Legalized “Cheating”

2-10-06
“Traditionally an approach like this would be against the rules, ‘You’d have to rip up their tests and call their parents.’” At High Tech High, students in humanities are permitted to use the Internet during essay tests. In schools all across the U.S., the definition of cheating is changing; “they’re permitting all kinds of behaviors that have been considered off limits just a few years ago.”
“In Ohio, students at Cincinnati Country Day can take their laptops into some tests and search online Cliff Notes. At Ensign Intermediate School in Newport Beach, Calif., seventh-graders are looking at each other’s hand-held computers to get answers on their science drills. And in San Diego, high schoolers can roam free on the Internet during English exams.”
Ellen Gamerman, author of “Legalized ‘Cheating,’” does not officially take a stand on the issue of cheating, but she spends most of the article giving examples, quotes, and parallels supporting the change in the definition of cheating.
Gamerman explains that technology is growing, and that many teachers are beginning to agree that fighting it would be futile. They say it is simpler to embrace the technology. Also, teachers say it is important for students to learn how to access information through technology. “The real world strengths of intelligent surfing and analysis… are now just as important as rote memorization.” Gamerman also says that team work and cooperation are promoted when students are allowed to beam answers to each other over hand-held computers.
What is cheating? Cheating is any form of plagiarism or any dishonest use of another’s work. Cheating is to accomplish a task through deceit, trick, or artifice. Changing the definition of cheating does not make what was previously considered to be cheating more right. Whether it is called cheating or not, students are still missing out on several essential social and studying skills. They are using another’s work, and passing their work off as their own.
Technology can be embraced without being used to cheat. Teachers have simply to ask their students to put laptops, hand-held computer, and cell phones away. Then a more vigilant watch must be kept. It seems teachers are opting out of this extra work and simply letting the students have things their way.
Also, students can be taught to access information on the internet without letting the technology overrun all subjects in school. We take computer literature courses, and use the Internet for help on homework, but we still do fine on English essays and science drills without having the Internet at our fingertips at all times. Allowing a student to use a laptop and/or the Internet during a test is cheating. Students are just copying the work of another, and they are not learning to think for themselves.
As for team work, this can also be taught without the use of technology. Besides, beaming answers on hand-held computers hardly constitutes human interaction. In any case, the world places more importance on the individual and his ability to perform. An individual that always has someone else’s thoughts at his disposal will perform poorly.
It is true that technology has become more readily available and easier to use. It seems a shame, however, to cheat students of social and study skills that are necessary for their future. Teachers will have to work harder to stop kids from cheating but without the machines, students take away so much more. Changing the definition of cheating is not the way to provide a balance between technology and old-school memorization.

It seems like I'm just saying the same thing over and over again, huh? Well I state my opinion, and that was the point of the assignment. It's not very strongly supported, however, and the paper has no purpose otherwise.