Learner Description: This page was created to provide guidance on fair use to teachers

Many times in teaching there is the need to use images, videos, media articles, books or extracts of books for educational purposes. But before copying something teachers need to consider the following:

• Always assume that what you intend to use in class is copyrighted.
• Always check the terms of use. Is there anything on the website, book, journal that indicates how you may use the material?
• Is there a Creative Commons License and what are its terms of use?
• If there is no nformation on how you can use the material, better ask permission from the author as citing your resource may not be enough to ensure fair use.
• If you don't get any response, better find different material to use.

Fair Use Scavenger Hunt Activity

This activity has been designed to help you understand some of the basics of fair use, particularly as it pertains to using different types of media in the classroom. It aims to inform you what is considered fair use in the process of teaching and learning so that you do not violate copyright laws.

Instructions: This activity has been designed for teachers to provide guidance on fair use of various media content. It contains 6 sections and each section has 2 questions. Your task is to find the answers to those questions by using the Web links provided. The answer key is linked at the bottom of the page and you can download and see your score after you complete the activity.

Please download the worksheet document to fill in your answers [Scavenger Hunt worksheet]

All links in the hunts below open in a new browser window or tab.

Hunt 1: Copyright and Fair Use

Purdue OWL Strategies for Fair Use: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/731/1/

1. What four factors need to be considered when determining fair use?
2. What purposes of usage of copyrighted materials in education are specifically mentioned in the Copyright Protection Law as fair use? 

Hunt 2. Teaching and Copying from Printed Media

Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers (quick guide to copyright and fair use in pdf format): http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/events/techforum/tx05/TeacherCopyright_chart.pdf

Suppose you want to copy and distribute a news article from a printed media (e.g. The Economist) to your class. 

1. What is the main condition that allows you to do so?
2. What is the limitation on the length of the article?

Hunt 3. Using video in teaching

Center for Social Media Fair Use: http://centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use/related-materials/codes/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education

Suppose you want to show a documentary video from the Web to your class to illustrate key points of a topic.

1. Is it allowed to use the full length of a video material under fair use?
2. What are two main limitations on employing copyrighted material in media literacy lessons?

Hunt 4 : Embedded videos on educational websites:

The Edublogger Educator's Guide for Fair Use, Copyright and Creative Commons: http://theedublogger.com/2012/02/09/the-educators-guide-to-copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/

1. Where can you find videos that are not copyrighted to embed on your educational website?
2. What is an important condition for embedding videos on educational website?

Hunt 5 : Using images for educational purposes

Stanford Copyright and Fair Use: http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/index.html

1. How many images by a single artist or photographer can be used in preparing educational materials?
2. What are some websites where you can find images that free of copyright for using on an educational website?

Hunt 6: Guidelines for using Multimedia works

Stanford Copyright and Fair Use: http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/index.html

1. How long can an instructor use a Power Point presentation with an embedded copyrighted motion media work?
2. What is the limitation on using a copyrighted motion media work in an educator's presentation?

[Answer key] Check your answers after you have completed the activity.