Computer Concepts in Action

Unit 4: Word Processing

MUSIC DOWNLOADING: CYBER ETHICS AND COPYRIGHT

Introduction
The Task
Process
Guidance
Resources

Introduction

Your article will help other teens learn about what sources are legal and which are not. So, put on your investigative reporter hat and get ready to investigate the different ways to get music from the Internet legally and safely. Teen World News is waiting for your article.

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The Task

There are many different ways to download music from the Internet. Some music sources allow perfectly legal downloads; other sources are not legal and are no better than shoplifting. Many teenagers may not be sure of the variety of safe and legal ways to get their favorite music. Some may not even realize that downloading a favorite song could be a form of stealing if the song comes from the wrong source. They can even be sued for doing it.

Below is a brief description of each of your tasks as a reporter for this WebQuest:

Task 1: Research
As an investigative reporter, your first task is to gather factual information from different sources
about downloading music from the Internet.

Task 2: Take Notes
Good reporters take detailed notes while they do their research so they can quickly refer to their
notes later.

Task 3: Organize Research
In order to write a well-written article, you know that your next task is to organize your research
findings.

Task 4: Create the Outline
To use your research in a well-organized manner, create an outline. You can use this outline to
write the article.

Task 5: Write the Article
Finally, you will use your notes to write your article using a word processing program, such as
Microsoft Word, to create a two-page paper.

The The Process section below has a detailed description of each activity. Also, the Guidance section has some helpful hints, and the Resource section has useful Web sites for you to use.

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Process

When you write an article based on research, your process can be broken into several steps.

Task 1: Research
A good reporter begins the research using several different sources. If you use only one source, the information you find may be too limited or too slanted in one direction. You may use the URLs in the Resource section below for your research or find ones of your own. You will need to use at least three sites and review the information from each site carefully. When you explore, think about the material you are reading. Ask yourself what the information tells you. Make notes on what you have learned from each source. And remember, it is a form of plagiarism to copy any text directly, unless you say that it is a quote, and cite the source.

As you investigate, answer the following questions.

What is the definition of copyright?
What is the definition of Internet ethics?
Who are the people affected by music downloading: teens, parents, teachers, music industry?
What recommendations could you make about safe and legal downloading?

Task 2: Take Notes
As you acquire information, you will need to make notes on what you find out. If your teacher allows, print the page(s) for your research files. Otherwise, take detailed notes including the site URL, the author, the date you visited the site, and any other information you may find useful. Writing your note topics on index cards is a useful technique for organizing your information. For help on taking notes refer to the Guidance section.

Task 3: Organizing Research
Your notes now need to be organized in a logical sequence. You want the order of your notes to reflect how you plan to write your article. If you have transferred your note topics to index cards, you will find it easy to organize them into three groups:

Opening paragraph
Paragraphs containing details
Conclusion

Task 4: Create the Outline
Once you have grouped your index card notes, you can start building a story outline from them. In a word processing application like Microsoft Word, write a short phrase from each main topic index card, in the order that you have arranged.

Then, write a sentence outline for your article based on each of your topics. For example, under the main topic for Music Download sites your sentence outline might say, “There are different kinds of music download sites including subscription services and others which may be illegal.” (This is an example only. Do not use it in your article.)

When you are satisfied with your outline, fill in the information you found for each outline sentence.

Task 5: Write the Article
Finally, it’s time to get writing. Good writers usually begin with a first draft. Then they carefully review their own work, and revise their work into a final draft. The article should cite your sources of information to prove to Teen Age News that you are an honest and reliable reporter. Also be sure to spell check and proofread your work to show that you are accurate and professional.

Write your first draft using the following structure:

Paragraph 1: The Opening Paragraph
This should be an overview description for your article. In newspaper articles, the opening paragraph contains the 5 Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

Who is affected by music downloading: Teens, parents, teachers, and the music industry are all affected.
What are some problems regarding music downloading? Describe the problem, i.e., teens are downloading music illegally.
Where it takes place: The Internet.
Why it is a problem: Teenagers think that it is okay to download anything. List other items you think make it a problem
When: Now.

Here is an example of an opening paragraph:

Parents and teachers are troubled by the lack of information on safe music downloading. Teens downloading music illegally from the Internet think it is okay. (This is an example only. Do not use it in your article)

Paragraph 2: Description of types of download sites

These can include subscription services such as pay per tune, legally free download sites, and peer-to-peer file sharing sites which may or may not be legal.

