Sorry, I had to do it.  Since this is my last blog for this class, I decided I needed to lighten the mood by adding an “Office” clip.  First off, I’d like to discuss my topic.  Although I believe that academic honesty is something I will need to be cautious of, I do not believe that using programs like TurnItIn.com is the answer to the problem.  I understand that the internet has given students more opportunities to use other’s work as their own, but I am going to try a different approach to the problem.  I believe that I need to communicate effectively with my students in order to create a positive atmosphere within the classroom.  I will teach the students the correct way to cite information and gather sources for research papers or get ideas for other papers, but I will stress to them that I am interested mostly in seeing individual growth within their writing and maximum effort within their papers.  I want them to take risks with their thesis statements and try to defend different positions that THEY believe in.  If there seems to be a problem with cheating in the class, I will ask the students what they believe I should do, what the school board expects me to do, and what I believe should happen.  By communicating with my students effectively, I hope to gain respect for them as they gain respect for me.  In my opinion, communication is key (haha ironic that it’s coming from a person that never seems to talk,  huh?).  Anyways, I have learned a great deal from this experience by reading numerous articles and your responses.  I want to thank all of you for your comments to my blogs which have helped me learn more about my topic and my options.  I appreciate the time you have taken to read my responses and I hope I have sparked some interest in you.  I have also learned that I am a bit intimidated by teaching now because I have never realized how much impact our teaching has on our students.  I hope through personal growth and learning, I can better prepare myself for the challenges of the future in order to become an effective teacher that encourages hard work and learning.  I have learned a great deal about the problems within the education system within America and the different perspectives on how to fix these issues.  I have found this blogging experience very fulfilling.  Not only have I been able to share my opinion with you, but I have been able to hear your opinions about my blogs and your topics.  I hope that this blogging continues between all of us because I feel like we can all learn from each other as our lives progress into teaching careers.  Through these blogs, we can share individual experiences about students or educational problems and attempt to help each other face the challenges we have discussed this semester.  Once again, I’d like to thank you all for your time and responses, and I hope I was able to stimulate your mind as you did mine.

Matt

Another program I was interested in was the SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard.  I found this use of technology very beneficial because a teacher can prepare notes for students using PowerPoint, then continue writing notes on the saved documents using the whiteboard and save these extra notes for further classes.  I also thought this could be helpful in the classroom setting because teachers can have numerous students brainstorm on the board for English classes.  After students have completed writing their ideas on the Interactive Whiteboard, the teacher can save the document and print out copies for every student, combining everyone’s ideas together and helping students keep organized notes.  I am interested in exploring this technology further in order to see what other features I could possibly use in the classroom to encourage learning.

From a coaching perspective, the Technology Applications in the Physical Education Classroom information was helpful because it showed how to be an effective coach and run efficient practices.  For example, the professor explained to us that she videotaped practices in order to watch how much time was spent simply standing around versus actual physical exertion.  This helps because the coach can then bring attention to the team that everyone must work hard in order to compete at a high level and then the coach must take responsibility by encorporating everyone into the practice.  The professor also explained to us a system for rating our own teaching in percentages of time spent instructing, time spent with students not participating, time students discuss and are active in class, etc.  Although she was focused on physical education, she explained that we could also us her system within an English class in order to promote efficiency within the classroom.

The last use of technology I want to discuss was a clicker.  Although I could understand how these could be useful in a classroom where information retention was important, for an English class, I had a difficult time seeing how these could be used within an English class without driving students into closed-ended questions and regurgitation of book information.  Maybe, if the PowerPoint questions were more open-ended and students were asked to discuss their answers after seeing how the class responded, that could be useful.  Overall, this technology fair was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot.  I hope the school I teach at has the budget for some of these items, but if not, maybe I’ll just have to come up with some sort of new radical idea to encourage learning.

Censorship at the Collegiate Level?

Manly

Failing Schools See a Solution in Longer Day . . .

Is Huck Finn Going Down the River?

Since When Are Scientific Terms Dirty?

Is Illiteracy in Our Future?

Breaking the Stereotype

Buggers and Farts

“We’re not against rap, we’re not against rappers . . .” – Bone Thugs & Harmony

First, I believe students should have confidence in their writing.  When a student one day turns a paper into me, I want the student to believe in their work and effort.  If I’m not teaching my students to have confidence in their own work, I would feel like a failure as a teacher.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want my students to cheat and lie to me and feel confident about that.  I personally don’t believe that this teacher described in the article is really helping her students. 

