Intellectual Property Inquiry

Intellectual Property Unit Plan Outline

Rationale

Why encourage students to explore, discover, and create definitions of intellectual property?

Intellectual property, with its related concerns and issues, is an increasingly important topic for discussion in today’s world.  As ideas become more and more accessible, shareable, and adaptable through the internet, and its endless informational and social platforms, it is integral that educators foster a meaningful understanding of both the concept and importance of intellectual property to our global community and the future of creative expression.

Why use technology to facilitate the intellectual property inquiry process?

This topic of inquiry offers an incredible opportunity to support students in developing their digital literacy and ICT skills concurrently with their understanding of culture and ethical citizenship, critical thinking abilities, and other 21st Century Competencies.

In line with my intellectual property inquiry, I would also like to outline a unit plan that would introduce, discuss, and illustrate the challenges, frustrations, and ultimately, necessity of protecting intellectual property.  I told one of my classmates that I wanted to give students an opportunity to create something, something they could be proud of, so that I could mock steal their creation, post it to my fake blog, and pretend to gain some kind of financial benefit by taking credit for their work.  She told me about her husband, an avid music and movie downloader, who created his own app to sell in the Windows phone app store.  Unfortunately, there is a loophole in the Windows system where people can pay for, download, and immediately return an app for a full refund without having that app removed from their phone.  In other words, they are benefiting from but not paying for the app.  He was understandably annoyed, but interestingly, because of his own downloading habits, felt hypocritical in taking any further action in the matter.  To truly understand the personal, and eventually, the global significance of intellectual property theft, students need to experience that same feeling of frustration, and if possible, hypocrisy.  Extensive conversation with and inspiration and ideas from Jenny, along with this anecdote, gave rise to a unit plan and lesson ideas.

Introductory Activity

Students would be asked to brainstorm app ideas based on their own needs, interests, hobbies, and talents.  Their ideas could be based on existing apps (with significant improvements) or completely original (Surely, there’s something new under the sun?).  After sharing their ideas with their classmates, students could group themselves with those that had similar ideas or gravitate towards those with a particularly intriguing idea and work in small groups to develop one app per group, complete with target audience, purpose (what void are they filling?), full description, logo, price, and marketing slogan.  It would be wonderful to use computers, if possible, to allow for some app research and to give students an opportunity to design and create their logo using graphic design software.

Once students had shared (made public) their final products with their classmates, I would simulate what it would be like to have one’s ideas stolen.  The names of the apps could be slightly altered, or simply used as is, and the logos, slogans, and a brief description would be posted to a fake teacher created blog.  Students would be informed of this and the fact that each person who navigates to the teacher’s site, each click of interest, and each official download would result in payment for the teacher who had stolen their intellectual property.  Students would then be asked to take a poll to identify which apps they would buy if they had the chance which would further intensify the experience of having to watch as others benefit from their work.  Students could share their immediate reactions through a platform like Twitter, an invite only Facebook group, or a blog forum.  This then lends itself to a discussion of how it feels to watch as your time, effort, and imagination are exploited for gain by another person who had no part in the creative or production processes.  Students can also be asked to examine their own habits.  Do they willingly steal from others in the same way they were stolen from?  Students could share their immediate reactions through twitter and conversation with the group and be asked to mine their feelings in more depth as a take-home assignment to be posted to their personal blog.  Students could also be assigned one or two classmates to respond to and discuss this issue with online.  If possible, each creative group could be grouped together online in their own forum to share and discuss their reactions in greater detail.

Key Concepts Introduced: What Is Intellectual Property?

From here, students would be engaged in a discussion about the meaning and importance of intellectual property.  After a freewrite and a class brainstorming session, and with teacher guidance, students could use the following infographic to determine the types, guidelines for, and implications of the various legal categories of intellectual property.  Students would be placed in small groups and asked to use the internet to find up-to-date, focused, and detailed information about one type of intellectual property in reference to Canadian law, as opposed to the American (particularly Californian) point-of-view expressed below.  Students would also be encouraged to find examples, preferably Canadian, to illustrate their findings.  This would lead to a jigsaw discussion where students could share their new found expertise with their classmates.  They would also be asked to write about their research process, findings, and reactions on their blog and in response to and in comparison with one or two assigned classmates’ blog posts.

