Children's Literature

Read the biography Shawn Fanning: Napster and the Music Revolution, by Christopher Mitten (80 pages), to the students. The book tells how the teenager wrote the code that provided an easy way to download music. Have students in small groups prepare an argument either for or against the free sharing of music files.

Mathematics

Use fliers to determine costs of favorite CDs. Also, ask students to bring in cases of favorite CDs that are appropriate for the classroom. Ask them to determine the number of songs on each CD they enjoy listening to and whether there are songs on the CDs they don't really care for. Determine the cost of the songs based on the cost of the CD and the number of songs they actually listen to. Compare that with the cost of downloading only the songs they like from a place like the iTunes music store. What is the more cost effective way to buy music?

Technology

Recently, AOL commissioned a report that showed that, "40 per cent of people understand the laws governing music downloads, and just 53 per cent of people would not ban their children from downloading music illegally."

Downloading from Apple's iTunes is perfectly legal. But copying the songs from one iPod to a friend's iPod is illegal. The Recording Industry Association of America has brought legal action against people who illegally swap files or download from illegal sites on the Web. The RIAA contends that downloading and swapping music illegally is just like stealing a CD from a store. There are some music artists who want more exposure. They make their music available to people on their Web sites.

Caution students about the proper way to download music. Sites that charge a fee are usually well established and have music offerings that are legal to download.

Students should be encouraged to visit: http://www.whatsthedownload.com/. After reviewing this site, ask them to develop guidelines for downloading music to their iPods or computers.