Re: Plagiarism

[Betty Dawn Hamilton <bhamilt@TENET.EDU>]

On Sun, 20 Nov 1994, Diane Durbin wrote:

> I got a private message from Mel Roseman regarding my
> first posting and I hope he won't mind if I share a comment he made.  He
> pointed out that kids are surrounded by "plagiarism" and possibly don't
> connect it with wrongdoing.  How many parents and teachers illegally copy
> videotapes, audiotapes, etc?  I don't know about you, but when I point
> out copyright violations to teachers they get really mad at me.

Yes, and what about the people who ask to copy the school's computer
software and are shocked that anyone would consider it to be illegal!!!

> Also, some of my heavy researchers are teachers doing research for papers
> their kids have to do.  Sometimes they even ask me to find the material
> for them.

Yes, I have that happen regularly, too.  I've tried to gently remind the
parent that part of the assignment is that the *teacher* intends for
*students* to do the research because that is a part of the planned
learning.  No luck -- they just keep doing it!

I'll see if I can find a delightful 2- or 3- page article in _Texas
Monthly_ a few years back.  It was by the author of _Thundering
Sneakers_.  The article was very funny but very appropriate for this
discussion.  She was talking about all of the assignments that parents work
on *for* their children.  I understand that public librarians are
concerned about the same issue.

There ought to be some kind of symbol on each paper that a student takes
home that says "this is to be a *shared* assignment" and "this is to be
an independently performed" assignment.  (Probably wouldn't work!)

Betty
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Betty Hamilton, LRS             |    |                701 Cub Drive
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