Why should they be copying and editing DVDs in the classroom, unless it’s a class in the process of doing that?
Sometimes a few lines from a scene of a tv show or movie can illustrate a concept in a humorous or memorable way that makes a lasting impression and brings home the point much better than any textbook explanation possibly could.
Why should teachers be photocopying a few pages or chapters out of a book instead of providing copies of the whole text to students?
The law has always permitted copies to be made in an educational environment.
It can be a documentary, it can be a historical recreation, it can be a reading of shakespeare, it can be a lot of things reference in a lecture.
I think you read the article wrong. The “editing for use in the classroom” means that instead of buying the DVD and copying for use in the classroom (think videotaping a program like National Geographic for the classroom the next day), they are suggesting the teacher buy a video camera, videotape the TV and then show the class.
Which doesn’t make sense because either they have a DVD camcorder (do they even sell the old VHS ones anymore?) or using a digital camcorder and putting it on DVD.
So maybe I’m the one that’s confused.
Did you read it to mean they were actually copying and editing the actual DVD INSIDE the classroom? Because they meant for USE inside the classroom.
My mom, when she was teaching Shakespeare to our homeschool co-op, would try to find a really good production of the play to pass around halfway through the class. When we did “Much Ado About Nothing” she used the really excellent Kenneth Branagh version but had to find someone to edit the video for her to remove two brief scenes with nudity and similar stuff not entirely appropriate for 14 year old homeschool kids.
I could see a similar use in a classroom, maybe, but that’s about it.
Off the top of my head, I'm thinking music and/or video clips for PowerPoint (or similar) projects. Those could easily happen outside a computer class.
As far as my computer teacher was concerned, "educational purpose" always trumped copyright. Legally, this is often true. It looks like they're trying to narrow educational purposes.
(1) Because a 5 hour series on the civil war might contain an hour worth of class material
(2) Because when covering a topic they might want 15 minute snips from different material in one presentation