Secondly, I feel that these children are being brainwashed in a strange sense.  I can visualize the teacher telling the students, “This is for your own good to stop you from cheating.  Plagiarism is like stealing, and stealing is wrong so you will be punished severely for copying work that is not yours.”  So rather than students actually understanding what plagiarism ISN’T (hence the fear of being caught even when submitting ORIGINAL work), the teacher focuses on punishment which strikes fear into the students.  For instance, Morgan says, “I wish that the first time she could show us where it looks like it could be (plagiarism).”  Even if the teacher is educating the students on how to cite, she is not effective in her techniques because the students continue to feel discomfort and anxiety after completing original work.  Maybe I’m in one of those critical moods right now, but I just really have difficulty understanding how a teacher can feel he/she is successful if his/her students fear prosecution for their work and efforts.  Your thoughts?

Thou Shalt Not Steal . . . Term Papers

by Oseye Boyd

April 9, 2007

If you’ve had a book to read that you really didn’t want to read, something long and boring that you had absolutely no interest in save the fact that the subsequent report or essay due on Chapter 32 of that book is due in a week and your grade depends on it, there is a way to get around it. And it’s not cheating (at least not technically).

Personally, I want to be surprised by this attitude toward reading but I am not surprised because students have always tried to find ways to complete work without actually putting effort forth.  As I read through this article, I was frustrated with the blogger’s opinion but when I reread the blog, the idea that really stands out to me is that the authors opinion is real and blunt.  Students will attend to get out of working on assignments, and as one commenter on my last blog stated, cheating is for lazy students.  At first, I was taken aback from this statement because I have cheated in the past because I was afraid to receive a bad grade - bringing down my GPA – but laziness probably is the biggest factor. 

The article discusses the fact that students are “skipping an assignment that was designed to grow [their] intellect…But, hey if [their] intent on ignoring all of that and are really busy all week and just don’t have the time to read the book, then let’s move and look at [their] options.”  Students are busy with different assignments from different teachers, but they are missing their opportunity to expand their minds.  Alright, confession time, once again.  I have used Sparknotes to help me read a difficult novel, but a couple times, I have only read Sparknotes rather than the novel.  I know I missed out on actually experiencing the book but when reading specific novels, I would become disinterested because the professor did not introduce the novel well.  I do accept blame though, if any of you want to rip me apart.  I do think some teachers just hand out a novel though and say “read chapters one through twenty” without any enthusiasm, which makes it difficult for students to then express interest in the novel.

The article describes five different options for students to pursue…Sparknotes, movies, Amazon search, Google Scholar search, and misdirection (for essay writing).  The author gives students many opportunities to escape reading a novel, but although we can criticize the author, what is the point?  The problem isn’t the options that students have to escape working, but rather, the students individual drive to participate in the learning experience.  You should read the entire article if you’re interested and let me know your opinion. 

When All Else Fails, Find a Shortcut

By The Unemployed Writer

February 7, 2007

In 2004, an ABCNEWS Primetime nation-wide poll of 504 12 to 17 year olds revealed seven out of 10 youth said kids cheat on tests; six out of 10 have friends who have cheated; and one in three admit they have cheated.

O.K., I’ll admit that when I was in high school, I cheated on certain tests and assignments.  I know the decisions I made were immature, but back then, I did not see my decisions as immoral.  I justified my actions by saying that the pressure to receive good grades exceeded the risk of actually taking a test and learning something.  I understand how diluted this justification is, but I don’t think I am the only student that has ever felt this way.  In the article, several students were interviewed for their opinions.  One student said, “‘. . .cheating – it’s not right – but it helps kids to get into colleges they want and to succeed in whatever they want to go into.  I wouldn’t say it’s totally wrong, but it is wrong.’”  A different student states that, “‘I know it’s the easy way out.  But, I think personally the stuff that we learn in school you don’t ever use in the work place.’”  Clearly, there is a problem here.  This even seems to incorporate the discussion in class about students being trained in only certain areas in order to prepare them for work rather than teaching a wide variety of subjects that may be uninteresting in their perspective.  Like I said in class, although we as future teachers will strive to motivate students into reading/English, some students would rather cheat to save a grade than actually learn (NOT stereotypical, but realistic).  Students feel so much pressure today to get into good colleges in order to have a successful future that it seems like it doesn’t matter what they have to do in order to get there.  This idea is not surprising though, when looking at the dishonesty in the workplace, or specifically in business world, among adults.

One professor from Novi High School, Jim Didio, discusses the use of an online program that deters cheating:

The program, called LON-CAPA (learning on line, computer-assisted personalized approach) allows students to take tests and collaborate on homework assignments online, but each student has an individual set of questions.

This program sounds very beneficial because it encourages students to communicate and learn without being able to directly copy responses of their peers.  Didio claims to be able to teach more in class rather than focus on the actual homework assignment collection.  This does seem like a good program, but I have a couple concerns.  Not every student is able to access a computer or the internet from home so this may create issues for some.  Another problem that could occur is the teacher setting the pace of the class too fast.  Teachers might forget to ask if students had problems with the homework or may not give students the chance to voice difficulties they are having because the teacher is too focused on moving the class forward.  Students that aren’t able to catch up will lose interest.  If a teacher does review the problems for students, since students will have different answers,the teacher will have to generalize the online questions in order to answer the entire classroom at once.  For example, in math, teachers would have to focus on basic questions than more complex questions in order to save time in class. 

