For Module 4, we explored the somewhat cantankerous relationship between intellectual property and its role in the classroom. Copyright will be an ever-present entitiy in the modern teachers classroom. So what is copyright? Copyright is the grant of proprietary rights on the expression of ideas and is automatically given upon creation of a work, weather it be a literary, dramatic, artistic or musical work and protects how this work will be used -- ie. produced and/or reproduced. Introduced in 1921, the Canadian Copyright Act stated rather stringent terms that constricted educators use. For example, If a teacher wanted to use a video in her classroom for educational/training purposes, he or she had to have purchased the public performance rights to that video (and these are not cheap!). 81 years later, in 2012, the Copyright Act was ammended. Bill C-11 included a fair dealing exception for educational use whereby teachers can now use materials that are publically available on the internet for classroom use and distance learning. Further, educators can use cinematographic works (i.e. DVDs of tv shows and movies) and reproduction of works (plays and musical works) in the classroom as well. However, teachers are NOT exempt from circumventing digital locks or any sites 'terms of use' agreement.