Education Leaders Tackle Student Data Privacy Issues at Summit

Forthcoming federal guidance on the hot-button issues of student data privacy will seek "vigorous self-policing by commercial players," but the federal government is "not going to wait for industry or rely on promises" to protect children's sensitive information, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told privacy advocates and ed-tech industry leaders gathered here Monday.

That tension—between hoping the private sector will proactively develop and implement "best practices" on the one hand, and pushing for new legislation and regulations, on the other—dominated the "School Privacy Zone" Summit, convened by San Francisco-based nonprofitCommon Sense Media.

The event came in the midst of a recent flurry of student data privacy-related activity. In addition to the non-binding federal guidelines, expected to be made public Tuesday afternoon, a leading technology trade group released recommendations on the issue; major state legislation on the issue was proposed in California; and U.S. Senator Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts who also spoke at Monday's school privacy summit, announced that he will soon introduce new federal legislation.

The confluence of efforts across sectors is a good sign, said James Steyer, the CEO of Common Sense Media, a group known for evaluating media and educational technology for use by children.

"I've never felt that industry self-regulations were sufficient to protect the interests of kids and families," Steyer said in an interview with Education Week. "We want the best [private] actors to step forward, but we also need legislation and regulation and advocacy. It's the combination that works."

'Police Yourselves Before Others Do'

In his keynote address at Monday's privacy summit, Secretary Duncan touted the "extraordinary learning opportunities" associated with new digital learning tools and the vast amounts of information they generate, citing examples of schools in Detroit, New York, Nashville, Tenn., and Huntsville, Ala. that are using technology and data to personalize student learning, free up teachers' time for high-value instructional activities, and engage parents.

But the secretary also stressed that "school systems owe families the highest standard of security and privacy," and he sharply criticized some industry practices, including "take it or leave it 'Click Wrap' agreements" with districts that allow companies to unilaterally and without notice change their privacy practices.

"It is in your interest to police yourselves before others do," Duncan said in a pointed message to ed-tech vendors. 

The federal guidance to be issued Tuesday will help school systems and educators interpret the law, and will "include examples of best practice," the secretary said. The technical assistance is largely the brainchild of Kathleen Styles, the U.S. Department of Education's recently appointed chief privacy officer.

One key principle around which there is an emerging cross-sector consensus is that educational data about students should be used solely for educational purposes—and not for targeted advertising.

Industry representatives and some education officials in attendance at Monday's event supported the general notion, but said much confusion remains about what "for educational use only" means in practice and expressed concerns about how such details will be enacted in policies and contracts.

"We want [vendors] to be able to use [student] data to improve their product. On the other hand, we don't want them selling it off randomly for profit," said Jeff Mao, the learning technology policy director in the Maine education deparatment.

Not Far Enough

Hoping to get out ahead of the rising tide of proposed bills in state legislatures around the country, the Software & Information Industry Association released on Monday its own list of best practices.

Mark Schneiderman, the group's senior director of education policy, said the recommendations were intended "to create a trust framework, and at the same time make sure [we're] not cutting off our nose to spite our face."

But privacy advocates said that the group's suggestions don't go nearly far enough. Joel Reidenberg, a Fordham law professor who recently authored a much-discussed study on the shortcomings of districts' contracts with cloud-computing service providers, criticized the SIIA proposal for not explicitly rejecting the use of educational data for targeted marketing, failing to include any guidelines for how long data should be stored or when it should be destroyed, and failing to include provisions for parents to access and amend their children's information, among other things.

Reidenberg was also critical of some state bills that have been proposed, saying they only addressed "the tip of the iceberg."

In their recent study, Reidenberg said, his team found that "school systems didn't understand what they were doing" when it came to entering agreements for cloud-computing services with private vendors, and as a result were systematically failing to notify parents about the use of web-based services to store children's sensitive information and unthinkingly "paying with students' privacy" for no-cost classroom apps and software.

Reidenberg, Khaliah Barnes, an attorney for the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center, and others ticked off a list of concerns that continue to go largely unaddressed by legislation, regulations, industry practices, or district policies. Among them were the "vast amounts of data" collected by third-party vendors that don't fall under the jurisdiction of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA; the use of location data, biometric data, and social media to track students; the metadata generated by students' digital devices, especially when they are used outside of schools; and the growing trend of merging the "learning path" information generated by digital instructional materials with the personal data contained in student profiles.

Positive Examples

Not all the news at Monday's summit was bleak.

Among the educators to address the privacy summit was Superintendent Terry Grier of the 210,000-student Houston Independent School District, currently in the midst of a digital conversion that recently featured the distribution of 18,000 laptops to high school students.

