Dr Hayleigh Bosher, a former IPAN Director,
has contributed to a creative educational resource to enable teachers to bring copyright into the classroom, launched yesterday by the UK Intellectual Property Office on their Cracking Ideas website. The Game is On is a highly creative, educational resource that introduces students to UK copyright law through short films, case files and includes guidance for teachers. The resources are free to access, users just need to sign up.
The resources originally formed part of CopyrightUser.org, an online copyright resource providing copyright educational material aimed at creators and the general public, Hayleigh was part of the founding team whilst at the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) Bournemouth University. The project started with a Bournemouth University Fusion Fund in 2012 led by Kris Erikson, Dinusha Mendis and Martin Kretshmer. Copyrightuser was publicly launched at the Law Society of England and Wales in July 2013. Further funding was awarded from AHRC by CREATe in 2013, led by Dinusha Mendis and Julian McDougall.
The online educational resource began by providing educational tools for creators and the general public, with Bartolomeo Melitti and Hayleigh producing videos of creators discussing copyright and focusing on commonly asked questions. One of Hayleigh’s favourite parts, was looking at data of questions asked about copyright by the general public in order to set out the most frequently asked questions. She also used this data to assertaint the most common myths from the incorrect answers provided by users, which were developed into the Myth/Reality cards.
The next phase of the project focused on creating educational materials for schools with the Contemporary Media Regulation: A Case Study in Copyright Law; an educational web resource which specifically addressed A Level Media Studies, authored by Hayleigh and Professor Dinusha Mendis.
More recently, the copyrightuser team produced ‘The Game is On!’ series. The videos are written and directed by Ronan Deazley and Bartolomeo Meletti, animation by Marco Bagni, illustration by Ilaria Urbinati, character Design by Davide Bonazzi and music from Sarc:o. The videos are accompanied by case files written by Hayleigh, Dinusha Mendis, Megan Rae Blakely, Andrea Wallace, Daithí Mac Síthigh, Claudy Op Den Kamp and Mathilde Pavis.
The Game is On! is a series of short animated films that put copyright and creativity under the magnifying glass of Sherlock Holmes
It provides research-led and open access resource for teachers and students, enabling learning of key principles and ideas underpinning copyright law, creativity, and the limits of lawful appropriation and reuse. Each episode is accompanied by Case Files, 33 in total, offering educational materials that suggest points of discussion about copyright and explore a wide range of issues relating to core aspects of copyright law.
The UK IPO has published, on its Cracking Ideas website 6 of the animated films, together with annotations, case files and teaching notes, as well as guides to copyright law, and curriculum links. The teaching notes includes learning aims, key questions, suggested activities such as developing and pitching ideas for a TV or film production, negotiating a commercial contract, or organising a mock trial, to support teachers in utilising the tools in the classroom. The resources are designed for pupils aged 11-18, enabling the development of core thinking skills and teaching activities across a range of subjects, including English Language and Literacy, Media, Art and Law.