As a student, the negative consequences associated with plagiarism have been drilled into my head from an early age. Although their was no such thing as a 1:1 school when I was growing up, the access and presence of technology was increasing at a rapid rate through my school years. The reading I have done this past week and common knowledge have both led me to believe that plagiarism is unfortunately on the rise. The internet and technology in general have both made it easier for students to plagiarize. Whether it be on purpose or on accident students can find themselves in a situation that involves plagiarism rather quickly in today’s digital society. Michael Sadowski discusses the abundance of websites that essentially sell or give away plagiarized essays to students who are willing to take the chance. In the article Plagiarism.k12.us: What Educators Can Do About It he says, “a 2001 survey of 2,294 high school students conducted by Donald McCabe of Rutgers University’s Management Education Center found that more than half admitted to having plagiarized from Internet sources, and the proliferation of online “term paper mills” has made this kind of cheating increasingly easy to do” (Sadowski). In other words, as the world wide web continues to grow at an exponential rate, so does the temptation to plagiarize.
As a teacher who uses iPads to manage his entire classroom, it is very important that I help my students understand the true definition of plagiarism and the consequences of passing someone else’s work as their own. At the very beginning of the school year our principal and our media center specialist deliver the cart full of iPads to each classroom. Before I begin my official 1:1 instruction I have always done a mini unit on digital citizenship. I converse with the media center specialist and she loans me the book But I Read it on the Internet by Toni Buzzeo. The students work to form a basic understanding of the different aspects that make up a great digital citizen. The students generally take this content seriously and enjoy learning about proper use of technology at school. Several of the students last year even took it upon themselves to create little iMovie trailers or Powtoon presentations that showed the harmful effects of cyberbullying, internet privacy, and other subtopics related to digital citizenship. Once I feel that the students have grasped a solid understanding of digital citizenship, they sign an iPad Acceptable Use Policy. The students take this home for their parents to sign as well. A whole class copy of this document hangs on our iPad cart for the remainder of the year and they keep their own in their desk.
This amazing AUP was created and shared by a second grade teacher in California, Sandy Patterson.
Check out her incredible blog here!
Check out her incredible blog here!
Although this mini unit on digital citizenship has proven to be relatively successful, I do not think it is enough. Virtual Salt’s article Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers written by Robert Harris led me to believe that my students do not know enough about plagiarism. Educating myself about plagiarism and making sure that the assignment is clear were two big take aways I gathered from the article. I also like how the article brings out the positives in teaching students about plagiarism. We often associate words like “cheating” “consequence” “plagiarize” and “copying” with the negative aspects of teaching. Robert Harris says, “appropriate quoting and citing also evidences the student's respect for the creators of ideas and arguments--honoring thinkers and their intellectual property” in his 4th section titled “Discuss the benefits of citing sources” (Harris, 2015). In addition to understanding the unethical reasoning that goes along with plagiarism, building the right classroom environment is equally as important. Creating a culture where students are eager to create and publish their learning experiences is ultimately the best prevention strategy for plagiarism. A classroom environment that respects the work of others but uses existing knowledge to spark original ideas and content.
 #5thGradeU students can even earn a prize to plan and deliver their OWN lesson to the class. |  #5thGradeU students enjoy Career Cafe lunches throughout the school year. They eat lunch with professional adults and build AUTHENTIC Keynote presentations to share their knowledge with parents and peers in June. |
Emma K. Doub Principal, Catherine Poling, shares the successes students have had with digital writing. EKD 1st-5th grade students especially enjoy authoring their OWN personal narratives multiple times throughout each school year.
As I think about my 2015-2016 school year, I know that educating myself and my students about plagiarism will be necessary. As dry and mudane as the content may seem to other teachers, I am eager to infuse lessons throughout the WHOLE school year that contribute to that classroom climate I described earlier. After additional research I have found several resources that I plan to use next year to help students learn more about plagiarism. These resources include an article from Kid’s Health titled What is Plagiarism? (Which is also available in Spanish!) and the children’s book The Pirates of Plagiarism.
Before his passing, legendary musician Jimi Hendrix once said, “I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes.” As a teacher I plan to inspire my students to create and publish work that is so awesome, others will wish that it was their original work.
Before his passing, legendary musician Jimi Hendrix once said, “I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes.” As a teacher I plan to inspire my students to create and publish work that is so awesome, others will wish that it was their original work.
Sources:
Gordon, D. (2003). Plagiarism.k12.us: What Educators Can Do About It. In Better teaching and learning in the digital classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Harris, R. (2015, May 18). Anti-Plagiarism Strategies. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
Books and classroom resources referenced:
http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/BUT_I_READ_IT_ON_THE_INTERNET!_A_MRS._SKORUPSKI_STORY_files/butireaditontheinternetcurriculumguide.pdf
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pirates-Plagiarism-Lisa-Downey/dp/1602130531
http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/plagiarism.html
Gordon, D. (2003). Plagiarism.k12.us: What Educators Can Do About It. In Better teaching and learning in the digital classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Harris, R. (2015, May 18). Anti-Plagiarism Strategies. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
Books and classroom resources referenced:
http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/BUT_I_READ_IT_ON_THE_INTERNET!_A_MRS._SKORUPSKI_STORY_files/butireaditontheinternetcurriculumguide.pdf
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pirates-Plagiarism-Lisa-Downey/dp/1602130531
http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/plagiarism.html