Among the policies Grier highlighted were a one-step-at-a-time approach to deploying devices; a matrix used to evaluate the privacy protections offered by all ed-tech vendors seeking contracts with the district; and a teacher-led tech committee that vets any free apps and software that educators would like to use in their classrooms.

"Every day, we're thinking about things we haven't thought about before," he said.

Two big ideas also seemed to gain immediate and widespread traction among the heavy-hitters in the audience.

Many expressed enthusiasm for a suggestion that the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Education partner to set new parameters around data security and classroom apps, widely viewed as a major threat to students' privacy.

And the notion of "Good Housekeeping"-like seal of approval for ed-tech vendors who have met agreed-upon standards for protecting students' privacy was also popular.

"Market signals matter a lot," and such an effort may have an even greater impact than government regulations, said Jim Shelton, the acting deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Study Finds That Kindergarten is Too Easy

Kindergarten might be the new 1st grade but it is still too easy. A forthcoming study in the peer-refereed American Educational Research Journal finds that students make bigger gains in reading and math when they learn more advanced content such as adding numbers and matching letters to sounds. Yet kindergarten teachers spend nearly twice as much time on basics such as alphabet recognition and counting out loud. Study authors Amy Claessens,Mimi Engel and Chris Curran found that the majority of kindergartners already know how to do these things when they start school. 

 "If you teach kids what they already know, they're not going to learn as much," said Claessens, an assistant professor in the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and the mother to a kindergartner. "I would go even further and say more time on basic  [content] is actually harmful to kids particularly in mathematics. In reading, it is neutral, but math is negative."

In a paper published last year in the peer-refereed Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Engel, Claessens and Maida A. Finch found that even students who started kindergarten lacking basic skills made bigger gains when teachers emphasized advanced material. The American Educational Research Journal findings add a wrinkle by suggesting that kindergarten students learn more when taught advanced content, regardless of whether they have attended preschool or come from low-income families. 

Academic Content, Student Learning, and the Persistence of Preschool Effects is based upon a large, nationally representative sample (ECLS-K) representing more than 15,000 students who started kindergarten in 1998-99. The article, which you can read in full for free for the next month, is the most frequently viewed piece on the American Educational Research Journal's website, even though it was just posted November 13th and has not yet appeared in print. (This is relatively rare since it often takes academic articles years to wend their way toward most-viewed status.) Claessens speculates that one reason that the findings have received so much attention is that they have some pretty interesting policy implications.

"Shifting what you're teaching is very cost effective," Claessens said.

Claessens notes that past research has found that schools have already ramped up the amount of time spent on spent on academic content in kindergarten. So if these research results hold, teachers could see a real difference by making a relatively small and inexpensive change that would not further subtract from the time kindergartners want and need for other important areas such as social emotional learning and physical education.

Like other researchers,  Claessens, Engel and Curran found that kindergarten teachers spend a lot more time on literacy than on math.  On average, teachers taught basic reading skills 18 days a month or nearly every school day and advanced literacy 11 days per month. By contrast, they spent ten days a month on basic math and six days on math that was more advanced. These results were the same for teachers serving bigger and smaller percentages of children from lower-income families.

 "Early-childhood and kindergarten teachers are not as confident about teaching early math and the way they should teach early math," Claessens said. "We have for a long time pushed and done a good job of focusing on reading and basic skills for reading. I don't think we know as much or are as confident about early-childhood math."

Claessens said she had shared her findings with her daughter's kindergarten teacher, who was already emphasizing more advanced skills. She has also presented her research to school district leadership teams.

How did they react?

"Not surprised but they're not quite sure how to change it."

courtesy : Education Week 

An appeal to our fellow citizen

Dear All , 

Any one who wants to join us as Volunteer , or help us in our cause to promote education to under privilege 

children in India , you may write to us : nikunjfoundation@gmail.com or send us a sms TYPE 

JOIN(SPACE)NF(SPACE) and send us to 7890011940

Follow us https://www.facebook.com/nikunjfoundation

Education for all

Education for all

An Appeal to my reader or those who are following my blog

Dear All . 

Greeting from Nikunj Foundation .
We wish you all Happy New Year 2014 .

India is a nation of a billion dreams, a billion aspirations and above all great opportunities. To turn these dreams into reality, especially for the vulnerable sections of the society, Reliance Foundation has taken the path of inclusive development to address their basic needs. Nikunj Foundation is Mixed bunch of young & experienced Educators . All of them cater different schools in different capacities viz. as director , principal , head of departments etc . Nelson Mandela once said " “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” . As educator we believes if we want  , we can change the face of the nation by providing guidance to our young generation . Our Mission to educate India remains in our heart . Our organization under the leadership of Educationist from across the India launch the Program " Education For All " .

