-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Bill Fitzgerald
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 6:54 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: Google Docs
Hello, Stephanie - your question, and the responses, got me to thinking
-=20
really, cheating is not really a technological issue. Being able to spot
cheating (or prevent it) has little to do with technology and more to do
with=20
how a class or an assignment is structured, developed, and assessed.
Frequently,=20
technology is where bad decisions manifest themselves; when this
happens, the=20
tech makes an easy scapegoat.=20
Some respondents recommended using turnitin.com - I would strongly
recommend=20
against that.
I went into more detail on my blog, but here are some of the salient
points that=20
I would use (albeit more gently in a f2f discussion) in addressing the
concerns=20
of the teacher:
Teach writing as a process
Teach writing as a process. If all you see from a student is a final
draft, you=20
will have a hard time knowing how that final draft came to be, and you
will be=20
less effective at helping a writer improve. If you teach writing as a
process,=20
and see pieces of work from initial conception (this is my thesis),
through=20
notes, through a first draft, a second (and subsequent) drafts, through
to the=20
"final" paper, you will be able to give more targeted feedback. Using a
working=20
portfolio (aka, a blog) is a great tool for teaching process.
Students are honest
Approach your subject from the perspective that your students are
honest. I=20
know, crazy talk here. But people will generally rise to the
expectations you=20
set for them. Nothing says "you are not worthy of trust" better than
using a=20
system like TurnItIn.
Know style, and teach style
Know style, and teach style. People should know how to spot (and when
to use)=20
active verbs and passive verbs. People should know that a simple
technique like=20
scanning a paper for overuse of "to be" verbs will do wonders for their
sentence structure.
People should know the different sentence structures, and when a simple
sentence is a better choice than a compound-complex sentence. They
should know=20
how to analyze their own writing for variability within sentence types,
and the=20
effects it has on pacing. They should be able to spot repetitive
patterns=20
within their paragraphs, and either fix it or use it to their best
rhetorical=20
advantage.
People should know to examine their word choice, and their use words
that are=20
latinate versus anglo-saxon in origin. They should know to look for
average=20
sentence length, average paragraph length, and the average word length
within a=20
representative section of their writing.
Every writer has a distinct style. When you begin looking at writing
and=20
analyzing style, words written on a page become as distinct as the
sound of a=20
person's voice.
Technology Does Not Have Agency
Making the claim that using Google Docs (or a word processor, or a
typewriter,=20
or a printing press, or a hired scribe) makes it more likely that
students will=20
cheat misses the point. You know who is doing work by talking with them
about=20
that work. The technology is a means to getting work done; imbuing it
with the=20
agency to support cheating is a profound misunderstanding of both
technology,=20
and of what motivates people to do their best work.
Using a system like turnitin.com is a great way to tell your students
"I don't=20
trust you, and I'm not willing to take the time to know how you think."
Cheating is not a technological issue. To minimize incidents of
cheating:
* Provide challenging, stimulating assignments;=20
* Check and provide feedback on in-progress milestones;=20
* Talk with your students;=20
* Teach style; and=20
* Be clear with your guidelines and your expectations. The more
direct and =20
clear you are with your students, the more direct and clear they will
be with=20
you.=20
----- Original Message ---
For those of you using Google Docs at your school......
We are implementing a pilot program for Google Docs this year. There are
some=20
concerns from the English Dept. about who writes the papers. Could you
please=20
let us know how you have handled this type of situation?
from a concerned teacher....
>I don't know if I want to do this, however I'm definitely willing to
give it a=20
>try. I talked with=20
>
xxx
> at length about this last year and it seems to me that there are some
big=20
>loopholes. I know all about them signing on etc. at home but there is
no way of=20
>knowing who is doing the actual writing once a kid signs on. It could
be=20
>parents, tutor,
>anybody. Convince me how to assure that that it is definitely the
kids writing=20
>and I'll sign on.=20
Thanks for your help!
Stephanie
>=20
=20
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