Discussion Topic: Why Is Intellectual Property Worth Protecting?

Following a freewrite, wherein students identify their position on the presented question, and class discussion/brainstorm, students would be presented with one group’s insights into the importance of intellectual property.  The website Ideas Matter. expresses five reasons why…ideas matter.  Their manifesto for the protection of intellectual property includes the following “Reasons Why Ideas Matter”:

The Benefits of Intellectual Property for Innovation, The Economy and Society:

“Ideas Matter, for society, business, and individuals.” Ideas Matter, n.d. Web. 18 July 2013. <http://www.ideasmatter.com/Default.asp>.

“Intellectual Property Infographic Explained through Google.” Pasha’s San Diego Business Attorney Blog. Top Floor Legal, PC, n.d. Web. 18 July 2013. <http://www.pashalaw.com/daily-business-legal-tip/intellectual-property-infographic-explained-google>.

Lessig, Lawrence . “Lawrence Lessig: Laws that choke creativity.” TED: Ideas worth spreading, Nov. 2007. Web. 21 July 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity.html>.

“The Oatmeal and FunnyJunk legal dispute – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.d. Web. 21 July 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oatmeal_and_FunnyJunk_legal_dispute>.

I have quite literally just realized that the “product” I have produced for my final project is the collection of resources, websites, videos, infographics, and otherwise, that I have collected and organized about intellectual property on pearltrees.  This project represents both where I am in my inquiry process and where I want to go in my teaching practice.  In line with that, I have also continued to explore last week’s inquiry topic: social media. Pearltrees is described as a “collaborative curation tool“, a “collaborative library“, and a “social bookmarking service“.  Which is to say that it is a form of social media, and by using it, linking it to my blog, and actively seeking to share my creation and receive constructive feedback, I am making use of social media and exploring the possibilities and pitfalls of this platform.  This experience has only intensified my desire to create opportunities for my students to not only learn meaningfully but to actively collaborate, and in doing so, share the journey and the findings with their classmates as learning partners rather than just seatmates, passengers on the way to a final exam.

As it stands, I do not have my own class for September.  But, by exploring the social possibilities of various different social platforms (pearltrees, wordpress, twitter, etc.), I am preparing and educating myself to push past the walls of my future physical classroom/school library media centre and both connect with my students and support them in their efforts to connect to one another.  And, so, my final project will also encompass real time learning possibilities for the classroom.  I want to synthesize what I have learned, what has inspired me, and what I hope to accomplish into a unit outline, a basic plan, for how I could practically share my intellectual property inquiry – questions, conundrums, warts and all – with my future students, whether in the English Language Arts classroom or as a MEANINGFUL part of my future school library program.  Where to begin? If this last three weeks has taught me anything, I need to start with the “Why?”.  Here I go.

I have collected a lot of fantastic resources.  Now…what do I do with them?  I would like to eventually start outlining a small unit plan that would take students through an in depth discussion to a MEANINGFUL understanding of intellectual property and just why it is so darn important that we protect our ideas!  I have found some amazing TED talks and discussion threads.  I have found resources that clearly support copyright and the traditional means of protecting intellectual property, and I have found resources that argue for a freer more open future, a creative commons where ownership is a more fluid concept rather than a matter of copyright, plagiarism and “what’s mine is mine”.  The impression that I am left with is that Ideas matter.  But, in a time with technology run rampant and an ever broadening definition of ownership, where do traditional legal constructs like copyright fit?  How can we protect our ideas, ensure credit is given where credit is due, and also accept that creativity is the product of shared ideas and collaboration rather than closely guarded secrets.

I want to help students grapple with these ideas and issues in a way that fosters their creative thought.  I want to give students the opportunity to take ownership of their own ideas, to suggest possible constructs, business models, and futures for copyright and intellectual property laws.  I want to encourage discussion!  Above all, I want students to consider and appreciate the value and importance of creativity in our world and to consider how we as a society can continue to encourage creativity beyond a fat payday and plenty of kudos.  Why do ideas matter?  How can we protect our ideas without stifling the creativity of others?