Statistical Facts which drives our Mission:
1 - India still home to largest illiterate population: UNESCO 2 - The literacy ratio of India is 65.38% with male literacy at 75.85% and female literacy   at 54.16%
3 - Of the 193 million Children in the age group 6 to 14 years, 8.1 million children are out of school as of Sept 2004 as per Government statistics.
4 - Net primary enrollment ratio in 2001/02 : 83 7%
5 - Children reaching grade 5 in 2000/01 : 59 8 %
6 - Many of the 8.3 million Indian children born with low birth weight will carry a burden of disadvantage with them into primary school.
We work with children in orphanages, slum and village community centers; educating and mentoring them for a better future, for both themselves and our country.

What We Need & What You Get

We want to  build up a school for these children so that they can access the better education . For that we need the following :
1 - fund for purchase of land where we build the school building .
2 - fund for construction of school building .
3 - Honorary salaries to educators .
4 - funds for Providing breakfast , lunch & dinner to children’s .
5 - funds for Electricity & Water tax.
For your contribution our students will send you a memento made by them .Believe us " they are not ordinary children , they are very very special children " lets us join our hands and help these children .
Your help will bring smiles to millions of children who actually deprived from Elementary Education .Your little contribution help the world to became a better place to live in for these children. 

To support our cause , please click on  the link :

http://gogetfunding.com/project/education-for-all-3

Are Schools producing asses ?

These are the extract of Multiworld Newsletter.

Lets rethink what we are doing in Schools..

The news is official. Schools are producing asses. After an average study of 12 years (sometimes, 14) in school, children are turning out duds.The schooling system in the USA, India, Malaysia, Africa,everywhere is producing largely unimaginative and boring products, lacking initiative completely.

A recent Consumers Association of Penang booklet on How School Affects Your Kids lists the ways in which schools and their mug-mentality harm children. The school is perceived by children as:

A world of silence and immobility;
A world of uniforms, uniformity and punishments;
A world cut off from life;
A world of strange objects not found in the natural world;
A world strewn with obstacles and meaningless tasks;
A prison where students learn inferiority, submission and fear.

None of these are disputable facts.

Children themselves have drawn our attention to the fact that the school completely resembles a prison. It follows timings; food is bad or the same everyday; permission is required for everything including going to the loo; schooling demands that one sit in the same position for hours without exercise (even prisoners are spared this punishment). All children love intervals, just as prisoners look forward to the short breaks they are given out of their cells. Teachers are mostly wardens, since all they are really concerned about is discipline, uniforms, cleanliness, silence, obedience. Many of them are mean.

The comparison should not be really surprising since the same people who designed the schooling system also designed the prison system.

Parents who claim to love their children are willing to submit them to a 12 year torture learning things that everyone forgets immediately after the examinations are over.

Children who remain out of school do not lose anything since all human beings learn better out of school, given their natural aptitudes to do this. Thus, children can learn three to four languages before they are six without a teacher, but cannot speak or write a language if it is taught to them in school, even after six or eight years!

Taleemnet is providing a much needed platform for parents and educators who realise that although keeping kids out of school may initially seem risky, maybe frightening or even more of trouble, it will bring inestimable benefits in the long term in terms of quicker learning, and better family ties as children have a greater opportunity to be with their parents, members of the community, relatives and friends — all of whom will contribute in one way or another to the learning process.

One of the first Taleemnet projects is a primer on how to unschool kids or help the present ‘walk out’ rates to increase, so that children have a better chance to be themselves and learn what they want to rather than having to submit to a programme of text book cramming that goes on year after year without respite and whose utility is not accepted by anyone including the teacher.

Homework Wars

Kids don’t want to do it.
Teachers don’t want to grade it.
Experts don’t even know if it has any true education value.

So the question is: Is homework really necessary?
No thorough answer to the homework question would be complete without the input of students.

After surveying 72 students in the south Los Angeles middle and high school, students expressed a desire to move beyond the “how many pages?” homework mentality. Many of the surveyed students preferred challenging homework assignments that “make us think” or “involves a part of our lives.”

While a handful of the students wrote that they loved to do homework, most reported negative feelings towards homework assignments that were “boring” or “too much.” A majority of the students felt that they had been inadequately prepared to successfully complete their homework assignments alone. They requested that teachers explain the homework in greater detail and “actually give homework that we have talked about in class.”

Almost 30% of the surveyed students named English essays as “the worst homework assignment of the year.” They also commented on homework often being “too hard” and advised teachers to: “Take it easy because we already get frustrated with all the assignments we do in class.”

This student poll holds an obvious bias. Common sense tells us that most students would choose to do less or easier homework, if given the choice. These survey results do stress the struggle to challenge students without frustrating them, to adequately prepare students and to ensure that homework assignments are actually valuable.

