Center for Social Media to Co-Release New Report: Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy, Sept. 25

AU Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property; Center for Social Media; Temple University; Indiana University School of Law to Release New Report: Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy, Sept. 25

Contact: AU WCL Office of Public Relations, 202-274-4279

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 17, 2007) - Media literacy educators rely on the ability to use copyrighted materials in their teaching. But ignorance about copyright, and particularly a lack of awareness of the fair use provision, interferes with the ability to teach important critical thinking and communication skills that enable teachers to promote digital learning. Professors Renee Hobbs of Temple University; Peter Jaszi of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at American University Washington College of Law and Pat Aufderheide of the Center for Social Media in the School of Communication at American University will release a new report, The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy. The event will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, in Room 603 of American University Washington College of Law, 4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW.

Participants will include high school teachers affected by copyright regulations, representatives from the media literacy movement, and leading legal scholars in the area of copyright, fair use, and education. Panelists will explore such issues as what teachers know (and don't know) about copyright?; how copyright confusion can limit the quality of student learning?; effective solutions?


Panel to discuss the findings of the report:

• Renee Hobbs, professor, Temple University
• Peter Jaszi, director of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and professor of law, AU Washington College of Law
• Pat Aufderheide, director of the Center for Social Media and professor, School of Communication, American University
• Kenneth Crews, legal scholar at Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis; author of Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators

Following the panel, others will discuss the meaning of the report for their organizations and work:

• Dale Allender, Associate Executive Director of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the leading professional membership organization for English language arts educators.
• Shay Taylor, media teacher at Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Maryland.
• Karen Zill, on the board of directors of the Alliance for a Media Literate American (AMLA), the national membership organization for media literacy

The event will be webcast at http://www.wcl.american.edu/go/medialit. To register, visit, http://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/cle_form.cfm or email pijip@wcl.american.edu. For other media assistance, contact Kathy Thompson, AU WCL Public Relations, 202-274-4279; Cell Phone: 703-855-5556; or E-mail: kthomp@WCL.american.edu.

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