These are important questions that I would like to explore through both in-class brainstorming and discussion and social media.  I would like students to explore, share, and collaborate beyond the physical walls of the classroom.  I would love to make use of some of the same strategies as those we have used in-class together this summer: twitter, blog forums, pearltrees.  In the meantime, I have a wonderful selection of resources to support the “why”, as in why discuss, focus on, and make an issue of intellectual property in my classroom.  There is no question that this is an important and increasingly difficult topic to discuss.  There is no right answer, but there are some incredible possibilities.

I think I see the light.  While speaking to Jenny in class yesterday (Thank you, Jenny!), I realized that if a project is more cumbersome, more dry, than inspiring and motivating for me, it will be likewise for my students!  In other words, if I’m dreading a project, for reasons beyond my desire to spend each day lazing in the glorious Vancouver sunshine, than I behooves me to find a new, more meaningful approach.  There is no doubt that I have a passion for teaching students about and instilling a respect for intellectual property rights and the subsequent importance of properly citing your sources.  But, the question is, how do I translate this to my students and do so in a way that is meaningful for them?  In my search for resources, I stumbled upon this site: http://www.ideasmatter.com/.  It is dedicated to explaining just that: Why do ideas matter?  It presents five major reasons:

1. Intellectual property promotes economic growth and development

2. Intellectual property encourages innovation and creativity

3. Intellectual property benefits companies large and small

4. Intellectual property is good for consumers

5. Intellectual property provides long-term benefits for  society

And, it provides videos, data, and real life examples that emphasize the value and sheer necessity of upholding intellectual property rights.  I have found my starting point – my inspiration.  I want to start by addressing two main questions:  What is intellectual property?  And, why is it worth protecting?  From here, I can explore copyright and patent guidelines and look for real life examples of how people are fighting to hold on to their intellectual property and how others are abusing the intellectual property rights of others.  And, really, why should we care?  This entire discussion aligns nicely with the issues that arise as a result of freedom of speech.  We may not agree with what someone is saying.  Heck, we may be spitting mad, completely disgusted, and vehemently opposed to their ideas.  But, we have to uphold the individual’s right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression.  Because, simply put, if you don’t use it, you lose it.  Similarly, if we do not uphold the individual’s right to own their own intellectual product, we undervalue that product and the time and travail that went into its creation.

There is nothing more frustrating as an on call teacher than seeing students who are ill prepared for the realities of academic life.  I have encountered countless senior students who are unable to properly find, let alone, vet, quote, and cite academic sources.  For some reason students think that if they are offering a presentation, particularly PowerPoint presentation, the usual quotation and citation requirements do not apply.  Students “borrow” freely, usually from various online sources, academic or otherwise, and do not seem to understand the concept of intellectual property.   Students need to understand that by upholding and contributing to the protection of intellectual property rights they are doing something valuable, something honorable.  They are actively and thoughtfully participating in upholding an important system of values.  Not simply the cultural values of the academic world, but also the wider world.  If we as a society no longer fight to protect the sanctity of personal intellectual products, what value do creativity and creation have?

And, so, I am struggling.  I want to do something for my final project that will not only be personally meaningful, instructive, and motivating, but will also be of value to my future school library program and students.  I created a blog last summer that focused on research, writing, and referencing processes and skills.  And, I will admit, it is a dry read.  Which is partially why I would like to upgrade, update, reevaluate what I have created in order to make some much needed changes.  The focus of my group and personal inquiry has been the use of social media in the classroom, so I would love to look for ways to make this project more social and interactive.  Ideally, I would like to have students creating, posting, and curating the content of such a project, but as I have no school, let alone class, to work with that is not an immediate reality.  I can see the value of providing information, and guidance really, about the use of these important processes and skills, but I am not sure how to approach or present the necessary information.

1. Where you were when you started?

I began my journey much like Frodo in the Shire.  I was aware that there was a much wider world out there, but I was pretty confident that I had the best of it, and I was okay right where I was.