Some experts believe that homework can actually impede student learning and motivation.

According to Dr. Vicki F. Panaccione, licensed child psychologist and founder of the Better Parenting Institute, “One of the biggest detriments that I come across each and every day in my clinical practice is the absolute abhorrence that the majority of students feel toward homework. I think, in most cases, the assignments are counter-productive and create a strong dislike for learning.” For optimum benefit, Panaccione recommends assignments: “that move them beyond the facts they have learned, helping students develop their ability to think, not regurgitate.”

Alfie Kohn, education critic and author of “The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing,” recommends that homework should be assigned only when necessary, and urges teachers to organize a change in mandatory homework policies. Kohn says that teachers should reflect on one main question before assigning homework: “What will the effect of this be on kids’ interest in reading, their desire to learn, and their attitudes about school?”

While Panaccione and Kohn might prefer that homework assignments be dramatically reduced, major research studies have proven that homework can increase student achievement at the secondary school level, in addition to other benefits.

According to Harris Cooper, “Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits.” Cooper is a professor of psychology and Duke University’s education director, and author of “Using Research to Answer Practical Questions About Homework.”

Parents also benefit from homework. Cooper argues that homework allows parents to get involved in their children’s education and to foster an appreciation for learning at home.

Clearly, the homework debate is not as simple as “to give homework or not to give homework.” The answer may be, rather, to redefine homework and its goals.

In her extensive research, Susan Hallam determined just that. Hallam is the head of the School of Lifelong Education and International Development at the Institute of Education, University of London. She says that the most important information that she has gleaned from research is that homework must possess specific aims related to learning.

“The real question that needs to be considered is whether homework is useful,” Hallam writes. “Giving homework just for the sake of it is wasteful of children’s time. Where it can be demonstrated to contribute to their learning, then it has value.”

Teachers Must Encourage Student Creativity

In today’s Common Core dominated, test-taking, data-driven schools, creativity is often like everybody’s favorite eccentric aunt: we all say we love her just the way she is, but nobody wants to actually be responsible for taking care of and nurturing her. And she’s really inconvenient, immeasurable, erratic, irascible, and unpredictable.

So many teachers are forced to teach to state tests that, little by little, creative projects and critical thinking have been forced to the back of the educational closet.  This isn’t because teachers like it this way; they feel it’s a necessary evil given the idea that student test scores play a large role in how teachers are evaluated.

Why Fight for Creativity in the Classroom

I am here to stand proudly for creativity, in all its messy, out-of-the-lines glory.

Why? Because ultimately, creativity not only improves those pesky test scores, but it also contributes to what should be our ultimate goal as educators: inspiring students to become curious, engaged, and interested in the world around them and within them.

“The great engine that drives innovation and invention in society comes from people whose flame of creativity was kept alive in childhood. Research shows that, if not nurtured, creativity takes a nosedive by fourth grade. Young children who were awesome artists in preschool no longer color the sky orange and pink just because they love the glowing colors,” says Alice Sterling Honig, PhD, of Syracuse University.

In large part, this happens within the confines of the classroom walls. We train them to spit out the answers we want rather than find the answers themselves, because it’s quicker and gets a more consistent result. But is it the right thing to do?

The Bottom Line on Creativity

Every invention, both practical and whimsical, was the product of creativity. The car you drive, the clothes you wear, the music you hear, some television shows you watch, the books you’ve read, medicines that have cured your ills—all these came from a creative mind, someone who could take existing information and knowledge and tweak it slightly to make something totally new and original.

“Creativity has always been prized in American society,” according to author Po Bronson, “but it’s never really been understood.” Bronson and co-author Ashley Merryman wrote a cover story for July’s Newsweek Magazine titled The Creative Crisis. The writers note that “while our creativity scores decline unchecked, the current national strategy for creativity consists of little more than praying for a Greek muse to drop by our houses. The problems we face now, and in the future, simply demand that we do more than just hope for inspiration to strike.”

As teachers, it is our duty to introduce and nurture creative thought in the classroom. It’s messy and often difficult to measure, but this is the stuff that dreams are made of, and America desperately needs dreamers. Of course, they still need to be able to read, write, and do arithmetic, but emphasizing those skills at the expense of critical and divergent thinking is a mistake, not only in a practical sense, but also because we are called to inspire and ignite young imaginations, not shove them into a box with a scantron.

How to Bring Creativity into the Classroom

It really depends on your subject area and/or grade level, but all teachers can sprinkle some pixie dust on their curriculum:

Get Visual

• Allow students to look at photos or paintings and make up stories about them.

