Plagiarism, Smagiarism

Plagiarism. It is a term that children hear from an early age. But, in this day and age children are familiar with plagiarizing and use it in their daily lives. Downloading a new album and putting it on a CD for a friend, copy and pasting a picture from the internet, even downloading a new unreleased movie that they wanted to see. But what happens when they cross the line? What happens when they download a paper from the internet and hand it in to a teacher? Or copy and paste information into a paper and don’t cite their sources? How is a child to learn what is right and what is wrong? What is fair use? It is important to clearly state to students what plagiarism is and how you can get in trouble (even suspended) for plagiarizing. Students need to understand why plagiarism is wrong and the importance of sharing your own views and ideas in a paper rather than taking someone else’s. Citing your sources may seem like a chore, but it is an important step in the paper-writing process.

Fair use is a way in which students and teachers protect themselves from plagiarizing. It is the knowledge of knowing the proper citation and the proper use of public domain such as music, movies, and pictures. It is important for students to understand the wrong behind taking someone else’s ideas and making them your own. They need to understand the meaning behind the word plagiarism and it is the schools responsibility to educate students on this term. As defined in the article Copyright 101: Learning and Leading with Technology, fair use is defined as a “copyrighted work can be used or copied for educational purposes as long as the use is not solely a substitute for purchasing the work.” This means that teachers cannot copy a whole book and hand it out to the class instead of purchasing the book for the class. Fair use is important in education because there are many fair use policies that are unknown to teachers and students. The article mentions that there should be someone on staff, for example a librarian, who is educated on the policies of plagiarism and fair use. This would aide the school in adhering to the rules of fair use, and would help the students to see the school modeling fair use behavior. 

 Fair use applies to education in several different ways. As mentioned above it is the schools responsibility to not only educate students on plagiarism and fair use, but also model that behavior as well. A school is a place where people share ideas and it is important for the school and the students to do this responsibly and fairly. A school is also a place where students learn behavior, from both their peers and their teachers so it is important to model fair use behavior.

The Matrix

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) is a resource where teachers illustrate ways in which they use technology in their classrooms. TIM measures technology lessons using five characteristics of meaningful learning environments (active, constructive, goal-oriented, authentic, and collaborative) and five levels of technology integration (entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation). In TIM I chose the cross between constructive and adoptive at the 1-1 access level.

This example addresses specific NETS for Teachers standards in regards to the teacher’s skills. Under Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity this example addresses part b which states that teachers engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. In this example the teacher created a concept map using a current event. The students researched facts regarding the current event and looked at possible problems and solutions surrounding the current event.  This example also addresses part d under Modern Digital Age Work and Learning, which states that teachers model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning. This lesson facilitates digital tools by locating information and withdrawing facts from a current event to create a digital concept map.

The examples on the TIM website explore five levels of technology integration. In this course, Technology Integration in the Classroom, we have also delved into these five levels of technology integration. Based on what I have learned from this course I am at the level inbetween Infusion and Transformation. This course has introduced me to new technologies and how to use them in and out of the classroom. One of the most important aspects of this course is that I can see myself using the technology I have learned in this course in my future classroom. For example, posting a Back to School Night PowerPoint presentation for parents is a great way to get parents involved and stay connected with them. I believe that I am inbetween infusion and transformation because there is still so much I can learn about technology and how to teach students using technology.

Podcast: Symbolism in Of Mice and Men

       

   
   
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This podcast discusses symbolism in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. I chose the reoccurring theme of the farm, a place where Lennie and George live out their lives as free men living off the land, and what it symbolizes throughout the book.  In the podcast I read a passage and asked my students to think about a few topics while I was reading. This served as a means to get them thinking about why I chose this passage, what this passage symbolizes, and how to develop their own interpretation of the passage. After I read the passage I left my students with questions that should be answered and brought into class for discussion. Having my students prepare for class discussion ahead of time allows more in-class time for them to illustrate their views about the novel and ask any questions they may have. It also allows them more time to think about the novel and develop their ideas. This podcast allowed students to think about a small part of the novel and how it applied to the overall theme of the book.