I rated myself an 8/10 on the technology comfort scale.  I am a self-taught computer user.  Aren’t we all?  I can figure out just about anything, even dabbling in Ubuntu, with a little time, determination, and a tech forum or two.  I’ll admit, I was a little cocky.  I understood that there are incredible possibilities for the use of ICT in the classroom, and I figured that as soon as I’m at a school with a decent set of computers, I would try it out for myself.  No idea how or what I was going to “try”, but I figured that would also become more clear as the opportunity approached.

Then, as things progressed and we moved through the course content and discussions, I began to feel more like Frodo on his way to Mordor, a little shaky, a little unsure, confidence starting to wane.

I realized there was a whole heck of a lot I did not know.  And, I’ve struggled with the sheer volume of possibility.  Blogs, twitter, Diigo, oh my!  I was overwhelmed.  There is so much to choose from, and even if you wanted to, you could not use it all yourself, let alone in your classroom.  And, a set of working computers became the least of my worries.  But, this is a journey not a hotel stay.  So, I had to keep moving.

As this course has progressed, it has become more and more clear to me that we cannot just use technology for the sake of using technology.  It must be used not as an end in itself but as a means to an end, as a part of a process to help students understand and develop the new literacies that are shaping our world and our ability to be successful in that world.  In my inquiry process, I came across a wonderful article by Henry Jenkins, on behalf of the MacArthur Foundation in the U.S., called Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century.  In this article, participatory culture is described as a culture:

1.With relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2.With strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3.With some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices
4.Where members believe that their contributions matter
5.Where members feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least they care what other people think about what they have created).

(Jenkins, p. 7)

In Jenkins’ view, ”[w]e are moving away from a world in which some produce and many consume media, toward one in which everyone has a more active stake in the culture that is produced” (p. 10).  As I said in my previous blog post on this topic, the “concept or ideal of a participatory culture relates directly to the cultural dimensions of the connected self.  As I see it, that is the self that feels connected to and valued by those they are connected to in the classroom community to which they belong and in which they meaningful participate.  Online participatory culture is the foundation of, inspiration for, practical reality of the connected self.” (me, Blog 1: Connecting Through Participation)

As my personal inquiry continued, I saw the disconnect between these wonderful ideals and the reality of everyday teaching.  There are ministry, district, and union documents dedicated to ICT integration, but few schools are fortunate enough to have a working WiFi connection let alone regular access to a computer lab.  If we are all so passionate about implementing these strategies, something has to change.  And, by the end of week one, I realized that that change had to start with me.  I have to be connected, literate, and motivated.  To quote myself from an earlier post, “[i]t is my professional responsibility and my ethical duty to push forward, so I can prepare my students for the world they will enter.  And, if I am going to be a leader in my school and professional  communities, I need to be not only looking forward but actively moving forward with regards to ICT – resources, devices, and programs.  I need to adapt.” (me, Blog 3: Me, Myself, and I)

2. Where you are now?

Like Frodo, I’ve woken up, the fog has cleared, and I’m grateful to be alive.

As the end of my  journey comes ever nearer, and I approach the last week of class, I’m anticipating the final project with relief and sheer anxiety.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that I cannot know or do everything, but I’m nervously excited about the possibilities of ICT, specifically (for me) the use of social media, in my classroom and future school library program.  This week’s group inquiry project, led me to social media.  I have long wanted to explore the possibilities of connecting students beyond the physical walls of the classroom.  Students feel comfortable online, and they find online communication and connection meaningful (oftentimes inexplicably more so than face to face interaction), so it only makes sense to include this in my classroom practice.  This is an opportunity not only to move beyond the confines of a physical classroom but a chance for students to collaborate, develop their identity and sense of responsibility and accountability as a digital citizen, and learn new literacies and skills that will help them find success.

3. Where you see yourself going?

Much like Frodo, I’ve got a bright future.  I’m going to start small and dream big.

