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Plagiarism…who cares?“Access to computers and the

internet has become a basic need for education in our society”

Kent Conrad-US Senator: September 29, 2004

...so does that make

‘cut and paste’ of online text OK?

Image: Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

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Definition of Plagiarism.• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own. • use (a created production) without crediting the source.• to commit literary theft.• present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing

source. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary 9th ed, (Springfield, Ma: Merriam 1981, p. 870)

as sighted on www.plagiarism.org.

• All of the following are considered plagiarism:

• turning in someone else's work as your own• copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit• failing to put a quotation in quotation marks• giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation• changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work,

whether you give credit or not. http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_plagiarism.html Image: http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy228/jade95_2010/BLONDE%20MOMENTS/confusd.gif

What ‘Plagiarism’

means in REAL

terms.

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Why students plagiarise.

The boundaries of plagiarism and research can be ‘grey’ and confusing for students who are alreadyoverwhelmed with information and knowledge.

Assignments can feel overwhelming due to the sheer amount of information and expectation in an assignment.

Deadlines come around more quickly than expected and students feel pressured.

Image: http://educationaljargonschs.wikispaces.com/Constructivism

Is plagiarism immoral?

Absolutely!

• Plagiarism puts honest kids at a disadvantage.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/a-lesson-in-academic-integrity-as-students-feel-the-injustice-of-plagiarism/

• Copying another person’s work is lazy and doesn’t assist the student to develop thinking and writing skills of their own.

• Plagiarism IS stealing. No one would think of walking out of a store with a product under their arm without payment.

Image: http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee87/Onefineusername/plagiarism.jpg

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Is plagiarism illegal? Plagiarism isn’t illegal. WHAT????? BUT…it is illegal to use someone’s creative work without their permission or

acknowledgement. This is ‘copyright infringement’.

Image: http://media.photobucket.com/image/burglar/korry_2006/burglar.jpg?o=15

• Exercise of exclusive rights “The copyright in any work or other subject-matter is infringed when any act which the copyright owner has the exclusive right to do is done by a person in Australia who is not the copyright owner (or his or her licensee). Examples include when a work is published, reproduced or performed in public without the copyright owner's permission. This general rule is subject to a number of specific exceptions in the Copyright Act.”

• http://www.ag.gov.au/Copyright/Pages/Wheniscopyrightinfringed.aspx

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Guess what???? Teachers KNOW their students.

• Run a Google search. • Plagiarism monitors:• Turnitin and iThenticate.• The Plagiarism Checker. • There is also anti-plagiarism

software available such as Wcopyfind and EduTie.com

Image: http://media.photobucket.com/ image/plagiarismjudeann03/PlagiarismMonitor.jpg?o=15

How will anyone know?

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Alternatives to plagiarism.

Develop stategies to

address digital citizenship across the entire school

community

Talk to students often about the benefits of

good research and coming up with your own ideas. Also talk

to them about stealing, in general, and apply the same

guidelines to stealing words and ideas.

Encourage even very young students to

create a bibliography to acknowledge

where information has come from.

Model correct note-taking skills and give

opportunity to practice the skill.

We’re all in this

together.

Image: Annie Madden

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Appropriate task-setting encourages

new construction of meaning.

Alternatives to plagiarism

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Alternatives to plagiarism.

Well structured ‘Authentic Tasks’ are/have:• have real-world relevance • are ill-defined • are complex, sustained tasks • have multiple perspectives• are collaborative• are value (personal values) laden • are interdisciplinary • are authentically assessed • have authentic products • have multiple possible outcomes

(Adapted from Reeves, T. C., Herrington, J., & Oliver, R. (2002). Authentic activity as a model for web-based learning. 2002 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA, USA.)

Image: http://www.ioxassessment.com/index.php?cPath=37

Authentic tasks:An assignment given to students designed to assess their ability to apply standard-driven knowledge and skills to real-world challenges

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Conclusion

Plagiarism achieves little. It ‘value adds’ to neither the

plagiariser or the information wealth of the community.

Schools need to be at the forefront in raising awareness about plagiarism, and tend to providing the skills required for individuals to avoid the

pitfalls of plagiarising.

Sound development of authentic tasks aimed at

developing skills for life long learning is key to plagiarism

becoming irrelevent.

Image: http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k154/actrices/plagiarism-2006.jpg

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Discussion questions• Do you ever suspect a student of plagiarism? Do you know your students’ abilities,

style, language and skill development well enough to detect possible plagiarism?

• What action do schools need to take to support ‘Digital Citizenship’ awareness, and therefore, combat plagiarism before it becomes an entrenched practice.

• Authentic tasks and authentic assessment are key to promoting creative and unique responses to genuine and realistic situations. What adjustments can be made to tasks and assessments set for your students that encourages unique and creative responses and, therefore, diminish opportunity to plagiarise?

Image: http://educationaljargonschs.wikispaces.com/Digital+Citizenship

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Recommended readings• Burke, K. (2009). How to assess authentic learning. Moorabin, Vic: Hawker

Brownlow Education.

• Kolk, M. (2012). Writing a great authentic task. Retrieved 23 April 2012, from http://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/v01/articles/Writing_a_Great_Authentic_Task

• Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., & Caspari, A. (2007). Guided inquiry- Learning in the 21st Century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

• plagiarismadvice.org. (2012). Designing out plagiarism. Retrieved 12 April 2012, from http://www.plagiarismadvice.org/designing-out-plagiarism

• Plagiarism.org. (2012). What is plagiarism? Retrieved April 14, 2012 from http://www.plagiarism.org/