Paragraph 3: Descriptions of specific download sites

Describe sites such as Apple iTunes and RealPlayer.

Paragraph 4: Consequences of downloading music illegally

Use as many paragraphs as you need to communicate your observations successfully. If you wish, you may download a graphic for your article using one of the free sites listed in Resources.

Paragraph 5: The Closing Paragraph

This should summarize your article and make recommendations to your fellow students.

Works Cited

Include a separate Works Cited page for your sources.

When you finish your draft, write the final paper. Read it carefully and make sure you have cited all your sources. Edit, revise, and proofread until you are satisfied that it is the best you can do.

Formatting Requirements:

Format your article as a Multi-Page Report, MLA style. See p. 495 of Appendix D of Computer Concepts in Action.

Include your name, title of the article, and date on the first page of the article.

List your sources on a Works Cited page at the end of the article.

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Guidance

FYI: For Your Information

Digital copyrights
Copyright protects authorship of original works. When you access the Web, you are dealing with many different kinds of objects. Music, photographs, drawings, as well as text, are all covered by copyright.

Peer-to-peer download sites
There are several sites that offer free digital materials including music. However, it is not always clear on some of these sites which music is actually free and which has a copyright restriction. Pay-per-tune sites like Apple iTunes and RealPlayer allow you to download music for a small fee (99¢ per song).

Organizing your research on note cards
When writing a research paper, it is a good idea to put your notes on index cards. Use a different index card for each item. That way, when you start your outline, you can shuffle the cards to organize them into a logical arrangement.

TIP: Start out with a card listing each of the 5 Ws described above: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. On the “Who” card, list all the items you find that pertain to the topic “Who.” You may find that there is more than one item for “Who.” For example, you may want a “Who” card for Music Companies and another “Who” card for Teens. When you do your research, you may want an additional card for Types of Download sites.

Figure 1: The 5 Ws on Note Cards

CAUTION: Be sure that you fill out a separate card for each new topic. If there are many entries for a single topic, fill out a separate card for each subtopic. For example, under Download Sites, you will describe the different types of sites. Your subtopic would include examples of music download sites like iTunes and RealPlayer.

Figure 2: Subtopics on Note Cards

Read your notes, and shuffle them into a logical first draft outline. Your first paragraph should include a brief summary for the 5 Ws:

Figure 3: Opening Paragraph

Write topic sentences for each paragraph

Write a topic sentence outline for your opening paragraph. The following example should give you an idea of how to structure your sentence outline for the opening paragraph.

Who: Parents, Teachers, Teens, and Music Entertainment companies
What: are confronting a new problem
Where: with Internet music download sites.
When: This current problem exists
Why: because it is so easy that many teens don’t realize that it is stealing.

Using these 5 Ws, it is easy to create an opening paragraph. The topic sentence for your opening paragraph could read: “Parents, teachers, teens, and music entertainment companies are confronting a new problem with Internet music download sites.” The second topic sentence could read: “This problem exists because it is so easy that many teens do not realize that it is a crime.”

Your second paragraph could amplify the “Why” in your opening paragraph: For example, the topic sentence could read: “Downloading can be a serious problem because it is so easy that teens don’t realize that it is stealing.”

The third paragraph describes music download sites. An example of a topic sentence outline for the third paragraph might be “There are several different kinds of download sites for music.”

When you are satisfied with the sentence outlines for each of your major topics, fill in with the additional information you found.

Caution!

Many sites require that you be over 18 or that you have written parental permission in order to register. Please be careful while you are surfing the Web!

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Resources

Internet Safety, Help and Education: Law and Copyrights
This is a discussion of copyright law written for teens.

Pro-Music.org
This site, sponsored by the music industry, presents information about music piracy.

DiscoverySchool.com
The Discovery Channel offers up to 10 free pieces of clip art for non-profit purposes. Read their Permission to Use Clip Art for more information

Cyberbee.com
This interactive Flash animation is for younger students, but it is informative and fun to look at for older viewers.

To search for more information on the Web go to Google
or another search site. Try the keywords “free legal music download” to search for sources.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing your investigative report on music downloading and cyber ethics. Your fellow teens now know where they can get music for free or low cost without breaking the law. You have helped inform them about what is legal and what is illegal when downloading music or other media. In the process, you have helped them to become better cyber citizens.