Our discussion of big ideas like sociocultural homeostasis and so forth, made me realize that, “[w]hen we are aware of the effect that the promotion of accepted norms is having on us and our view of what is possible, we are able to develop strategies that will allow us to move beyond expectation and help others to see the benefit of doing the same.” (me, Blog 3: Bringing It All Together)  In line with that, yesterday’s inquiry into developing world libraries was particularly inspiring for me.  I’m intrigued by the idea of having students create their own library collections.  If libraries are going digital, why not get students involved in vetting, organizing, and curating collections of resources that are directly related to their area of inquiry.  If they are doing a project on Louis Riel (because let’s face it, every student across Canada will at one time or another), they could gather government, academic, artistic, etc. resources on the man and the mystery and create something for other students just like them throughout Canada to use in their own research and inquiry.  Students could also create individual or small group micro collections on their personal inquiry topic.   And, they could use blogs, wikis, podcasts, twitter or Facebook to create, collaborate, and publicize their efforts.  These collections could be linked to the online district catalogue or some future, yet undeveloped online library collection dedicated to these kinds of collections.  Like searching outfits on
Polyvore or book lists on Goodreads, students could search, add to, and comment on a collection on Louis Riel.  There are some amazing possibilities here!

The conclusion of it all?  Now, all I need to do is convince my husband to buy me a MacBook.

Works Cited

Jenkins, Henry. “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21stCentury.” The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, n.d. Web. 4 July 2013. <http://fall2010compositions.pbworks.com/f/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.pdf>.

Our in-class inquiry into developing world libraries was inspiring.  In thinking about the digital possibilities of library collections and curation, I started to think about the possibilities for online student created and curated collections.  For example, as a way to share and collect resources, students could vet, compile, and organize sources on any given topic for a class project.  Everyone could connect through a blog, wiki, etc. and each and every student would benefit from the mini collection dedicated to the class inquiry topic.  Students could even do this as a part of an individual inquiry project if everyone’s inquiry topic was connected to a particular era, historical event, author, novel, etc.  Students could also create their own individual collections tied to their personal inquiry topics.  The teacher or teacher-librarian could help moderate, vet, and effectively organize class collections or offer help to students in creating their personal collection.

Digital libraries are the wave of the future, and to get students involved in the creation and use of this incredible resource would be an incredible way to catch that wave.  Not only would it connect students to the incredible amounts of information that are available to them online, but it could be used to help students develop new literacies, an awareness of digital citizenship, copyright, and accountability.  Students would be made responsible for properly vetting and citing any resources they choose to use.  Think how many teachable moments, of the moment or teacher designed, could occur as a result of such a project.  I am so excited by the possibilities.

Students would also be contributing to the world library by creating such a mini collection.  When other students from around the world type in their search for information on the same topic, they could very well alight upon this type of collection, student appropriate, vetted, curated materials.  This would make a fantastic educational website – an online library created by and for students.  I would also be intrigued to see if there is a way to link such websites to the district’s library, so that students could access these collections through their search of the district library catalogue.  There are some incredible possibilities here.  I’m really looking forward to trying some of these ideas out for myself!

Today’s lecture left me with more than one profound thought, foremost of which is simply that WE ARE ALL CONNECTED.  I’ve known this from a very young age.  The Lion King, circle of life theory of things permeated my childhood consciousness in a surprisingly meaningful way.  In my adult life, this intuition has only been strengthened.  I am always keenly aware of how my actions and reactions are received and interpreted by the people around me.  As a result, I am constantly reading people’s faces, words, body language – anything – to gather as much information as possible about how others are feeling. At times, this means that because I am wrapped up in other people’s emotional data, I am less aware of my own emotional state.  Practically, this manifests itself in a kind of emotional forgetfulness.  At times I forget, or perhaps suppress, my own needs and concerns in order to accommodate those of others.

Likewise, in a professional sense, I am very attuned to the impressions of my colleagues.  I now realize that these impressions have had a direct effect on what I have felt able to accomplish.  And, so, the concepts of institutional isomorphism, conservative dynamism and sociocultural homestasis ring very true for me, as do the concepts of autopsiesis, structural coupling, and linguistic cognitive domains we discussed today.  The accepted, the norm, the expected are more often promoted within the school community, perhaps disguised or gussied up with a bit of new technology, because people are more comfortable being comfortable.  There is no certainty in progress. The motivated few know where they want to go, have a plan for how they’re going to get there, but have no idea if that plan is the absolute best way to travel and won’t know until they’ve tested it all out first hand.  And, yet, progress is inevitable.  The school community, as a living organism, must change, it must evolve.  And, it can do this through the relationships, the connections of it’s members and what can be accomplished through their effort, determination, and communication.  When we are aware of the effect that the promotion of accepted norms is having on us and our view of what is possible, we are able to develop strategies that will allow us to move beyond expectation and help others to see the benefit of doing the same. There is incredible potential for revolutionary change in the school system.  Now, where do we begin?  Social media feels like a good place for me to start.

