Digital Citizenship, Ethics, and Safety
Core content
Know copyright fundamentals: ideas are not protected, expression is; protection is automatic at fixation; understand duration and public domain, plus Creative Commons layers (BY attribution, NC noncommercial, SA share-alike, ND no derivatives) and the fact that CC licenses never remove the need for attribution. Fair use is a four-factor balancing test: purpose and character (transformative, nonprofit educational), nature of the work (factual vs creative), amount used, and effect on the market. Distinguish attribution from permission.
Know the scope of privacy law: FERPA covers education records and parent/eligible-student access; COPPA governs commercial online services collecting data from children under 13 and requires verifiable parental consent; CIPA conditions E-rate funding on filtering and an internet safety policy. Safety topics: digital footprint, cyberbullying, netiquette, phishing and social engineering, malware types, strong passphrases and multi-factor authentication, device and data security, the digital divide, and accessibility under ADA/Section 508.
Traps to expect
"Educational use" is not automatically fair use; fair use is a defense applied case by case, never a blanket rule. COPPA applies to commercial operators, not the school's own recordkeeping-that is FERPA territory. CIPA is tied to funding. A public-domain work needs no permission, but a CC BY work still needs attribution. Posting student photos, work, or grades raises consent and FERPA issues even on a "closed" platform. Copying an entire out-of-print workbook still fails the amount and market factors.
Worked example
A teacher wants to post a scanned textbook chapter. Test it: purpose (nonprofit classroom-favors use), nature (textbook is creative-against), amount (entire chapter-against), market effect (substitutes for purchase-against). Three factors weigh against; use a short excerpt with commentary or a licensed/OER alternative. Rule of thumb: if your use could replace someone's purchase, stop and get permission.