#ISTE12: Want to stop students from copying? Change the product (Elizabeth Allen, Melinda Kolk)

Presenters:
Melinda Kolk
Melinda@tech4learning.com
Elizabeth Allen
Allenel@lc-ps.org

Websites:
Link to similar presentation: http://www.tech4learning.com/iste2012-change-the-product
Program they used in Model Lesson  https://www1.wixie.com/

Notes (from presenters in bold, from me in italics):

• The wealth of information our students have access to makes it easy for them to just go and data dump (copy-paste) into their project.
• We need to make sure that what we are asking them to do is relevant.
• If what we are doing does not reach for higher level thinking skills, it makes it very easy for them to just go into the Internet and copy-paste.

These are all very good points.  In today's technological age, finding information is not the problem...I remember having to use the "World Book Encyclopedia" to write my Planet Report and State Report in elementary school.  Now there is almost TOO much information online!  We must teach our students how to make sense of what they find. We can't just ask them for information (because finding the information is way too easy), we must ask them to do something with the information.

• We must introduce research to our students and teach them how to synthesize rather than copy.
• Big 6 Research Method
• We must work smarter, not harder - we aren't doing something additional, but we are doing what we already do BETTER
• Why do students copy?  Very rarely is it just because they are lazy...
• Limited reading ability
• Limited vocabulary
• Lack of research skills
• Lack of understanding of assignment
• Lack of motivation
• A non-stimulating final product 

This made me think. Honestly, when students copy in my class, I really have thought it was because they are lazy.  But, maybe there is a deeper meaning or reason that I need to explore as I connect with my students.  This is definitely something I am going to keep in mind this school year.

• Bloom's Taxonomy

My focus is really on students applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating content.  Like it was mentioned at several other sessions, I am trying to take the remembering and understanding parts out of the classroom (via video) and so we can focus on the four higher levels in class.  This is my big focus for next year - doing a better job with those four levels during class time by providing a variety of learning activities for my students to engage in that will really challenge them.

• Marzano - 9 things we want our students doing

• We can't have our students do projects that are just remembering and understanding

I think this is a good description of what we call "busy work". It must go deeper than that!

• Sample Projects (mostly for elementary level) can be found here.