Digital Law

Video Transcription

Hello, everyone. I hope you are having an excellent day today. Today, we're going to talk about the concept of digital law. And for today's tutorial, I've chosen a quote by one of our nation's greatest activists, Martin Luther King Jr. In this quote, he says on law that "law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice. And when they fail in this purpose, they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress."

I think that this quote is exceptionally applicable to what we're looking at today. For as we continue to progress towards a more digital society, it's so important that our students understand every facet of digital law and how it could impact their use as digital citizens. So by the end of the lesson today, you will be able to summarize the nine elements of digital citizenship. You'll be able to define the specific element of digital law. You'll be able to discuss why knowledge of digital law is so important. And you should be able to identify what digital law elements your students should be learning.

Now when we look at digital citizenship, we see that there are nine major elements to help make up digital citizenship. The first of which is digital access. Digital access has to do with the access that students in your classroom have or don't have to these technological devices and the way in which you as a teacher have to adapt in order to help your students of all access means become a digital citizen.

The second major element of digital citizenship is digital commerce. This looks at the way in which we buy and sell things using new technology as a medium and what we as teachers need to communicate with our students concerning buying and purchasing online. The third major element of digital citizenship is digital literacy. This looks at how fluent we are, both we as teachers and our students, in the use of new technology. This looks at fluency both in and out of the classroom.

The fourth major element is digital etiquette, focusing in on some of the norms our society has established for how we interact online and how we use these new technologies. The fifth element of digital citizenship is digital law. This takes the elements of digital etiquette one step further and focuses on the law pertaining to our interactions on the internet.

The sixth and seventh elements of digital citizenship are our digital rights and digital responsibilities. These elements focus in on the rights that we as teachers and our students have as we interact online and the responsibilities that come with those rights. The eighth element of digital citizenship is digital health, which looks at the way we are protecting our health and well-being given our new modes of communicating and interacting with the internet. This looks at how we are affected both physically and emotionally. And the final element of digital citizenship is digital security, focusing in on what are the elements that are put in place to help protect us as we interact online and become fully-fledged digital citizens.

So let's look now specifically at digital law. First, what is it? Digital law really is about following the laws related to online information and interaction. It's important for students not only to know the laws that they're supposed to follow but also to know that they can get in trouble both legally and by their school or school district. Now many schools have their own rules and consequences for that digital use. But there is also the double effect of our legal system.

Now the most commonly referred to legal issues that affect the digital environment that we interact in are usually those pertaining to intellectual property rights, various elements of copyright law, and plagiarism. We're going to look a little bit more at these elements as we move forward. So let's look at digital law and why it is so important to know.

Well, first and foremost, many students don't really have a good understanding of what intellectual property means. They think that because something is out there online that it doesn't necessarily belong to someone else, but it's really important for them to understand that intellectual property can be things that are written, things that are recorded, any visual content, as well as images, pictures, art, movies, music. All of the above just because they're online and accessible are potential intellectual property pitfalls.

Now intellectual property is protected by law. Most often it's protected by copyright laws. Something that is copyright means that the creator of this piece of intellectual property has sought out the exclusive right to it. And as a result, no one else can use it, whether that means they are reproducing it or distributing it.

And it's really important to know that reproduction without permission is considered a form of piracy. And when you or a student participates in that, there are some really serious consequences. These consequences can be legal penalties, as well as academic penalties with some really long-lasting effects.

So what specifically should we be teaching our students about digital law? Well, first and foremost, it's important to let them know that not everything online is off limits. If something has a Creative Commons copyright, that means that it is available for public use.

Now the history in terms of Creative Commons is that back in the early days of the internet, it used to be really confusing that conflict between wide-open access and those copyright laws. Initially, in fact, teachers, even librarians were not able to use the elements that they found online. So the Creative Commons licenses were developed to sort of look at that happy medium.

These Creative Commons licenses allow the use of resources by others with only a few restrictions. Oftentimes, these limits allow people to use elements in the class but maybe not reproduce it or distribute it. If something does not have a Creative Commons, then you are supposed to follow that Fair Use Law, the idea being that the materials or resources are being used within sort of the rule of thumb or the fair use that's expected with the material.

Usually, the goal is to ensure that the developer of that material isn't being taken advantage of. Oftentimes, a major fair use of content is when it's being used for teaching or learning and scholarship purposes. It's also really important that your students know the difference between copyright and plagiarism. Oftentimes, students think that this is the same thing, and they are not.

Copyright is a right given to someone who develops that unique piece of intellectual property, whereas plagiarism is then the use of someone else's intellectual property and trying to pass it off on your own or not giving accurate credit to the person who originally developed it. It's important to remember that copyright is when material is used without permission. And plagiarism is using someone else's material and trying to pass it on as their own. Essentially, plagiarism is stealing someone else's work. In either case, students need to be aware that they can face some serious consequences if they're not aware of those digital laws.

Now that we've reached the end of our lesson, let's review. You should now be able to summarize the nine major elements of digital citizenship. You should be able to define the element of digital law, discuss why knowledge of digital law is so important, and identify what digital law elements your students should be learning. Now I would like to take a little moment for reflection. Now that you have learned about digital law, what would be the first step you might take to begin implementing the teaching of digital law in your classroom?

Now I want to take a moment for reflection. For more information on how to apply what you learned in this video, please view the additional resources section that accompanies this video's presentation. The additional resources section includes hyperlinks useful for applications of the course material, including a brief description of each resource.