Safety & Ethics in Cyberspace
Ethics & Copyright Issues
Please - mind your manners and don't
steal other people's stuff!
It seems so simple. The Internet is free, easy to
use, open 24 hours a day and has everything you need
for school and personal entertainment: research materials,
term papers, software, music, and videos to download.
CDs are simple to duplicate and give to your friends,
and your cell phone keeps you in touch with them in
and out of class.
So, what is the problem? Just because something is
available and easy does not make it legal or right.
- Downloading or copying software, music or other
media and not paying for it is no different than
shoplifting.
- Copying information from a web site or printed
material and pretending it is yours is plagiarism.
- Cheating is unethical whether you write on your
hand or text message during a test.
A national survey published in Education
Week found that 54% of students admitted to plagiarizing
from the Internet; 74% of students admitted that
at least once during the past school year they had
engaged in "serious" cheating; and 47%
of students believe their teachers sometimes choose
to ignore students who are cheating.
Copyright violations
It is expected that all Boise School District staff
and students will comply with copyright and fair use
laws. There are numerous excellent resources available
to answer your questions about the laws. A few of the
best are listed on our Resources page.
Be sure a get this chart
covering the basics of copyright and fair use
guidelines for teachers that you can copy and distribute
as needed (courtesy of TechLearning.com)
Areas of copyright concerns:
- Plagiarism in homework, research, and academic
projects
Plagiarism: To steal and pass off (the ideas
or words of another) as one's own; use (another's
production) without crediting the source; to
commit literary theft; present as new and original
an idea or product derived from an existing source.
(Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary)
Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. Proper credit and citation must
be given whenever material is copied and/or paraphrased.
- Software and media copying/piracy
A person who copies CDs, does not pay for shareware,
or shares MP3 files or software with friends
is stealing property. While this person might
never consider shoplifting or burglary, there
really is no moral, ethical or economic difference
between the theft of intellectual property and
that of physical property.
Economic losses due to copying and piracy are
enormous. Artists and creators lose income, governments
lose tax revenues and all consumers eventually
get less variety and choice. Prices rise for
those who do pay to compensate for the theft
by those who do not.
What parents & teachers can do:
- Set and enforce high standards of ethical behavior
at home, at school and in the community.
- Talk about ownership of intellectual property and
make the ethical/moral connection to theft of physical
property.
- Set a good example by not violating copyright laws.
- Check the computers your children and students
use for new software, media files and music on a
regular basis.
Cheating during tests
How it's done:
Mind your manners, please!
- Be a good cybercitizen - be polite and considerate
on the web and on your phone.
- How to keep your elbows off the Internet table
and avoid annoying your cyberspace friends - check
out our "Netiquette" links on the Resources page.
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Ethics & Copyright 
