Copyright changes: What does it mean for your teaching?

As a teacher you are well aware that good teaching and learning is based on access to knowledge and information. No doubt you have hands-on experience of the advent of information and communication technology in classroom practices and how it impinges on the role of teacher.

Within schools, teaching and learning content is becoming increasingly digital in format and delivery. This parallels a major shift from textbook-based to multi-sourced curriculum materials. This shift creates pressures for you in daily practice in both the sourcing and the resourcing of curriculum materials. It also raises the stakes in terms of your legal responsibilities for information management.

In the last two years copyright law has also undergone major reform, simply to keep pace with changes in how people, like you and your students, are using information and advances in communication technology.

You need to understand these key reforms in copyright law and its operation so you can meet your legal responsibilities as a teaching professional.

The Copyright Aware website provides you with:

• a summary of the three areas of copyright change, to make you aware of the issues;
• what actions you need to take;
• a resource pack; and
• further information links.