Integrate Music

• Play different kinds of music and ask students to visualize the scenes that might be going on while the music is playing, and have them draw or write poetry, or create a short, short story.
• Remember the old Schoolhouse Rock? I learned more about the Constitution from those little segments with music than I did in all my high school classes.

Historical Creativity

• English teachers really have great opportunities to infuse creativity, but other subject areas lend themselves also: in history or social science, have students write letters form the point of view of an historical character, or write a scene of dialogue between a historical character and a modern-day politician or pop star.

Math & Science

• Math and science might be more of a challenge, but consider letting students create homes or buildings out of geometric shapes, or write a song about basic math principles.
• There are also many resources for creative projects emerging, since the issue is gaining attention. Look for project-based instruction, or constructivist learning, and you might find some interesting ideas that may inspire creativity in you.

Recent Development in Education sector

Firstly some development on the NOC from the state government (please see the clipping below) which may no longer be required.

 

Accreditation: The New Trend in School Improvement

For hundreds of years there have been varying philosophies about education, based on various models of study. In modern times, parents, students, and educators continue to explore the different philosophies on education and how they impact learning. While each education philosophy has its own belief in the driving forces behind it, the issue of provision of education quality exists in the wake of the recent globalization. Numerous education systems exist throughout the world; however, education providers have not been able to develop a consensus on what to teach, what teaching methodologies they should adopt and how the examinations should be assessed.  The question that arises is how the quality of education can be assured when numerous education systems exist across the world.

There are numerous regional accreditation agencies and bodies across the world that assess the education providers of their specific regions on different factors.  They evaluate an educational institution based on the years of education students acquire and how many of them pass their exams. The problems that arise is since these exams are not similar in different countries, they do not really allow an agency to evaluate the quality of education imparted to the students. The quality of education cannot be assured because the academic programs around the world are not the same and cannot be compared to each other.

To standardize the quality of education globally and accredit education providers on an international scale, organizations like IAO have developed accreditation standards that are both regionally and internationally recognized and accepted.

Traditional and Non-Traditional education providers today have realized the importance of establishing global educational standards through international accreditation, adding tremendous value to the brand name of their establishment. In this regard, to prove the legitimacy of such organizations, University of Bangalore recently received Candidacy Status from IAO, which is a major achievement for the education sector of India. It will encourage reputed education providers to get internationally accredited and recognized for providing quality education. Not only this, this accreditation will offer international recognition to all its stakeholders, a factor considered very important by students and university placement programs around the world.

With IAO’s international accreditation, education can reach out across geographic boundaries and has greater appeal for foreign students. Graduates of internationally accredited universities find it much easier to pursue careers in foreign countries because their academic credentials are accepted worldwide. This quality of international accreditation plays a vital role in career development for students and increases the value of international accreditation for students.

Classroom Displays

Classroom displays are an integral part of a classroom.  They help children feel valued and involved.  Their artwork is often displayed on the walls but needs framing appropriately.  Classroom displays can help. We stock a huge number of classroom display products, from display letters to banners, borders and trimmers, all designed to offer you choice.  Classroom displays are critical to your success.

School bulletin boards and Classroom Displays can be updated as often as you like – some themes will obviously last longer than others.  Children are very engaged in their classroom displays and will no doubt have strong views as to what should, or should not, be included.  It is a simple way and impactful way to share information and update others on the work going on in your classroom.   Schools have a number of communal areas which can create a welcoming and high impact first impression when classroom display products are used effectively.  The atmosphere of an area can be changed almost instantly.

There are a number of free resources available on the web which can help you with ideas for what to put up in your displays.  Sites such as Classroom Displayhave a huge selection of great value and high quality resources which can be used again and again.

classfSchool Improvement

'Classroom Displays'

Cut , Copy , Paste

This article considers how teachers can deal with the culture of plagiarism.

Plagiarism – the intentional or unintentional use of material from another source without acknowledgment – has become a “rot” that has set into Indian society, especially into the educational system. While this happens more often than not because of the ease of the process of copy-pasting from the Internet, or due to lack to time, or because it is just easier to use someone else’s work than spend time and energy creating your own, it is also because children often just don’t realise that it is not the right thing to do. 

You open the first project file, slick and sharp in its clear plastic cover and blue spine, with a beautifully illustrated cover. “This child has certainly taken a lot of trouble over her work!” you think. You sit back and begin to read, expecting the content to live up to the promise of the packaging. And indeed it does. The sentences indicate a fluency that amazes you, the ideas expressed with clarity and elegance. You’re impressed. Paragraph after paragraph of perfectly formed ideas, building an argument that wins the day. You give the project top marks, then turn to check the name on the cover as you enter the marks into your register. Hmm…strange, this child never showed this much potential before.

