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Activity 2: Presentation and Discussion

15 January, 2016 - 09:13
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If the class did not do the inquiry activity, you will need to research and prepare a presentation that gives an overview of the types of licenses that might be appropriate for the students' creations in Activities 3 and 4.

Activity Summary

  • Goals - The students will learn about various options for licensing creative works, including the consequences and legal ramifications of each and the differences between them.
  • Grade Level - Recommended for secondary and adult students
  • Student Prerequisites - Students should be capable of thinking critically about law, ethics, and consequences as they relate to intellectual property.
  • Teacher Expertise - Expertise in copyright law is not necessary, but the discussion will be more lively if the discussion leader is prepared with facts, points, and stories that are relevant to the students' creative and publication interests.
  • Time Requirements - Allow 15-20 minutes for each group's presentation. If the students did not do the inquiry activity, you can prepare a 20-30 minute overview of the information you have gathered. Also schedule time for questions and group discussion following each group presentation (5-10 minutes) or after your presentation (15-30 minutes).
  • Objectives - The students will discuss a variety of licensing options that are relevant to their creative work, including the ramifications of each for the creator and for others.
  • Evaluation - You can assess student learning based on engagement in the discussions of other people's presentations, including asking thoughtful questions and making good points in discussions. Alternatively, you may ask students to create notes, charts, or diagrams that organize the information they learn from each presentation.

Procedure

  • Use clocks, timers, or reminders to keep each group to its allotted presentation time.
  • After each presentation, point out to the class the aspects of the presentation that you particularly liked. Then, if the presentation did not include key points that you want emphasized, ask the group to also address those points. For example, "You didn't mention why a creator might choose this type of license. Can you tell the class what you think about that?"
  • Ask the class for any questions they have about the group's researched subject or presentation.
  • If the class does not have enough questions to start a good discussion, begin directing thought-provoking questions to the students who did not make the presentation, for example, "Do you think the laws they told us about should be changed?" or "Would you choose this license for your project?" Ask students to give reasons for their opinions, and encourage (polite, respectful, thoughtful) discussion of any disagreements among class members. If all the students agree, try to play devil's advocate; for example if students all agree that music should not be copyrighted (or that music copyrights can be ignored), ask them whether and how good songwriters should be paid.
  • If there is further time for discussion, you can ask the students what the effects might be if that license was not available, or if every work was automatically published under that license.