Copyright and Fair Use Practices

I would have never known that there are so many regulations to follow in order to comply with Copyright and Fair Use laws. Many times, addressing a number of different aspects of the material that you are using can tell you whether or not you are allowed to use it as you would. Examining the material's purpose, nature, amount, and effect can show you how far you might be able to take the information. One thing that can be used to determine whether or not Copyright or Fair Use laws are being broken depends on whether price or profit is being affected. It is interesting to note that the use of materials in the classroom, for specifically educational purposes, is for the most part legal where other areas might not be.
This topic seems very split to me. It seems that one half of the argument is based on information about Copyright and Fair Use that is pretty abstract and unknown, and frankly disturbing. I can say that I myself, as a student teacher, have been in at least a few situations where I might be breaking Copyright or Fair Use regulations. However, the other half of the argument seems rather rudimentary and simple. Covering some of the elements of the material in areas such as commercial activity, "bad-faith behavior", or the denial of credit to the original author or creator. Common sense dictates half of this topic whereas abstract laws and regulations dictate the other half. This strange dichotomy makes it all the more difficult for me to firmly grasp the material. I feel that, in the future, I won't feel comfortable with using outside materials in my classroom without fervently checking for its legality.
The end of today's discussion, covering internet safety, is incredibly important in the classroom. Again, I can attest to the need for teachers to monitor their student's internet habits. This represents one area within teaching and education where the teacher can easily be implicated for wrongdoing when they may not think that they did anything wrong. Ignorance towards the dangers of the internet can end in very severe consequences. It is important for teachers and students alike to take their internet use wisely to foster a more scholarly aspect of educational technology and learning.