so I guess today was our first official class. We got an introduction to Google Docs, with can be a potentially useful tool for teachers in the classroom. the speed at which information can be updated live from all over the world in staggering, and for something I didn't know existed until the class meeting it is rather intuitive. the ease of using the program can make it possible for younger children to utilize, making it valuable for any level of schooling
Issues dealing with copyright are becoming more and more prevalent due to the ease at which information can be exchanged over the internet. There are obviously problems concerning peer to peer downloading software, but there are also website that contain whole books, and music albums that are not copyrighted. Old editions of classics and old recordings of classical music is readily available for free and it is totally legal.
I grew up during the Napster era, and I will admit that I have done my fair share of music downloading, but i fail to see what the big deal is. More often than not, people will download a few songs off of an album, and if they like it, they will go and buy the actual album. Bands are putting songs up to download as a promos for this same reason. a few years ago the band Radiohead, released their album online for download. all that one had to do to download it was donate whatever they felt necessary, so if you gave one cent, you could still get the whole album. Even with this, the album was one of their most successful. The internet has created a new marketing medium, slowly companies are reallizing its potential, with the digital age however, it is becomeing more and more difficult to monitor the exchange of information, creating a sort of legal gray zone.
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