Fair Use, 21st-century Classrooms, and other anachronisms

In this week's class, we talked about Fair Use and Copyright issues and 21st century classrooms. Fair use is a thorny issue. What is "fair use"? The government has its own definition of the term, but many individuals disagree. According to Federal Law, material under copyright can be used without penalty if: a)the use is non-profit, b) only a section of the entire work is used, c) "substantive or transformative work" is done to it, and d) the use will not substantially affect the market or demand for the original. Some focus on only one of those four criteria; they are breaking the law. However, in the digital age, when data can be passed or copied quickly and silently, it is next to impossible for the government to enforce copyright in any meaningful way.

The 21st Century Classroom is a theoretical venue for instruction that incorporates collaborative learning and digital integration. The basic layout of the lecture hall has remained unchanged since Mary and Percy Shelley were writing each other love poems. It expects students to maintain their fixed attention on a central figure, who lectures unceasingly, sometimes for several hours. Today's students lack the attention span (some would say the motivation) to flourish in this environment. A true 21st-Century classroom would distract students with digital gewgaws while keeping their attention on the class material by using shared chatrooms and documents, and encouraging students to collaborate on projects.