Overall, cheating is a major problem because many students will continue doing it even if they believe it is wrong.  The article concludes by discussing that cheating will probably continue into college if students are not caught because there is still a great deal of pressure.  So between this post and my last post, what do you believe a solution could be?  It seems that everything a teacher may try does have a downside, so is there a correct answer?  Can a change even be made?

Pressured to Succeed: Students Think Cheating is a Way to Make the Grade

by Renee Gates

February 22, 2007

I believe that I would consider sending my children to a free school due to the experiences I have had in the past.  I have always done my best work when the subject really interests me and I am able to learn even more about the specific subject, for instance, this blogging assignment (although you may believe it is not my best work) really sparks my interest which is why I engage in it with more enthusiasm rather than learning scientific theories or mathematical equations.  The school also promotes students to take responsibility for their own education and, in turn, their futures.  In many cases, I think that students are forced into learning information that is retained for a test but never really used later in life due to the student not understanding the subject’s importance.  I do believe math, science, etc. are important subjects for children to learn for general knowledge later in life, but students are learning very important life lessons and are given choices and must try to decide things for themselves rather than be forced into situations:

At the Brooklyn Free School, much of that decision-making occurs in a  mandatory weekly gathering — yes, the school does require some things — where students air grievances, pose challenges, propose rules and set policy. Even the youngest kids have an equal vote.

Students are given the opportunity to actively participate in big decisions and I feel that giving children a voice at an early age is important.  There is a great responsibility of the parents to explain to their children that receiving an education is important and responsibility is a main aspect to success and not allow their children to take advantage of the system.  Since I do not have kids, my opinion may change as I age and understand the responsibility of having children, but I think allowing young people have some control of his/her life will help in the long run.  I’d actually like to know if these students tend to rebel against their parents less (due to their ongoing freedoms) and if they have successful college experiences or success in a career (due to responsibility vs. freedom).

One person in the article argues that some children do not take the school very seriously, and that the children may not be very well prepared later in life for college or work.  Although I do believe work is very structured, college does allow freedom that some students are not able to handle when entering from a structured school.  For instance, the freedom to be absent is taken advantage of because students were forced into classrooms their entire lives, and others cannot grasp the responsibility of being an individual within the real world.  I’ve never really thought about these free schools in much depth until now, but they really seem like they would be beneficial for children in order to escape the forceful nature of regular schools and give them the ability to make decisions and understand responsibility.  What do you think of free schools? Good idea or bad?

No Tests, No Homework

Associated Press

February 12, 2007

So, along with the discussions about censorship in literature, this movie has many interesting perspectives about what is deemed appropriate for certain viewers to watch, especially for teenagers.  I really don’t want to give away too much from the movie because I feel if you are actually interested in this overall topic, it would be worth it to see the movie rather than read my perception of it.  The movie does a great job of discussing violence in movies versus sex and how sex is restricted more than violent scenes.  When I think about the violence used in film, I wonder if the tables were reversed (sex being less restricted and violence being more — like the film says is the case in Europe) how our culture would be different today.  Not to really go on a rant about the problems in our society, but no one can really ignore the fact that the average age for young people to begin sexual activity has lowered dramatically.  Maybe all the restrictiveness that sex is treated with in American culture has become more harmful in our society by causing more curiosity and/or fascination?  I’m not saying that sex should be shown rampantly to young children, but treating sex like something that should be secretive and dangerous may lead children to participate in it more often due to rebellion.  The film also discusses the language in films, which I thought was funny when reading the article in class with “26 G.D.’s” and S.O.B.’s.  The violence issues brought up in the movie are interesting also in which characters can use guns and shoot tons of people (James Bond, etc.) but since there is no blood, only a PG-13 rating gets slapped on it, rather than having young people actually see the horrible outcomes of gun shot wounds like in Saving Private Ryan.  Once again, I am not saying children should be able to watch gruesome death scenes, but I do think that what children are allowed to watch and read really do shape their lives, and in turn, our society, but who is to say what exactly children should or should not be exposed to?  And who knows if our culture will ever escape from this dilemma, and if we don’t, are things going to continue spiraling downward?  If you have time after reading this (haha if you’re still actually reading it) let me know what you think.

