Journal #3

"A War of Words" by Jim Paterson

This article addressed the problem of plagiarism and the various ways teachers try to confront the problem. After reading this I realized how difficult it must be as a teacher in trying to find the right way of solving it. There have been various programs developed to battle the problem of plagiarism. Some programs are designed for teachers to “catch” students rather than teaching them the proper ways to research. Then there are programs like copycatchgold that teach students the correct way to research and cite their sources. Students are able to view the source being cited and allow them to simultaneously take notes on the source. The program eliminates the ability to “cut and paste” and compares the similarities of the source and the student’s notes. If there is a lot of similarity then the program lets the student know. However, critics state eventually students will be able to work around the program. Another approach in tackling the problem is demonstrated by Linda Miller. Teaching students the problem of plagiarism and the proper ways to research and cite material early can be an effective way of tackling the issue.

As a teacher, in what way would I approach the issue of plagiarism in class?

Plagiarism should be introduced earlier on in a kid’s education. Teaching children the moral issues of plagiarizing and having them understand it is stealing, is a very important factor. I believe involving the parents too can be beneficial. Parents could be informed about the importance of the issue then they can reinforce this issue at home with their child. Plagiarizing can be a confusing issue to students. Teaching all aspects of plagiarizing through all types of resources, can help students understand the concept. Once they recognize all considerations of plagiarism, then I would teach through fun activities how to take notes and research properly.

What is your opinion of programs that detect plagiarism?

I never really thought about it until reading this article. I can see both sides. I definitely think it should be used in the University Level. College Level students should know how to properly research and know the severity of plagiarizing. However, students 1-12 should have continuous lessons on the proper way to do research. Like the article stated, these programs tend to help the educator and not address the issue at hand…The student’s ability to properly research.

Journal #2

Technology Incentives by Virginia Richard

The Florida Polk School District has developed a great program that both teacher and students benefit from. This program’s idea is to motivate teachers to incorporate technology into their classrooms and being able to use it. Teachers attending these classes are taught in stages about various media sources. Once they have completed the training, the teacher is given that type of technology and able to utilize it in class immediately. Teachers are awarded with the technology tools they learned about in the training. They can receive anything from disk drives to Digital Cameras to laptops to Palmpilots and apply it immediately to their classroom. In order to create such a program, the school district needs to have administrative support, funding through grants or other funds, has to have a clear plan and support.

What other incentives could be incorporated in this program?

Besides acquiring all types of media sources to use in their classrooms, they could also pay for their ISTE yearly memberships. Not a huge incentive but it definitely would show the support from ISTE. Another incentive could be once a certain percentage of teachers of a school have finished the whole program and are proficient in technology, then the program would donate computers, laptops, digital cameras, or any other educational tool to the whole school.

Why are the incentives so motivating?

For some teachers the availability of having access to these resources are really difficult. The schools aren’t able to provide the technology, so these skills that these teachers just learned would not be utilized in class because they wouldn’t have access to the technology itself.

Journal #1

"Power of the Mashup” By Susie Boss and Jane Krauss

If only educators and schools had this type of technological capability when I was studying literature, I might have actually read the “Odyssey” or some book by Rudyard Kipling!  This article explains how teachers are implementing various technologies into their classes and how both the teacher and the students are benefiting from it. The article first introduces us to Jerome Burg, a High School Literature teacher who uses a variety of technology resources to help students have a greater understanding of the literature. For example, in studying the classic adventure story, Candide, he had students use Google Earth to travel along with the character and visualize the locations of the story. Student discussions confirmed that they had a greater understanding of the literature with the use of the “lit trips” than of his previous students he taught the same material to over 30 years ago. There are also other media sources you and introduce into classrooms, such as the MP3 player activities that Australian history teacher, David Fagg created. Fagg utilized the typically confiscated MP3 player and integrated them into learning. Students, using MP3 players and digital cameras, were able to research, gather, collaborate, and share material through podcasting. Not only are students benefiting from the use of technology, but the teachers are too. Teachers can collaborate and share ideas with other teachers, which allow the teachers to continually improve and enhance their own class activities.

1. What other subjects could the application of Google Earth be used?

Google Earth is a great educational tool for students to visualize and have a better understanding of various concepts. I believe teachers can use Google Earth in almost all school subjects from grades 1-12. Students studying history, geography, and earth sciences are able to type in various topics and Google Earth will give provide students with locations and data related to that topic.(As shown on the right) Examples of how Google Earth can be used in different subjects are demonstrated at this website.


2. Are there any cons related to the usage of technology in the classroom?
I believe students and teachers benefit more from technology than they are disadvantaged from it. The only disadvantages, I see, for students may be the social implications. Doing research without actually interacting and going beyond their keyboards may hinder students socially. Students may become reliant on technology in researching and not be able to find the same resources without technology. Not all information on the internet is totally reliable. Therefore, teachers must educate students on the etiquette of the internet and teach students other ways to gather information.