On a hunch, you type a random paragraph from this project into the Google search bar on your computer screen and voila! an entire paper on precisely the topic you had assigned. With a few changes here and there, this is the project you had just graded, word for word.
Such a scenario is becoming increasingly common, with a number of children in urban schools having easy access to readily packaged information on the Internet. It’s easy to copy and paste text, often images as well, and simply turn it as your own work, most often, with no acknowledgments made. Sometimes, a sloppily put together list of web sites (with incomplete addresses) serves as a reference list but it is never clear what extent of information was just lifted straight off those sites and how much of the paper is the student’s own analysis or insight. Of course, copying is not restricted to material off the Net; it can just as easily (though with slightly more labour) be done from a book in the library, a report taken from a family member or friend, or a project submitted by another child in another school.

Plagiarism – the intentional or unintentional usage of material from another source without acknowledgment – has become what one blogger (“Sunil”) calls a “rot” that has set into Indian society, especially into the educational system. Students at all levels think nothing of using ideas and words without citing the source, often not even noting it for their own records. While this happens more often than not because of the ease of the process of copy-pasting from the Internet, or due to lack to time, or because it is just easier to use someone else’s work than spend time and energy creating your own, it is also because children often just don’t realise that it is not the right thing to do. No one has sat them down and explained what intellectual and academic honesty mean.

We cannot get away from the Internet. Nor can we escape the fact that there’s so much formation around us; students today have an amazing array of sources to choose from when they begin exploring a topic. They are exposed to a variety of perspectives as well, and if they choose to, they can draw from a whole range of sources, conventional (printed reference sources, subject experts) and unconventional (talk radio, internet sources such as blogs as well as reference sites such as Wikipedia). What we need to ensure is that they understand the fine line between drawing upon other people’s work to build their own ideas, and simply presenting a ready-made analysis as their own.

Plagiarism can be unintentional, as in when you forget to cite a source or use material without complete information on the source but do not actually claim it is your own. This is more a matter of intellectual sloppiness than dishonesty, and can be corrected by communicating clear instructions on how to handle references and academic citation conventions. It may help for teachers to provide a style sheet for references and citations, and to give examples of where and how source material needs to be acknowledged. Students may not realise that it is important to cite sources even when they do not reproduce material verbatim. The process of paraphrasing in a way makes it their own. They need to understand that the author owns the idea just as much she/he owns the words in which the idea is expressed.

Intentional plagiarism is of ourse a clearer case of dishonesty and is perhaps tackled more easily. But here too, a policy must be laid down and standards set for citing sources and giving credit not only for quoting verbatim but for ideas as well. It is not enough to simply state that plagiarism will be punished but to discuss in the class what exactly constitutes plagiarism.

Some teachers believe that insisting on handwritten assignments to some extent discourages students from copying outright – and even if they do copy word for word, the act of writing it out ensures that some amount of learning or internalisation has taken place. Printed assignments on the other hand could be just cut-copy-paste jobs from a variety of web sites, sometimes not even read through carefully. One teacher cites the case of a student who turned in a printed paper that was clearly a copy-paste job, with even the web address still on the top of the page!

There are more complex issues concerning the copy-paste culture and the various grades of plagiarism. Idea theft – where an idea has been discussed by someone informally and then appropriated and presented by another – is difficult to identify and even more difficult to prove. There are cases where parents put together material for their children to use, sometimes going so far as to have projects commissioned by experts. The school system is not entirely blameless in this area. Often projects are assigned that are much beyond the ability of a single student, both in terms of their intellectual demands and sheer physical scope. Parents are expected to help, not just with advice and feedback, but with the actual putting together of the project. So from a very early age children get used to the fact of depending on others for their work, often without giving explicit credit or acknowledgment for these inputs.

A teacher can help set ethical standards by discussion and by practice early on in a child’s school career. Even in primary school projects, children can be encouraged to talk about how they did a project and who helped them with it, without penalising them for taking help. The point to be emphasised is that we all need help with our work and it is important to give credit to those who help us – or to the sources where the help comes from, if it is not a particular person. Asking simple questions like “Where did you get this idea?” and “Did your mother/father help you with this?” in a climate that is not threatening but simply interested, will encourage children to share the process of their learning and to understand that it’s okay to ask for and take help – and that it’s not only okay, but essential to say so.

In higher classes, teachers need to not only insist on clear documentation of project work but also lead by example in talking about where they access information and where certain ideas have come from in their own lectures and notes. Plenty of examples exist in the scientific and academic literature of the consequences of plagiarism and intellectual theft, and it might be worthwhile to share some of these, so that children understand the larger issues that could stem from a simple copypaste activity. Teachers need to emphasize that while the Net is a valuable and convenient source of information, overdependence on it as a source of information can also lead to a certain intellectual laziness – apart from the fact that a Google search can often end up being like a needle-in-a-haystack exercise unless you know where and how to look, and what to look for!

