California tying education tech grants to copyright education

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.

Schools that wish to apply for grants will need to demonstrate that they have a plan to educate their students in three areas: the "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."

The bill is the brainchild of California Assemblyman Ed Chavez, who decided that such legislation was needed after observing studies that show that the largest groups of P2P users are teens and people in their 20s.

"This activity has resulted in multi-billion dollar losses to the content industries in California particularly the music and filmed entertainment industries," according to a comment from Chavez's office. "When computers at public schools and college campuses are used for illegal file sharing, precious and costly bandwidth is consumed resulting in increased costs to taxpayers. An educational program targeted at students could help stem this activity. Many students, teachers, and parents do not realize that downloading a copyrighted song or film over the Internet is illegal and no different than stealing a CD or DVD from a retail store."

Assemblyman Chavez's office also indicated that the MPAA has formally supported the bill, and the RIAA is also a backer. Citing a Pew Internet and American Life Project report, the Assemblyman's office indicated that they are concerned about Americans' "dismissive" views on copyright.

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Education, and few expect it to meet much resistance on its path to becoming a law. Should it pass, the Visual and Performing Arts Framework for California Public Schools will be used to determine the content of the teaching.

Propaganda or power to the people?

School districts around the country are considering their own educational efforts as they relate to technology, although most are grappling with more basic issues such as access to computing technology, training, and making technology relevant to education. Nevertheless, educators and politicians are starting to understand that the educational environment is an ideal setting for educating students about copyright law, but there are no shortage of concerns regarding what that education will entail. While stopping unbridled P2P usage is at the top of most curricula, fair use isn't.

A case in point is the MPAA's public education effort on their own site. The industry association once hosted a FAQ for DVD usage, but many believe that it was so riddled with errors and misstatements that the MPAA simply removed the FAQ. The MPAA, for instance, had described the DMCA as being designed to implement World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaties, when the DMCA in fact goes far, far beyond anything required by the WIPO treaties in question (treaties that have not yet been fully honored or ratified by most other nations). Such matters may seem minor, but to many educators, they're anything but.

Other the other hand, many parents and politicians are more concerned with results than methodology, especially in this age of lawsuits aimed at fire sharers. In their view, an educational program, even if it is biased in the direction of the entertainment industry, is better than nothing at all.