I chose Of Mice and Men because it is a common book read in middle and high school English classes. It also possesses many themes and symbols that allow students to really delve into the text without being overwhelmed by big words or an abundance of pages.

Is There Room for Creativity in Our Schools?

In the video Do Schools Kill Creativity? Sir Ken Robinson presents some interesting viewpoints regarding creativity in education. Some points that I found interesting were when he made the remark that the foundation of our education system was the industrial revolution and what skills were required for the job market. Math was ranked one of the highest skills, which is why it is taught every day in school, while other realms of education such as drama, dance, and art are ranked amongst the lowest. In my opinion, creativity is an important part of education, equal to math. What educators must understand, and what Ken Robinson pointed out in his presentation, is that people have different skills and different methods of learning. Some people excel in math while others excel in dance. In my high school creative writing, theater, and art were taken as electives while math was a required subject. In all four years of high school I never excelled in math as I did in creative writing, but I was taught that math was more valid in the real world. Today, I hardly remember or use the math skills that I learned in high school, while I use my writing skills frequently. Furthermore, the state of our economy proves that skills in the arts are less valuable because they are classes that will be cut. The economy raises the question, can we afford to be creative?

As an English teacher I know I know I will make an effort to support creativity in my classroom and I hope that the education system will see the positive effects of creativity as well.

21st Century Skills: A Fad or the Key to Reform?

Are 21st century skills a fad or the key to educational reform? I cannot go as far to say that they are the key, but I do support the use of critical thinking, collaboration, and teamwork in the classroom. The integration of 21^st century skills in the classroom cannot happen overnight, there must be adequate preparation by educators to learn how to incorporate these skills into their classrooms. As the article The Latest Doomed Petagological Fad stated. “It takes hard work to teach this stuff, even harder work, by poorly motivated adolescents to learn it.” Teachers must be taught how to accurately use these skills in their classrooms. They must be given examples of projects and lesson plans that incorporate 21^st century skills. In addition, I do not believe that all lessons should revolve around 21^st century skills, start with one or two a week, this way teachers are able to evaluate the lessons and compare them with their traditional lessons. As the article Flawed Assumptions Undergird the Program at the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills stated “Start small and see if it works—and note that ‘see if it works’ means that you need to have a meaningful assessment plan in place before you start.” 21^st century skills have a place in the classroom, but there are steps to getting them there, and they aren’t giant leaps, but baby steps.

Teachers that have used 21^st century skills in their classrooms say that the results are positive. They even raise test scores as the article 21^st Century Skills: Will Our Students be Prepared noted, “According to a number of researchers 21^st century learning experiences commonly do translate to higher test scores.” 21^st century skills allow students to tap into a new way of learning and expand their mind to reach new arenas. “Our role now as policy makers, educators, business leaders, and parents” The article The Value of Teaching 21^st Century Skills noted, “…is to provide students with the best of both worlds: a strong and challenging academic curriculum, and a full infusion of the 21st-century skills students will need to succeed outside of high school.” 21^st century skills can be important tools in the classroom if they are used correctly. Teachers must learn how to teach them and students must learn how to learn from them. Another important element for students is to see how these skills will help them later in life. According to the article Work Force Readiness Crisis, “…employers place much greater value on the applied skills of leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving than on more traditional basic skills such as reading comprehension or mathematics.” If students are able to see that acquiring these skills will not only help them in high school and college, but also in the real world they will hopefully be much more open to them.

But as I said earlier, baby steps. As the article Schools Tap ‘21^st Century Skills’ noted, “The challenge for schools is to find ways to shift from traditional rote learning and teach these skills.” Schools must find a way to make the shift in a way that is comfortable for both the teachers and the students. It is not only how you teach 21^st century skills but also how you go about it.