ED422 Journal Entry #3 9/20

Journal #3
“A War of Words” by Jim Paterson
Ed422 9/20

“PaperToolsPro” is one of a new line of software that was designed to help students differentiate between plagiarism and paraphrasing. It has improved students ability to search for materials relating to a topic, cite sources properly, and then deposit the information into a word process document.
However, not everyone is happy with these new software programs. Many feel they are an infringement on the student’s rights. They feel the programs do not replace the actual “teaching” and learning provided by a classroom teacher. Rebecca Moore Howard, a Professor at Syracuse University, New York, complains that the programs “tell students when they have failed to write well, but they don’t teach how to write well.”
These software applications can be used as a deterrent, if nothing else, to put “fear” into the student that is likely to plagiarize. Just the knowledge that the teacher has a tool to locate any copied facsimile, makes the student think twice before copying someone else’s words.

1.Do you think having a software program that detects plagiarism would be useful to you in your class?
I think it would be a valuable tool to be able to access. I remember reading book reviews last year by students that were obviously plagiarized. This software would make it easier for me to check my suspicions. It would also make them think twice before copying the jacket of a book, knowing that I would be able to check their writing in my computer, in an instant.

2.Do you think that having one of these software programs would replace “teaching” the students about plagiarism?
Absolutely not! It is the job of a teacher to explain and show examples of the difference between plagiarism and paraphrasing. She must also teach them how to “cite” where they got their information from, and how to re-word their findings into their “own” voice.