At the school level, it’s important that there is a uniform and accepted policy in place to deal with plagiarism, and that this is widely disseminated to staff, students and parents.

The ease with which images, text and even sound can be copied, manipulated and reworked to create new products out of bits of old ones leads to a situation where no one recognises where the idea (or set of ideas) came from in the first place. For instance, the whole ‘re-mix’ revolution is based on the idea of taking an old thing and changing it. So where does ownership lie? To what extent can the ‘new’ form be claimed as a completely original idea? Is this plagiarism or simply creative imitation? And then there are cases of literary successes who then turn out to be merely skilful copiers who stitch together stories from a variety of sources and package it as something new.

Surrounded by a popular culture where copying is the norm, where footnotes and cumbersome reference lists are considered not only passé but redundant, children often find it difficult to recognise, let alone respect, ethical boundaries. School is the place where these ethics have to be reclaimed. After all, if scholarship is about anything, it is about ideas and their growth. And unless we teach children to respect other people’s ideas and words, they will never learn to recognise and then value originality.

The concept of plagiarism can be discussed in a variety of ways, and it has ramifications beyond copied projects. Students in high school could be encouraged to think about some of these issues. For instance, are there ideas that have no owners, ideas that are part of a common intellectual realm that exists outside of individual thought?

How can we distinguish between ‘common knowledge’ and individually generated ideas? Is copyright and ownership of intellectual property only a way of limiting the spread of ideas and knowledge? You could discuss the implications of patenting and bring up issues such as the differences between patenting products and processes. What relationship does plagiarism and copying have with the whole issue of patenting?

How can teachers spot plagiarism? 
Here are some things to look out for.

• Unusual sophistication in ideas or their articulation
• A last minute submission of exceptional quality
• Lack of any documentation in the text or no references in a complex assignment
• Wide variation in style within a document
• The cropping up of sudden names or isolated markers without explanation
• The appearance of similar blocks of text in more than one student’s project

How do teachers address the situation?

• Work through a project with the entire class: bring in a set of reference texts and ask the class, in groups, to arrive at a synthesis which draws from these texts. In the process show them how to cite and refer, what constitutes acceptable paraphrasing, etc.
• Arrive at an assessment method that takes into account the process of working on a project as well as the product-this will then address issues such as how well and clearly references have been used and cited, how much originality has been applied, etc.
• Assign short summarising and critiquing exercises that build skills in precis writing that goes beyond just drawing out selected sentences verbatim from a source text.

Can Concentration Really Improve Memory?

Expert answers the big question, can concentration improve memory? The basic memory mechanics exposes the power of concentration to improve memory. You can combine yoga with the basic memory mechanics to concentrate and focus to enhance encoding information in the brain. We’re a group of navigation engineers that take pride in navigating readers to the Correct Knowledge to obliterate harsh learning curves. We know from experience that knowledge is not power, but the correct use of knowledge is power. This article is about making the correct choices to improve memory and prevent from traveling down long lost dreary roads, stumbling into rattle snake pits and the lion’s dens.

Can concentration improve memory? Yes, concentrating can increase the amount of information encoded in the brain. Concentration enhances the basic memory mechanics by creating a healthy, vibrant and energetic brain. Most of my readers want to add additional skills to enhanced brain encoding methods and functionalities of the brain.Combining basic memory mechanics and concentrating creates the perfect chemistry. You are deeply encoding information in the brain, which makes recalling important and relevant information faster.

First I highly recommend practicing the basic memory mechanics, which are enough: (1) water-10 glasses per day (2) sleep-6-8 hours per day (3) consumption of memory foods, vegetables and fruits (4) consumption of memory vitamin-supplements with memory foods, because vitamins cannot assimilate and digest alone.

Secondly practice proven methods that work for you.

Thirdly you can practice additional skills to increase encoding in the brain. Yes, concentration can improve memory when your brain is healthy and fit. You should always practice the basic memory mechanics and brain encoding methods; then add concentration skills. Believe me it requires excellent concentration and focus to practice in sequence and to create healthy learning habits.

Yoga is the “Master” of meditating, focusing and concentrating, which can: (1) increase concentration to improve memory, as well as (2) enhance encoding information in the brain. There are many types of Yoga’s, which are known to connect the mind; body and soul. Maybe you are still wondering, “How can concentration improve memory?” Any healthy brain can add additional skill concentration skills that can enhance encoding information in the brain.

Most of my readers want to know, “How concentration improves memory?” I intend to answer this question with accuracy, definition and precision. Encoding information in the brain is a simple process that grows and builds from practicing a proven process that healthily position and prepares the brain to encode as well as enhance amount of information the brain encodes.

