You Make It... You Own It...?

Fellow blogger Ms. Trumpler has recently posted about more copyright issues that can pop up in the classroom.  Who does student work belong to?  Personally, I think that this is a no brainer... the student creates it, the student owns it.  But I guess it's not that simple.  Copyright laws have become so intricate that it becomes very difficult  to give one individual full credit of a product.

Ms. Trumpler gives great examples of some current copyright issues and law suits.  Check out her blog here.  

Lesson Plans as Intellectual Property

Check out the most recent blog post from Tech Dirt.  The author sums up a trending lesson plan controversy when he the post states, "Some school districts are upset that the teachers are selling lesson plans, believing they deserve some of the "cut". 

An article by the National Education Association details the legality of intellectual property.  According to the National Education Association, one of the largest labor unions in the country representing teachers in the public school system, much of the work created by teachers does in fact belong to the school district.  Thanks to the Copyright Act of 1976, materials created as part of one's job duties belong to the employer.

Personally I think this is ridiculous.  Perhaps there should be a clause that materials created by a school's employee may not be sold to other employees of the same institution, and must be freely shared upon request.  But then, would this allow the lazy underachievers to simply ride the wave of another teacher's dedication?  

What do you think?  Comments are appreciated!
 

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?  

If you read my last post and thought to yourself, "I will never sell my lesson plans", you may be about to change your mind...

Kindergarden teacher, Deanna Jump, earned a whopping $1 million in 2012 from selling her lesson plans on TeachersPayTeachers.com.  When one views her profile page they will find a vast collection of her products with a wide price range. 

Check out the article that describes Jump's successes.

Check out a fellow blogger's post titled Intellectual Property & Teachers which discusses a recent issue in Prince George's County.  The school district is trying to rule that teachers' lesson plans are property of the district.

Paying For Lesson: Sharing the work of masters or assisting the lazy?

I've never paid for a lesson plan or classroom supplement from the internet.  Believe me, I've thought about it many times... usually on Monday mornings.  But the question that runs through my mind each time, right before I click "BUY NOW " is,"What does that teacher have that I don't?  Why cant I make a lesson that's just as good, if not better?"


I often think that the true "masters" of teaching would want to share their craft with the newer, less experienced people in their profession.  That leads me to believe that the best lesson plans are those that come without a cost.  I know that I have shared many ideas with newer teachers at the school where I work, and I do it to see them succeed. 

Next question- Would you ever charge money for a lesson plan that you created?  Tell me what you think!

To Share...

If you fall into the category of teachers who frequently search for lessons online, check out the following reviews for a few of my favorite sites.

• Smart Board User?  Check out SMART Exchange where there thousands of pre-made presentations are available.  Want to play review Jeopardy with your students?  You can find a template here.  Teaching geometry?  Find pre-created problems and proofs that are ready to use.  
• Pros: You can preview an entire SMART presentation before downloading.
• Cons:  You don't know who posted these plans.  Check for validity before using!

• Voki is a database of full lesson plans.  
• Pros: You can easily search for a lesson by subject and grade level.  
• Cons: Voki only has a limited amount of lesson plans available.

• TEACHERSpayTEACHERS is great if you are searching for activities such as games and worksheets, not full lesson plans
• Pros: The site is very easy to use.  You can even categorize your search findings by their ratings from other users.
• Cons: A lot of these involve your wallet.  Don't get your hopes up when you find an activity unless you are willing to spend.  

These are just a few of the many sites that share lesson plans and classroom materials online.  Please comment and tell everyone which sites you use (if any) and what their pros and cons are.  

The Hot Topic: Sharing Lesson Plans Online

I remember being a young girl and rushing through my homework so my mother would let me help her grade papers.  I would sit at the kitchen table with a red pen in hand correcting multiple choice questions.  My mother, a high school teacher, would sit across from me slaving away at lesson plans and calculating grades by hand while juggling phone calls with parents of trouble maker students.  Fast forward 15 years, I often wonder how my mother did it.  Technology has provided me and other teachers of my generation with the luxury of googling lesson plans, posting grades online, and emailing parents.  But with every advancement in technology, discrepancy is sure to follow...

Is it right for teachers to search for lesson plans on the internet and adapt them as their own?  Many teachers argue that if a lesson was posted, it was made public and therefore is "fair game" for the classroom.  Tons of databases are at the touch of one's fingertips providing worksheets, labs, and classroom presentations.  Why would these items be so easily available if they weren't meant to be shared?  Others argue that lessons online are only posted for the use of their students, not for other teachers.  Many teachers create blogs that their students can follow to easily access worksheets and classrooms lectures.  What happens if another teacher stumbles across these resources?

Tell me what you think.  Do you share your lesson plans online?  Do you search for classrooms plans, activities, labs, etc on the internet?  Would you be bothered if someone else used one of your lesson plans and called it their own?