Turnitin is not designed to replace instruction. As any educator knows,
teaching students how to read thoughtfully, write fluently, and cite
properly is an inherently complex and difficult task. There is no software,
book, or automated process that can ever replace a dedicated teacher.
However, today’s increased student access to media of all kinds poses
special challenges to even the most determined of educators. While the
internet has made productive and valuable research easier than ever, it has
also undoubtedly made bad research, poor citation, and outright plagiarism
into more significant issues than they have been in the past.  Turnitin is
valuable because it helps relieve hard-working educators of the added burden
of validating the originality of student work. Like any system, it is not
foolproof– the sheer magnitude and dynamic nature of available sources make
any “perfect system” an impossibility. But while it may not be perfect,
Turnitin has proven to be an enormously effective antidote to plagiarism
when used responsibly, especially in conjunction with time-honored, good
teaching practices.

OK, so I understand that really is a lot of quoted information, but I feel that it addresses many of the issues raised by the faculty members from GVSU.  Michael Bruton, who wrote this response, has been working with schools and the implementation of the program for three years.  It is obviously important for him to take the concerns of professors and students and attempt to help them understand that this program is a tool to be used rather than a substitution for teaching.  My main concern was that certain teachers were ignoring the fact that students need to be taught the correct and incorrect ways to cite published information they find, and Bruton does a good job defending his position that teachers still need to teach. 

Bruton does not claim that the program is perfect.  He understands that with all the technology available to students, some will still get away with plagiarism, but he explains that TurnItIn is helpful to the teachers that have a large number of papers to check in order to save some time.  I do believe that TurnItIn is a helpful program for teachers to check for cheating and I think that, combined with educating students about the writing process, TurnItIn can be beneficial, but Bruton does not address all the problems that the GVSU faculty discussed and some of the problems I had.  In fact, if you are extremely interested in this topic,  I suggest you click the link below because the response turns into a long debate.

I still feel that the trust of students has decreased for many professors as the usage of the internet increases.  Bruton doesn’t address this issue and I find myself still asking questions.  Although the program may be a helpful tool if the teacher still educates the students fully, there may be tension in the classroom.  Is that a risk that teachers will have to take in the future in order to insure that students will not cheat on assignments?  Is there a way to make students feel comfortable having their papers analyzed to prevent them from being dishonest?  Should teachers not trust students?  I am torn because as much as I would like to believe that if a teacher fully educates a student about citing published work and using the internet as a collaborative tool, I understand that students will still cheat for various reasons.  Let me know what you think.

 TurnItIn’s Response to Recent Posts Discussing Proper Pedagogy

by Michael Bruton

September 15, 2006

Because Turnitin compares student writing against a database of articles, previously submitted student writing, and web pages, it’s most easily used as a plagiarism detection service. Such use emphasizes the policing of student behavior and texts over good-faith assumptions about students’ integrity, and can shift attention away from teaching students how to avoid plagiarism in the first place.

Before my American Literature professor even discussed the use of TurnItIn for our papers, he went in to great detail about the citing process and it’s importance.  I feel like this is an important — and obvious — step of the education process.  If professors are more interested in catching a student cheating rather than taking the time to teach the correct way, students are at a major loss.  It is the responsibility of the professor to help students understand how the writing process works in order to be successful in his/her class and in the future. 

Also, as the faculty explain, the mistrust can be harmful to the student’s integrity.  Although I believe this can cause a certain amount of tension between the student and teacher, there is a definite problem with cheating.   Even if a teacher were to trust the students and explain the writing process thoroughly, some students will still cheat due to laziness, procrastination, or other reasons.  This creates a problem because any way a teacher addresses the problem, there will be a negative aspect of the solution.  For instance, if a teacher tries to compromise both extremes (checking all papers versus checking none for plagiarism) by subjecting random papers through the program, does that eliminate the complete mistrust of students and also keep students from cheating? 

The article goes on to describe the reliability of TurnItIn versus other online programs:

Experimentation by researchers and instructors has indicated that Turnitin can be ineffective in catching student plagiarism of Internet sources or can produce otherwise inaccurate results (e.g. Carbone, Royce). Teachers may have better luck using a mainstream search engine such as Google or Yahoo to find evidence of plagiarized text.

After reading this article, I found another article linked to this blog that discusses a student that is suing the University of Tampa and her professor for slander when accusing her of plagiarism.  Although this was a short article, I found one sentence very interesting,  “The university submitted the paper to turnitin.com, an online site that checks for plagiarism, but the results came back negative, according to the lawsuit”(Emerson).  If the program is unreliable, professors should not bother using it to check for plagiarized papers.  If the program is being used to scare students into academic honesty, the fear will only last so long before students find a way around being caught.  What kind of solutions can you think of that create positive teacher-student relationships without allowing students to take advantage of online resources dishonestly?

Issues Raised by Use of Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Software

by Charlie Lowe, Ellen Schendel, and Julie White

September 7, 2006

UT Student Sues School, Says It Slandered Her

by Adam Emerson

November 1, 2006