Article Analysis for "Youth, Creativity, and Copyright in the Digital Age"

Barns, Rosaline Fay, Miriam Simun, Urs Gasser, and John Palfrey. "Youth, Creativity, and  Copyright in the Digital Age." International Journal of Learning & Media, Spring 2009, 79-97. https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/3128762.                         

 

In this article, the authors address the copyright and ethical issues that today’s young people or “Digital Natives” confront on a regular basis as they use online tools to be creative. This article provides a sample curriculum with practical ways for educators to teach their students to be ethical digital citizens.

Years ago, copyright was really only a concern for those who were involved in producing, publishing, and distributing music and other creative works. However, modern technology has now made copyright law something that we all should be concerned with. Unfortunately, even though it affects all of us, many people are unaware or confused by copyright, and therefore they may exhibit unethical behavior simply because they are uninformed. Some simply believe that the law is “unreasonable” because technology makes it so easy to copy, download, and share information (Barns, et al. 2009, 80) and they knowingly practice unethical behavior with digital media.

The authors spend the first part of their paper explaining different parts of copyright law, such as fair use and creative commons licensing. Fair use allows individuals to use copyrighted materials for purposes such as “criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching scholarship, or research” (Barns, et al. 2009, 81). It can be very confusing and subjective. Creative Commons licensing provides a way for authors to “treat their own work as common cultural resources” so individuals can use them to be creative (Barns et al. 2009, 82).

This study defined “Digital Natives” as “young people born before 1980 who have grown up in a networked world and have the skills to use digital technology” (Barns, et al. 2009, 83). The participants were middle school, high school, and college students. They participated in focus-group sessions where they discussed their experiences with digital media and their understanding of copyright law. The participants were widely confused about what constitutes copyright infringement. Many of them believe that as long as something is available online, then it is okay to use.

This research from this study indicated that many young people “consume, distribute, and create content without accurate knowledge of the rights, restrictions, and implications of copyright law” (Barns, et al. 2009, 90). This study determined that young people need guidance and support in order to “operate in legal and empowered ways in the digital world” (Palfrey, et al. 2009, 80).

After completing their research, the authors also created the Creative Rights Copyright Curriculum, “[consisting] of interactive learning tools” in order to provide a resource that educators can use to help teach their students about copyright law. The curriculum includes a “fair use tool,” a “mashup game” for realistic practice, an “interactive timeline” and a “case study” (Barns, et al. 2009, 92). 

As a librarian at a PreK-12th grade campus, copyright and fair use are terms that I am very familiar with. I love the curriculum that the authors proposed because it is interactive. Instead of just a list of rules and terms to memorize, it provides students with hands-on, practical tools they can use in order to become responsible and ethical digital citizens. I would like to see a staff development version for teachers so that they are informed and can model what it means to use digital content ethically for their students.