In an article titled California tying education tech grants to copyright education,
Ken “Caesar” Fisher writes:
Legislation is being considered in California that would see the state’s educational technology grant program tethered to requirements for teaching copyright law to students. Introduced nearly a year ago, AB 307 would amend section 51871.5 of the Californian Education Code to include new preconditions for public schools applying for funding under the oversight of the California Technology Assistance Project. The project is designed to provide a network of technical assistance to schools and their districts in implementing education technology as determined by the Californian State Board of Education.
The state of California is in a unique position since a large portion of the content creation industry is based within it’s borders. I can understand a bit of protectionism considering there are real jobs on the line, however, only telling one side of the copyright story is a bit over the top. The folks caught in the middle are schools who require funding for technology to teach kids. Wouldn’t the state care more about getting children educated then getting them to stop listening to stolen music? If a school district decides that they can not tolerate the content industry dictating the curriculum, should the children be left ignorant on other subjects?
I wonder if the costs associated with copyright education
come from additional money attached to the grants, or if the schools and districts are footing the bill. Unless the content creation industry is providing direct financial assistance, legislation like this diverts money away from programs which educate our youth. It seems that teaching law
as part of a curriculum should be somewhat more inclusive then:
… “ethical behavior in regards to the use of information technology,” “the concept, purpose, and significance of a copyright,” and “the implications of illegal peer-to-peer network file sharing.”
Peer-to-peer (p2p) network file sharing has nothing to do with copyright. While there are those who use p2p in activities which infringe on copyright, it’s hardly the only mode for moving files around. The RIAA and the MPAA act like they are the only entities in the world who create content, and they believe that they are the only people with something to loose. To them I ask:
- What about class size?
- What about transient students or English as a second language (ESL) students?
- What about students living in depressed areas where computers in the home are rare?
- How much burden should young students bear to maintain existence of your businesses?
California’s technology industries were created by really smart, creative, and educated individuals. People with those characteristics are rare, and the content creation industries want to spend money protecting dead technology. I would rather see it spent assisting someone with the next big idea.
Tags: California, Copyright, MPAA, RIAA
