers? Or more questions? Feel free to comment!

Until next time!

A closer look at the mess

I have an 'about me' page, but I wanted to go into a little more depth and give you a better idea of who I am. As you've probably figured out, my name is Jessica Messner. If you haven't figured it out, ta-da, now you know. If you read my 'about me' page, you really only know a tidbit about who I am as a student. However, as I'm sure you all know, who we are as students and who were are as people are often very different. So here it is - Jessica Messner, the person. 

I'm 20 years old, and I share a birthday with Harry Potter. If you're as into the series as me, be jealous. If you're not into the series..why not!? While we're talking about Harry Potter, let me show you my tattoo:

Excuse the fact that it's freshly done. I got this tattoo in July 2011, and it's one of three tattoos I have. A lot of people don't understand it, so let me explain. In the Harry Potter books, these three stars are in the upper page corners. I've only ever had a handful of people recognize the stars on sight. 

This tattoo says a lot about me. Not just that I'm a HP nerd, but it also reminds me of my love of reading in general. I developed a love of reading at an early age, and it's continued to grow ever since. When people tell me they don't like to read, I really don't understand what they're saying. If any of you ever have any book suggestions, throw them my way! I'll try any book once. 

Let's talk about one of my other loves: ice hockey. Not playing it - I can barely even keep from tripping over my own feet, half the time - but watching...that I can do. And I often do it with a lot of yelling involved (sorry, 5th floor of U Hall!). My love of ice hockey also started young, thanks to my dad. I'm obsessed with one team in particular, the Philadelphia Flyers. I've been going to games since I was literally in the womb. I can't even begin to explain what the team means to me...those who are avid sports fans, you get it. I love the personality of the Flyers - Hartnell's goofiness, Rinaldo's goon-iness, and the amazing relationship they all have with each other. I love seeing a play come together, when you just know they're going to score and you can feel it in your bones. I love seeing them win, obviously. Unfortunately, the fate of the hockey season isn't looking so great right now. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, google 'NHL lockout'. Fingers crossed that they'll work it out, because I don't know what I'll do without my team. Allow me to post one of my favorite pictures related to the Flyers:

Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette yelling at one of the Pittsburgh Penguins coaches - this picture still makes me laugh every time I see it. (Photo credit: found on the700level.com)

Another thing I've really gotten into over this past summer is feminism. Before you roll your eyes, hear me out: what's so wrong about feminism? A lot of people automatically think about "man-haters" or women that grow out their armpit hair. That's not what it's about. What it is about is equality between men and women - and that sounds good to me. If you do want to grow out your armpit hair, well, that's your choice. That's another thing that feminism is about - people should do whatever they want with their own bodies. Nothing to turn your nose up at, in my opinion. Feminism gets a bad reputation and it doesn't deserve it.

Lastly, I wouldn't be the person I am without my family and friends. I think that's a sentiment that most of you can relate to. Instead of writing a bunch of mushy stuff about them, I'll just post a few pictures.

Here's my mama bear. She's awesome, and she's my #1 fan. No one supports what I do and who I am quite like she does.

This is me and my suitemates - Bonnie, Christine, and Sara. These girls are my best friends.

This is my boyfriend, Nick. Once again, I'll save you the mushy stuff - but he's a huge part of my life and I love him very much.

So there you have it. There's a closer look at the mess! Hopefully you decide to stick around. In the coming weeks, I'll be posting a lot about technology and how it relates to education. Stay tuned.