This blog post from Education Week, Once A Cheater, Always a Cheater, addresses the fact that we need to start building character in students to counteract societal influences. Data from the blo
g post is based on the Johnson Institute of Character Survey, which you might want to look at as well.Logos from Education week and Johnson Institute as posted on their sites.
9 comments:
First, WOW!!! Technology and cheating, who would have thought this would happen (sarcasm). This topic is so much more than this article, technology is being used to commit crimes in school, and a Connecticut substitute teacher was convicted when students used a computer to access inappropriate material in the classroom. School districts are often so enamored with the use of technology that they often do not look at all the potential issues that come with it; such as cheating. As a frontline teacher the increase in liability may be greater than the benefits of ICT. This is why advance professional development must be included in all strategic technology plans.
You can't blame cheating on computers. I agree with Lt. Wardwell's statement from the article that computers are just another avenue for cheaters. In my day, kids used graphing calculators to cheat and white out to change grades. It's no different just a sign of the times. I agree with Bob that this is a much bigger problem than this article and too often educators see technology as a fix-all. Technology also challenges assessment as we know it. How do we give authentic assessment that kids can not take pictures and sell copies of? Again, quality and constant professional development.
To respond to Bob, I just read in the paper about excessive cheating in marathons. The topic grabbed my attention because I have run five of them. Even this sport for which people spend so much time and energy on unfortunately is tarnished by cheaters. Although my times on marathons have varied, I can't see why one would want to cheat on such an event (or any sport event). Just finishing one or attempting one is an accomplishment. My point is that cheating is pervasive. Read the news any day, and another athlete is caught cheating somehow. Now I won't get into the Bernie Madoff scheme or all the CEOs of big companies that have cheated the "little people." My point is that we have incredible technology that we need to train our students to use wisely. As for ethics, where that starts probably requires a major societal revision. On the other hand, to cheat the honest students of opportunities to use the technology because of a few corrupt people does not seem fair. Yes, the use of "cheat" in the last sentence is intended. Yes, Bob, I agree with you that teachers need training, but what about the teachers who ignore obvious cheating? Training is not needed to catch a student plagiarizing a paper, and yet some teachers accept that "eyes closed." Well, the topic is a critical one in education, as well as other realms of society, so hope others add to the discussion. Guess I hate to see technology get maligned when the real culprits are people! We also have to remember all the honest users of technology, and should not deny them the opportunity to use it in sound ways because some students and teachers will cheat no matter how much training the teachers get. That is, the fault lies in the person's character, not the technology, an inanimate object.
Students are very savvy when it comes to computers. In my own experience, it has caused huge concerns at my school where every student receieves a laptop. As early as middle school students learn how to hack into central office systems! In middle school students hack for the sake of hacking. At this point, students are not THAT concerned with grades from my observation because it typically does not change anything such as retention or high school placement. However, in highschool and college where exam grades determine if you get into college or if you will be able to keep your academic scholarship in college students feel more pressure to pass. This concern requires schools to be IT savvy to meet the challenges that schools face when it comes to cheating and technology.
Character development is the key point here whether we are discussing cheating with technology or cheating by ocpying the "old-fashioned" way. Our elementary school focuses on the six pillars of respect and this character education is interwoven into the school throughout the curriculum (from school-wide read-alouds to pairings between classrooms to their "How full is your bucket?" program). Of course, this is elementary, but such programs can be interwoven at the middle and high school levels where it is very much needed. I run a youth ministry program at a church and we are constantly trying to reinforce the basics of civility (no bullying, being kind and generous, helping one another). But if you look at the reality shows on TV - with the exception of a select few, none of those values are reinforced. What message is that sending our kids?
I found the recent Hartford Courant article on the presence of cheating in our public school classrooms to be appalling. Where are the teachers monitoring the cheating - do teachers allow the use of cellphones and texting during exams!?
Made me dig further into the cheating culture at schools in the USA and found some interesting links - see below. Apparently many school are having issues with Honor Codes. From a corporate perspective, I can tell you that many people in corporate America don't take their professional "Code of Conduct" serious enough which can often result in litigation against the company and termination of employment.
http://www.cheatingculture.com/education.htm
I agree with Carrie. you cannot blame cheating on technology and computers. There is a face...a human being behind that computer that is making choices..between right and wrong. However, it may be "easier" for a child to cheat because they have an avenue to cheat! I also agree that Character Ed and development can help boost students confidence and achievement. I see it first hand at the school that I teach in. We have a Second Step program that teaches the children about making positive choices in negative situations. I can already see their grades improving because they really care about themselves, their friends and their school!
This article was quite amusing. When I was in high school, especially during math tests, students would use graphing calculators; they would store the information and copy it underneath their desk. Or even going further back, writing notes on their hands. However, nowadays students are slyer when it comes to cheating, using phones and the internet. I do believe cheating has been around for a while, so the culprit is the student. I was reading somewhere that student’s cheat more nowadays because of the pressure parents and others put on the students to go to college. If the student wants to go to a good school, they need to get good grades. If the student is not doing so well, the first thing that comes to mind is to cheat. Teachers should take action by not allowing the use of calculators or cell phones during class, thus making it less tempting. With the advancement of technology, it’s going to get harder to pick out the cheaters in the classroom.
I knew that I was not going out of my mind. I keep telling my students every year that using an online translator to translate your whole paper is do such a good idea. That is why I include a cheating and plagiarism contract in my rules and expectations. I also go over other types of cheating, because some kids do not understand hoe somethings can be considered cheating.
I do not think that we should blame technology or whatever it is. We have to grow as a society and things are always changing and will continue to change in the future. I think that we have to teach our children/students why cheating is bad and help them use information from computers in the correct way. But, you can lecture and preach and some children/students just do not care and they will continue to do so in school and in life.
We need to change. It is going to be a long battle but maybe just maybe we can win the war.
Post a Comment