Basic Memory Mechanics

The “Basic Memory Mechanics” is simple a way of caring for the brain, which can make the brain care for you. This process of caring creates a healthy vibrant and energetic brain. Through experience, wisdom, knowledge and understanding you can rely on the basic memory mechanics to keep you on track, which is: (1) sleeping 6-8 hour per day, (2) consuming 10 glasses of water daily, (3) consuming memory foods daily, and (4) consuming memory vitamins with your memory foods. The basic memory mechanics is practiced process that creates a healthy, ready and prepared brain. The brain is boosted, energized, stimulated, and ready to practice the brain encoding methods that work for you.

Brain Encoding Methods

A healthy brain is the key to encoding information in the brain as well as enhancing amount of information encoded in the brain. You’re healthy, energetic and stimulated brain can encode important and relevant information much better. Most of my readers are experts at practicing the basic memory mechanics and proven encoding methods. Beginners should practice 3 proven encoding methods per month, 3 times per week for 2 hours and for 6-12 months, which is highly recommended. I many of my readers are known to practice 5-7 encoding methods, however I realize that some have been practicing encoding methods from as early as Pre-K and Kindergarten, which mean that encoding may be deeply rooted learning habits. Therefore practicing numerous encoding methods may vary depending on the amount of encoding experience you may have.

Additional Skills

Practicing the following in sequence can benefit you immensely:

(1) basic memory mechanics

(2) proven encoding methods that work for you

(3) Adding additional skills to enhance brain encoding methods, which can increase amount of information brain encodes. Your brain muscle should be positioned, ready and prepared to practice additional skills to enhance encoding information in the brain.

Can concentration improve memory? You have a blue print that you can utilize to healthily add skills to enhance brain encoding through proper focus and concentration.

The Importance of Computer and Internet Access at Home

The internet is something most of us take for granted.  We look up recipes, stay connected to friends and family, and research many different topics.  More and more devices such as phones, e-readers, and MP3 players connect
to the internet.  And many students use the internet on a regular basis to do research for papers and other school assignments.  In addition to the internet, many students use programs such as word processing programs, drawing programs and photo shop programs.

It should be reassuring that more and more students are using the computer.  That is until you look at statistics in the states that perform worst where education is concerned.  Recent statistics out of Louisiana, which routinely ranks near the bottom in terms of education and graduation rates, show that between 32 to 40 percent of students do not have access to computers or internet at home.

For a whole generation of parents and grandparents that number may not seem too alarming, after all, they managed to go to school, even to college and advanced degrees without internet access.  But the world has changed.  In years past, one expense that many parents incurred early in their child’s life was the purchase of an encyclopedia set.  As the computer and internet became a household fixture, many families replaced the purchase of encyclopedias with internet access.  It could be argued that students with computer and internet access at home have an unfair advantage over students who do not have that access.

Consider the student who does have internet access at home.  With a five page report due, that student sits in their own home, pulls up the internet on the computer, and at their fingertips have thousands of sources from which to gather information.  After collecting his or her data, this student types in the report, giving little care to the correct spelling or grammar, since both of those are easy enough to fix with an adequate word processing program.  Finally, the corrected research paper is printed out and tucked into a folder to be turned in.

In comparison the student who does not have computer and internet access at home has to find a source to gather information from for the paper.  The library might be a good source for that, but first the student must secure a ride to the library.  If that student is lucky, she can then use library resources.  This is a much slower process, requiring more time.  Some students might then wait in line for computer time at the library, with hopes of getting time to enter their report and print it out.  However, computer resources at the library are limited, and not everyone will have the time or opportunity to type in their report.  This means that this student will then spend additional time hand-writing the report.  In addition, this student will not have the benefit of grammar and spell checker software.

The contrast between the time spend for each of these students to complete the same report is startling.  The depth of research will not be equal for these two students, nor will the grammatical and spelling accuracy.  This puts the student without computer and internet access at a decided disadvantage before the paper is even graded.  Because of those disadvantages, the technologically challenged student may fall behind simply because it takes more time to complete assignments, and that additional time spent will take time away from the study of other subjects.

Over the course of a student’s elementary, middle and high school years this disadvantage will probably be cumulative and may also lead to lower self-esteem, as grades may slip, or at best require more work, and longer hours to remain competitive with other students who have technological advantages such as home computer and internet access.

In a time when we are blaming teachers for poor performance, and in states that score low in academics, maybe
one way to improve the standing of students and the states in general is to look at the gap between the students who have home computer and internet access and those who do not.  It is beyond the scope of this writing to suggest a solution to this dilemma, however it is interesting to consider that home computer and internet access might contribute to improved grades, and ultimately high academic performance within a state.