A teenage girl from Illinois survived a brutal attack by her peers that was captured on cell phone video by a male student who did nothing to intervene. Mercedes Michaels was beaten, burned and had most of her hair cut off during the attack.

Real world, practical and relevant copyright, fair use and public domain information. Covers copyright in the visual domain (movies, tv shows, photographs, screenplays, art, sculpture), copyright in the audio domain (musical compositions, lyrics, sound recordings) and copyright in the digital domain (web, Internet and software).

These guidelines were developed during the Conference on Fair Use. Educators and students are advised to exercise caution in using digital material downloaded from the Internet in producing their own educational multimedia projects, because there is a mix of works protected by copyright and works in the public domain on the network. Access to works on the Internet does not automatically mean that these can be reproduced and reused without permission or royalty payment and, furthermore, some copyrighted works may have been posted to the Internet without authorization of the copyright holder.\n

A comprehensive online resource for people concerned with the growing problem of internet plagiarism. There are a number of helpful handouts in downloadable form on topics such as copyright laws, citing sources, how to properly paraphrase, and guidelines for students and educators.

The purpose of this site is to help instructors and parents better understand how the internet can facilitate plagiarism. We present strategies to prevent plagiarism, explain some of the underlying causes, and provide advice on dealing with cases of confirmed plagiarism.

Copyright law protects musical and spoken compositions, or "works"; the performance of a work preserved in a sound recording; and the sound recording itself. Podcasting implicates these in three ways: the performance of a work; the playing of a sound recording of a performance; and the reproduction of a sound recording by incorporating it into a podcast. The law is well-settled only as to the first of these.

A collection of videos explaining Creative Commons.

9 States have passed cyberbullying laws that affect schools. Five states have laws under consideration.

Define the Line is an awareness program designed to educate students about using commercial software legally, respecting copyrighted works online and understanding the impact of software theft on all of us. Sponsored by the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

In this audio/visual presentation from TICAL, Harvey Barnett describes why you should have an Acceptable Use Policy and what it should contain.

Digital sticks and stones can't break bones-but they can hurt even more. What can educators do to curb bullying in cyberspace? Talk about it," says Cathy Smith. "Define it and discuss expectations and consequences. Don't ignore it or take it lightly." To get kids talking about cyberbullying, Smith meets her students where they live: online. The article cites classroom strategies, including use of some of the information we've collected on this site: NetSmartz videos and Ad Council PSA's

Prompted by outrage over a Missouri teen's suicide after an internet hoax, United States Rep. Kenny Hulshof on May 22 introduced a bill that would impose federal criminal penalties for cyber bullying. "The Megan Meier Act would give prosecutors the tools to protect kids from the most egregious of online predatory attacks," Hulshof said in a statement. Hulshof's bill would allow federal prosecutors to go after online messages meant "to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause emotional distress" to others. Those convicted under the measure would face a fine or up to two years in jail.

Educators are closely watching a $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit challenging YouTube's ability to keep copyrighted material off its popular video-sharing web site-a lawsuit that could have important implications for the future of Web 2.0 applications, observers say.

Is it copyright protected? Find out with this handy tool from librarycopyright.net and Michael Brewer, Office for Information Technology Policy/ Copyright Advisory Committee member and desiger of the tool.

The new mobile phone phenomenon, dubbed "sexting", led to 32 Victorian [Australia] teenagers being charged with child pornography offenses last year.

Child predators offering game points in exchange for nude images through Internet-connected video games have prompted a warning for parents. "Kids are playing games, and they are being asked to take photos of themselves naked in order to get game points," state attorney Cybercrime Detective Lt. David Maurer said. "There is not only the chatting version of the games but also a webcam involved."

Make your students and staff aware of the potential infringements. Most teachers and students use music in their video and then publish or use in it in a public setting while thinking they've done nothing wrong. But, their lack of knowledge about the laws does not make them immune. \n

HB 669 prohibits the bullying or harassment, including cyber bullying, of any public K-12 student or employee. It requires the Department of Education to adopt a model policy to prohibit bullying and harassment and directs all school districts to adopt a similar policy. School districts are directed to work with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and local law enforcement on developing this policy. School districts will be required to report all instances of bullying or harassment and to notify the parents of the bully and the parents of the victim.

Schoolyard bullies are a long-standing problem but now, in the age of the Internet, they are increasingly using electronic devices to torment their victims. Because cyberbullying has become so prevalent, several states, including New York, have proposed legislation to control cyberbullying.

AB 307 charges districts to "educate pupils and teachers on the appropriate and ethical use of information technology in the classroom, Internet safety, avoiding plagiarism, the concept, purpose, and significance of a copyright so that pupils can distinguish between lawful and unlawful online downloading, and the implications of illegal peer-to-peer network file sharing."

This bill shows up as additional items in the planning criteria found in the EETT grant applicationCalifornia Education Code Section 51871.5, -- legislation, monitoring student internet use, ethical use of educational technology in the classroom, information literacy, aspects of information literacy/Internet safety, cyber-bullying, research studies and reports.