Paola Bribiesca

CI 405
Technology Paper
The use oI technology has increased with each generation in the United States over the
years. As new technological devices are put on the market, older versions oI these are put on sale
or on clearance at stores to sell quickly. This makes it easier Ior students to gain access to
technology as it becomes more aIIordable Ior parents to purchase. Whether it is through cell
phones, computers, or iPods, students are becoming dependent on these types oI devices to
obtain inIormation on the internet and/or to communicate with others. According to an online
article, more and more students are having access to the internet (Ma, H., et. al.). The internet
provides many resources Ior students to do homework and obtain research. They can also play
games, chat, use social networking sites, listen to music, watch videos, read emails, shop, and
more. Our teachers oI today are teaching a generation that has grown up with the internet. While
the web provides many advantages to education, it also brings along challenges in schools. In
addition to the internet, about two-thirds oI teenage students own cells phones, according to a
study conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group (Common Sense Media Poll on Digital
Cheating). And there is an expected increase in the amount oI children who will own a cell
phone and/or a laptop in the next three years. The use oI this technology in students is said to
broaden the mediums oI cheating and plagiarizing in schools. While cheating and plagiarism are
nothing new, these topics have become a major issue Ior teachers because oI our increasing
technology. Many proIessionals in the Iield oI education ask themselves: Has the use oI
technology impacted plagiarism and cheating in education? And iI so, how has it impacted these
issues? In this paper we will explore the various perspectives people have about the use oI
technology and its inIluence on plagiarism and cheating in the classroom, as well as solutions to
prevent these concerns.
There are many ways students use technology to cheat in schools. Some use their cell phones to
text their Iriends answers to test questions during the actual test, regardless oI regulations prohibiting the
use oI cell phones in school. Others use their cell phones to take a picture oI material that will be on an
exam and then look at it during the exam. Some students may even have access to the internet on their
cell phones and may use them to search Ior answers during a quiz or a test. Cell phones are also capable
oI storing notes or inIormation which students may use to look at during a quiz or test. Many students use
websites like al-termpaper.com to obtain Iree essays and they turn them in as their own. Some students
may even use inIormational sites and copy a Iew sentencesor even paragraphswithout proper citation
and turn it in as their own work, as well. Some students may even use the internet to Iind a teacher`s
manual publication with answers Ior their homework assignments. The increasing use oI this technology
has given cheating a whole new meaning.
Along with the increase in the use oI technology comes a decrease in ethics among young
students. In the survey conducted by Benenson Strategy Group, thirty-Iive percent oI students
who own cell phones admitted to using their cell phones at least once to cheat (Common Sense
Media Poll on Digital Cheating). A little over halI oI teens admitted to some sort oI cheating by
using the internet. Twenty-six percent oI students 13-18 years old admit to storing inIormation
on a cell phone to look at during quiz or a test. In addition, one in Iour students admitted to
texting Iriends about answers during quizzes and tests. This data is only limited to students who
admitted doing this; however, there are students who lied during the survey and did not admit to
cheating. According to another survey asking similar questions, 'More than one in Iour students
conIessed they lied on at least one or two survey questions, which is typically an attempt to
conceal misconduct (The Ethics oI American Youth: 2010). This is clear evidence that not all
data is accurate because some students think these surveys will be used to punish those who have
participated in misconduct. However, we can deduct that the amount oI students in our data who
cheated is slightly larger than the amount that conIessed. In addition, cheating and plagiarism
seems to be a larger problem in high school. According to a survey conducted by The Josephson
Institute oI Ethics in 1992, sixty-one percent oI students admitted to cheating on an exam (Ma,
H., et. al.). This same survey was conducted in 2002 which gave increasing results as seventy-
Iour percent oI high school students admitted they had cheated on an exam. The 29
th
annual
survey oI Who`s Who showed that IiIty-three percent oI students did not consider it a big deal
that students cheat nowadays. According to the Benenson Strategy Group`s survey, almost one in
Iour students do not think that storing notes on a cell phone to access during a test is considered
cheating at all (Common Sense Media Poll on Digital Cheating). Almost one in Iive students
does not consider it cheating iI a person downloads a paper Irom the internet and turns it in as his
own. Through this data, we can conclude that there is deterioration in ethics amongst young
students and much oI it comes Irom technology use.
Various solutions have been proposed by people to put an end to cheating and plagiarism
in the classroom. At Thomas Dale High School in Virginia, a librarian started a discussion
amongst a small group oI her high school students with the topic oI plagiarism and cheating.
These students concluded that they Ieel it is necessary Ior teachers to walk around during a test
to ensure that everyone keeps their eyes on their own paper and no cell phones are being used
(Lehman). Another given solution is Ior teachers to pace students when a large project is
assigned, like a major research paper. Because many students oIten procrastinate, in most cases,
they will resort to plagiarism iI they Ieel there is little time to complete the assignment on their
own. Thomas Dale High School students Ielt grateIul Ior their teachers when they were given
deadlines Ior turning in note cards, source cards, thesis statements, outlines, and rough draIts
beIore their Iinal project was due. Not only are these deadlines a motivation to earn points Ior
each part oI the project, but they also help students make good habits to prevent procrastination
in Iuture assignments, like college papers. One last solution students came up with in this
discussion is Ior districts to invest in soItware, like Turnitin.com, which is used to detect
plagiarism. This will not only prevent students Irom copying and pasting a chunk oI inIormation
Irom the internet and on to their papers, but it will also motivate students to create an original
paper based on their own research and perspectives.
Although some staII members and students support that soItware programs like
Turnitin.com be used to prevent plagiarism, some students Ieel that it violates their copyrights.
These types oI soItware programs store every paper that is submitted to be checked Ior
plagiarism into its database (Young). With each paper being stored, Iuture papers have more to
be compared to and the chances oI detecting plagiarism increases. That being the purpose oI
Turnitin, Iour studentstwo in Arizona and two in Virginiasued iParadigms, which is the
company that runs this program, in March 2007. These students argued that their original pieces
oI work had been taken against their will and were being used Ior proIit by iParadigms. Colleges
pay thousands oI dollars a year because one oI Turnitin`s most boasted selling points is the size
oI its database, which includes these students` papers. None oI these students` arguments held up
in court, though. The judge said in his ruling that "Schools have a right to decide how to monitor
and address plagiarism in their schools and may employ companies like iParadigms to help do
so" (Young). This shows that soItware programs used to detect plagiarism are highly supported
by the court and may stand up to any appeal.
In conclusion, I Ieel that the use oI technology has deIinitely impacted cheating and
plagiarism in schools. Technological devices eliminate the use oI critical thinking skills and
provide more opportunities Ior students to access inIormation Irom an online site rather than
their brain. Most students nowadays use the internet to search Ior an answer that many people
knew years ago when they were their age because they learned it through reading and studying
the correct way; rather than cheating and plagiarizing. I think elementary teachers should teach
their students about why it is wrong to cheat and plagiarize because it is hard to correct students`
behavior as they get older. It may also help to teach students how to cite things properly and
provide them with the skills they need to learn material without the need Ior cheating or
plagiarizing.













Cited Works

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Jarc, Rich. "Character Counts." The Ethics of American Youth. 2010 . Josephson Institute, 2011.
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"Plagiarism in the Digital Age: What High School Students Say." Plagiarism. Plagiarism, n.d.
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Young, JeIIrey. "Judge Rules Plagiarism-Detection Tool Falls under Fair Use`". Chronicle oI
Higher Education, v54 n30 pA13 Apr 2008. Interesting People, 2008. Web. 7 Apr 2011.
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200804/msg00026.html~.