At our jam-packed library instruction retreat in May, Kevin was only able to give a short overview of using media for teaching and student assignments. Last week he gave us a more in depth look at using media, and was able to tell us about how the landscape has changed between May and August with the new DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) exemption.
Kevin helped us understand the difference between “consumptive use” which is essentially making a copy; and “transformative use” that creates something new. The heart of his message is these tips about using media for student presentations:
- Copyrighted music/film should be incorporated into a new work
- Use no more than is necessary to make the point.
- Have a point – the film or music should support the theme of the new work
The DMCA exemption that has caused some excitement allows circumvention, which is decryption of movie DVDs that use CSS encryption. Decryption by faculty, and by extension students in those courses, is allowed in order to support what Kevin feels are the kinds of activities likely to be considered transformative fair use by the courts.
At the beginning of his presentation, Kevin noted that while he was listening to our faculty panel at the instruction retreat, he was surprised at how confused faculty seemed to be about giving students new media assignments, because they didn’t feel confident about fair use rights. After hearing his talk last week, we librarians now have better information to share with faculty and students as they explore digital literacies.
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