My notes from the end of class wrap-up session read as follows:

– structure of inquiry

– informing relationships with students

– different structures

– encountering static – be aware of how environment influences what you’re capable of doing

Bingo!  What stood out most for me was the incredible truth contained in the final note.  Simply put, your environment will affect what you are capable of doing.  Because even the most motivated, passionate, forward thinking individual is going to find themselves stuck if they are surrounded by naysayers.  A school is a community, and you cannot alter a community without the support of its members.  So the question becomes how can you get people on board, and if not – at first – motivate them to change their own practice, at least make it so they are no longer standing in your way?  The fact of the matter is, there are far too many teachers still working in schools who are very much stuck in their ways.  They have an incredible wealth of experience, but they have been teaching the same courses with the same lesson plans and materials for far too long.  They are too comfortable.  They are stuck.  And, unfortunately, they cannot help but effect the school around them by making change difficult.

Any lifelong learner knows that when you stop challenging yourself, you stop growing as an individual and as a professional.  You become static, and with this comes complacency and a fear of change.  “Well, I’ve  been doing things this way for years, and I can’t see any problem with it.”  If we allow this fear to effect us, we too will be stagnant.  But, fear can be a good thing, a signal that we’re trying something new and worth the potential risk.  If we push past our fears about trying new things and our concerns about making mistakes along the way, we open ourselves up to a world of possibility.

My mother always said that the only person I could control was myself.  It would annoy the life out of me because I wanted other people to get on board, and it was so frustrating to watch people disagree.  But, eventually, I realized that the best way to motivate others to get on board was to lead by example.  If I knew something was going to work, I had to demonstrate that myself, so others could see it and believe it.  Similarly, we cannot control the reactions or actions of our colleagues, but we can lead by example.  And, hopefully, motivate others to follow our lead.

My incredibly capable group…and I decided to focus on how social media for our inquiry topic. We broke this rather large topic down into four inquiry questions: How can social media be used within the classroom, to connect to the world, to teach the new literacies, and safely and responsibly through an appreciation for and meaningful understanding of digital citizenry? Personally, I am interested in the possibilities of connecting within the classroom through various social media platforms. One teacher/blogger, Adam Renfro, identifies the important reasons for incorporating social media into the learning experience. According to Renfro, the sheer quantity and popularity of these kinds of online communication tools is reason enough, and “[t]he more we can make schools seem like the world that exists outside of the 8a.m.-to-3:30p.m. confines, the better.”. In other words, as ever, we have to continue to look for ways to make learning meaningful to our students. And, it would seem that, for whatever reason, facebook and twitter and instagram are meaningful to kids today (if only as a major and arguably unhealthy addiction for some).
But, teachers can use this new media to their advantage. As Renfro points out, “social networking lets you incorporate real-world experiences into your classroom. You can teach students how to collaborate online, adhere to acceptable-use policies, and develop best practices for networking before they stumble through on their own.” Huzzah! So, everyone’s happy. Students can click clack away on their smart phones, iPads, and computers and teachers can sneak the learning in there. It’ll be like hiding vegetables in a pasta sauce, so you’re picky eater gets a little extra nutrition. Students can collaborate and investigate, learn and experiment, and they won’t even know that they’re doing it. Or, at the very least, it will be somewhat less forced and unnatural than sitting down in front of an empty Word document with a book in one hand and a giant case of writer’s block in the other.

Renfro, Adam. ” 8 Social Media Strategies for Your Classroom | Getting Smart.” Think. Learn. Innovate. | Getting Smart. 22 Dec. 2011. Web. 9 July 2013. .