In both high school and university classrooms, many teachers and professors are using movie clips to enhance their lessons and to keep students engaged. While using movie clips and other digital media to enhance education has many benefits, there are certain legal restrictions that teachers must consider before implementing movie clips into their lessons.

Most digital media can be used in the classroom because of fair use. Fair use essentially means that if a movie or other copyrighted piece of material is used for educational purposes, it can be used in the classroom without obtaining permission from the original owner. But that doesn’t mean that any copyrighted movie, clip, or audio file can be used in the classroom. The media must first meet several requirements.

First of all, the copyrighted movie must be used for nonprofit, educational purposes. The nature of the work is also an important consideration. If a work is more creative versus more factual, it may not fall under fair use. Factual clips, such as news reports and documentaries, are more likely to be allowed in the classroom under fair use. Additionally, only short passages of the work that do not convey or express the heart of the work is permitted, and the owner or creator should not suffer significant monetary damage from its use in the classroom.

Of course, there are some sources that have a collection of movie clips and other digital media that have already been cleared for use in the classroom and other settings. But to be safe, educators who are not sure if their movie or other digital medial falls under fair use should contact the original owner to attain permission.

Article Source:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Using-Movie-Clips-in-the-Classroom&id=3745764

Filed under: entertainment

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