Case+11-+Ms.+Villamil's+Math+Textbooks


 * Ms. Villamil’s Case Study**

Ms. Villamil is a mathematics teacher who teaches a 9th grade Algebra 1 class. She believes that the section on the “distributive property” is not clearly explained in the assigned textbook. The school has faced a budget cut and she was not granted the classroom set of new textbooks that she had hoped for. She decides to purchase a mathematics textbook from a website called coolmath.com. She makes class copies of a page that provides adequate practice of this section. She limits her copies to 15 so that each pair receives one copy. At the end of the worksheet, she provides a reference acknowledging the author and publisher of this source. Ms. Villamil decided to make copies of the textbook for this section only. The rest of the material will be taken from her student’s original textbook. While she has purchased the book, Ms. Villamil is not sure if she has followed the guidelines for fair use of copyright.


 * Commentary**

After analyzing the rules of copyright use, we can focus on Ms. Villamil’s use of resources for educational purposes. She is clearly using the material in order to enhance her lesson on the “distributive property”. Fair use of copyright includes limiting the number of copies that are distributed in the classroom. Ms. Villamil only makes 15 copies which supports the guidelines of copyright use. In addition, the material is lawfully purchased on the website. Ms. Villamil also makes copies of a section of the book instead of photocopying the entire book. Therefore, it does not affect the author’s sales or revenue. Finally, she takes the time to provide a reference (at the end of the worksheet) that acknowledges the author and publisher. Students are informed about where the copies came from. In conclusion, Ms. Villamil has legally followed the rules for the Fair Use of copyright.