“The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity.” -Zig Ziglar

The Internet makes access to information as easy and common as breathing. As adults, and Educators, we have a strong sense of intellectual property, and the ethics of what is appropriate use and inappropriate use of the information we collect. Students do not possess this understanding innately. We must model and instruct our students in these areas.

Certainly this topic includes the issues around plagiarism and proper citation, but it also encompasses copyright and evaluation of resources for bias and appropriateness.

While we as Educators work under a veil of “fair use” protection in our face-to-face interactions with students, it is imperative that we model and instruct students on copyright related issues. This includes imparting of the understanding that the person who creates something new (writing, photographs, music, art, etc.) is the owner of that intellectual property and can decide how others are allowed to use it.

In our current “digital age” where access to student access to powerful tools is prevalent, this is a two way street where students are both the consumers of products created by others, and increasingly the producers of new objects covered by copyright in their own right. When the idea of copyright as it applies to work THEY create is first presented to students, this abstract concept of intellectual property and Copyright becomes much more concrete and able to be internalized. An understanding of Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org/about/what-is-cc) is valuable, and an appropriate avenue for opening this dialogue with students.

Once there is a general understanding that the words of others are “owned” by others, a discussion on plagiarism is made real for them. Even then, when copy/paste is so quick and easy, students often do not feel that taking someone else’s words is “theft” or “fraud.” It is our role as educators to assist them in this understanding (http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_plagiarism.html)

To ensure that plagiarism is a non-issue in your room you can actively cultivate a climate where the skill of locating and evaluating relevant information and attributing it properly is valued. Another appropriate idea is to design assignments that make plagiarism less possible. For other tips on combating plagiarism you might find this link interesting (http://virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm).

The ethical use of information begins with evaluation of the source materials. A significant amount of this process is covered under the subject of “media literacy.” Determining the credibility of information on the internet is one of a larger set of modern medial literacies. If you are interested in learning more you might appreciate the work of Howard Rhiengold (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/rheingold/detail?entry_id=42805).

Kathy Schrock maintains a good list of links and worksheets for the classroom teacher dealing with issues of critical evaluation (http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/eval.html) though you will find many other examples of these services online.(http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-credibility/assessing-credibility-online-sources.shtml)

Evaluation of the skills of students in the area of ethical use of information is generally behavioral. Did they plagiarize on their report? Did they properly cite the photographer who took the image they used in their presentation? Did they evaluate the primary sources they found online using any form of critical tools?

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi

At its heart, traditional collaboration is about grouping individuals to work on a common task so that their fates are intertwined. The strengths of one benefit all in the group, and through having our fates intertwined we learn to work together and capitalize upon our individual abilities. In the largest, most general sense, this is true in every case. However, technology is a prism that separates collaboration into various hues.

Collaboration can now involve communication tools like E-mail or Instant Messaging. Online discussion boards become a place for ideas to be born, evolve, mature or dissapear.

Collaboration can be done in “real time” despite geography. Free video conferencing tools like Skype or iChat allow for people in different places to converse face-to-face.

Document repositories like Student DocuShare allow for organization and order to be made of the various digital resources created when everyone is working different aspects of the same project.

There are online tools like Diigo and NoodleBib that allow for shared annotation and bookmarking of websites, that can flow neatly into bibliographies at the bottom of a Google Doc with sharing turned on so that many can contribute to a single document – editing and revising as the document is being written, whether the students are sitting beside each other in a classroom, or in separate living rooms across town.

Tools like “Wikis” allow all members of a group equal ownership of a single published document, each person contributing a smaller piece of a larger puzzle.

Publishing work on the web opens the door to continued learning after the “final draft” of a piece of work through the comments left by peers or the general public. The idea of collaboration is never purer than when strangers expand each other’s ideas in this way.

Without technology present, collaboration might look like partners or small groups working together on an assignment. With technology present you have to ask yourself the question – what will the gadgets we have access to allow students to do that they would be unable to do without them?

In this internet age, collaboration with technology should introduce the ability for students to interact with people outside of their circle of acquaintance. Beyond the classroom, across grade levels, outside of the building if possible. (via Nicole Badgely, Arnold, NE)

When assessing the impact of collaboration you should hold the completed work to the same rigor you would if it were done by an individual. However, collaborative skills as described by the Parntnership for 21st Century Skills show that students:

• Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
• Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal
• Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member

“Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.” The last part of this adage is the essence of inquiry-based learning. Inquiry implies involvement that leads to understanding. -Joe Exline

“Memorizing facts and information is not the most important skill in today’s world. Facts change, and information is readily available – what’s needed is an understanding of how to get and make sense of the mass of data. Unfortunately, our traditional educational system has worked in a way that discourages the natural process of inquiry. Students become less prone to ask questions as they move through the grade levels. In traditional schools, students learn not to ask too many questions, instead to listen and repeat the expected answers.”
(via http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html)

Inquiry process is not a single unique method or strategy. The scientific method is an inquiry process. Six Sigma, Franklin Covey and other business models use their own inquiry tools to drive decision making in organizations. The important common trait of any inquiry process is that it all revolves around the process of learning through questioning. Developing essential questions drives the process. The end point is not the concern. This method of learning is natural and empowering, and powerful at any point, though it happens to fit particularly well in project based learning opportunities.

“Establishing an essential question provides the impetus for investigations and research. If properly stated, the essential question has a dramatic impact, evoking a passionate level of interest as well as a firm commitment to persevere until a satisfying level of understanding is reached.”
-Jamie McKenzie (via http://questioning.org/mar05/essential.html)

For more information about “Inquiry Based Education” you can begin with the Wikipedia page on the subject.

Lincoln Public School’s Library Media Services are very interested in inquiry based learning, and in September 2010 Jamie McKenzie, a national author and proponent of this learning method, will a few days at LPSDO working with staff members. If this is an area that intrigues you, please contact your school’s Library Media Specialist for more information on what he had to share.

When assessing student work within an inquiry based project, you have a range of possibilities. Learning journals, products (demonstrations of mastery scored with rubrics,) conferences and presentations of newfound knowledge to peers. More information may be found at http://inquiry.illinois.edu/php/assessment2.php