Web Browsing- Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows 7: Simple vs. Easy 5 January 2009A review of the upcoming (sometime) Windows 7 offers some interesting observations about the way we use computers. He discusses the difference between "simple" and "easy" technology while debunking the notion of "intuitive" programs. Regardless of what Microsoft does with its OS, this article encourages thought about the way tec […]
- Another side of President Bush 23 December 2008It's sometimes hard to cut through the clutter to see the kind of man President Bush is. Stories like this one from the Wall Street Journal are a helpful reminder that even if we may disagree with some of his decisions, attacking him as a man is uncalled for. Even though his version of "compassionate conservatism" has drawn the ire of some con […]
- Professors' Liberalism Contagious? Maybe Not - NYTimes.com 3 November 2008Do liberal faculty affect the political leanings of students? These people say no. But let's look a little deeper. One author says "it is really hard to change the mind of anyone over 15." Does this mean that the average American thinks about politics now the same way he did when he was 15? Yikes. It appears to imply that political opinions a […]
- Obama, Shaman by Michael Knox Beran, City Journal Summer 2008 3 November 2008Beran brilliant combines culture, religion, and literature into a powerful commentary on the religious aspects of Barack Obama's candidacy. The article is rich (and lengthy), but certainly worth digesting.
- Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows 7: Simple vs. Easy 5 January 2009
May
25
Plagiarism
Filed Under Education
It’s been a week since I finished up my subbing job, and I’m finally writing a post about it. It was a long eight weeks, and I’m so glad it’s over. It was a blessing to have a steady job and actually know the names of the students in the classroom, but it was a job I was quite ready to finish with.
My last week of school was busy with grading tests and projects. I had three CP (college prep) classes whose project was to create a booklet on the Renaissance. They had 5 various topics and each topic needed to have 75 written words and 2 pictures. We spent 3 days in the computer lab so they could work on their project. Of course when the projects were due on Wednesday only about 1/3 of the students turned them in. As I began grading I began to suspect plagiarism. I would put a sentence or two into Google, and sure enough every word in their project would be found on the internet.
Thursday, I gave the students the chance to rewrite their project. The penalty? They would only lose 10 points (otherwise the highest grade possible was a 50%). Several students asked to redo their project.
The best situation was a student who kept looking at his project wanting to know if I had graded it. I wouldn’t tell him, but asked if he needed to take it back. He didn’t. When I went to grade his project I knew he didn’t write it, but I couldn’t find it on the internet. So I went to the school library and enlisted the help of the librarians. They pulled out 3 books some of the students had used. Looking in the books I found 3 of the 5 topics. I figured that was enough evidence for me, especially since one of the other topics started with the phrase “Plato said…†I knew a 9th grader wouldn’t have written that!
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