Using technology to cheat in classrooms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Using technology to cheat in classrooms - Essay Example Unfortunately, cheating has always been a part of academia. This essay is designed to look at current methods that students employ to get better grades, and what school officials are doing about the problem.Once the television was invented, people still had to get up to change the channel. If students wanted to cheat on exams, they had to write on note cards, or the palms of their hands. Now, ATMs have decreased the need for quite as many workers, people spend 20 minutes looking for the remote because changing the TV manually is unheard of, and student who want to cheat have a large number of technologically savvy devices to make their efforts successful. Teachers and principals claim that cheating isn't more prevalent now, it's just more sophisticated (Owen, 2008). Marty Wilkins, a 25-year veteran teacher at Milwaukie High School is quoted as saying, "Technology today does make it harder to keep on top of things" (Owen, 2008). Owen's news article covered technology-based cheating in Oregonian classrooms. Teachers at Milwaukie and West Linn high schools have had enough, but are afraid that there isn't much that can be done about it. They cite the reasons for cheating as trying to get higher grades, getting positive attention from parents, and trying to get into choice colleges. Still they have a message for cheaters: "Eventually, it will catch up with you," Wilkins said (Owen, 2008).Technology-based cheating has taken on a life of its own. ... Nelson is a technology coordinator at Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota. Eden Prairie has gone digital, using materials like interactive white boards and video conferencing. Nelson and other school officials are trying to figure out how they can best use popular kids' devices like MP3 players and iPods. Mary Slinde, associate principal of Hopkins High School in Minnesota, said a ban of popular cheating devices is not likely. "They're a part of our kids' world," Slinde said (Relerford, 2007). The state of Iowa is taking a harder line. Jean Morsch, a math teacher, said she confiscates listening devices in her class, because students have been known to record answers to test quest, then listen to them during the tests, pretending to listen to music Monzingo, 2007). Therefore, the schools are disallowing media players in the classroom, even though the majority of school officials admit that when used appropriately, these devices can actually enhance the learning experience. Tim Dodd, former director of the Center for Academic Integrity at Clemson University said, "[It's] not the means; it's the motive" (Monzingo, 2007). What is to blame for the cheating Michael Josephson, president of Josephson Institute of Ethics in Los Angeles, blames the lack of ethics. "There's a hole in the moral ozone, and it's getting bigger," he said (Owen, 2008). Josephson claims that 67 percent of high school students admit to cheating. He doesn't have any reason to believe that incidences of cheating is at an all-time high, but is appalled at the lack of moral code in 67 percent of students. Others claim that a lack of personal responsibility is to blame. After the Owen article appeared in February, parents commented on the