Plagiarism in the digital era

This infographic, "Cheating in school: How the digital age affects cheating and plagiarism" by Loreal Lynch in Schools.com (September 16, 2011) provides a visual snapshot of the extent of the problem.

"Many students can’t even distinguish between what constitutes plagiarism and what doesn’t. According to recent research, 71% do NOT believe copying from the Web is “serious cheating.”
Loreal Lynch (September 16, 2011)


Courtesy of: Schools.com

Plagiarism and cheating appear to be an endemic problem in the digital era, facilitated by the ease of copying from the vast resources of the web, general ignorance, lack of understanding of ethical use or a laissez-faire attitude by users.

Digital Citizenship should be an integral part of learning in the digital age and this includes ethical use of resources. Creative Commons licensed resources - finding, using, correct attribution, re-mixing, creating, publishing and contributing to the shared pool - help in reducing the blurring factor as mentioned by Loreal.

The infographic is a good starting point for discussion in the classroom or meeting room.

QR Codes in education

Interested in an introduction to QR Codes for education?

This slideshare presentation by Marielle Lange provides both an introduction to QR codes eg definition, creation, tips and and some ideas that educators can use to get those creative juices flowing.

QR codes in education

View more presentations from Marielle Lange

Mobile learning

The Voxy blog has posted an infographic about mobile learning an (including Creative Commons licensing and accompanying embed code) with some ideas for discussion or further research.


I'm not such a fan of the "digital natives" label but the visual and ideas in "Are We Wired For Mobile Learning? [INFOGRAPHIC]" should prove useful in discussions about mLearning.

10.10.10 or One Day on Earth

Join the One Day on Earth movement and participate on 10/10/2010.

This is a global 'multi-platform participatory media project' event where everyday people, including students and teachers, are encouraged to document and record a story of shared human experience over a 24-hour period. The aim is to capture the diversity of life and culture on this planet on a particular day, 10th October, 2010 (10.10.10).

"One Day on Earth is a documentary and new media project about the amazing diversity, conflict, tragedy, and triumph that occurs in one 24-hour period on Earth."

The organisers of One Day on Earth anticipate that capturing and sharing stories over 24 hours will utilise the power of the participatory culture, raise awareness and "foster a greater sense of global empathy and, ultimately, action towards a more sustainable and equitable planet."

Educational digital media toolkits will be available to educators who register onsite.

The toolkit will contain videos, slideshows and PDFs to support students in brainstorming and basic film/video concepts as well as curricula and lesson plans to support participation as photographers, filmmakers, journalists and world citizens.

One Day on Earth Participant Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

Through participation, planning and collaboration using contemporary communication formats, students should better undertsand the diversity of people and cultures.

An exciting and authentic learning experience!

Catchy Apostrophe Song App!

'Put the apostrophe back in its place!'
That's the aim of this fun and catchy new app, The Apostrophe Song App, created by a local Adelaide (South Australia) company, Cool Rules. I purchased this low cost App for the Apple iPhone/iPad/iPod touch from the iTunes Store.

Check out Cool Rules and preview the songs (four different versions eg pop/rock, hip hop, rap, acoustic). The site has a number of resources with 'useful punctuation tips and exercises (which) can be downloaded free of charge'. You can download the words and music and burn the songs to CD (once you have purchased the app).

Check the YouTube video.



Join the Cool Rules Schools’ Challenge.

Record your own version of The Apostrophe Song and contribute to the Cool Rules Song Library.

Real-time polling/mapping

SurveyMapper looks like a very useful tool.
This is a free real-time geographic survey and polling tool from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London. It is currently in beta release. The tool is an example of social simulation resources (part of an academic research project) and is free to use for non-commercial purposes.

There are many polls available (including analytics) but the bonus in using SurveyMapper is the addition of real-time mapping (and the number and choice of map options appear to be still under development). Select a date range to open and close your poll.


The site utilises GoogleMaps and provides some quick sharing options eg via Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg and Reddit to promote your survey.

I experimented with a very quick poll, 'Is your school using mobile devices for mLearning?' (mobile/cell/smart/ phone, iPod, iPodTouch/iPad, or similar) with a simple Yes or No choice to start with but have not promoted it.

I hope to create a more complex poll on a social issue to test SurveyMapper's functionality. I love the combination of a free and easy to use polling tool and visualization of results (via mapping eg. global), charts and geo-codes, all updated in real-time.

Quick brainstorm

Just checking out Answer Garden quick feedback poll.
Answer Garden claims to be "A minimal tool for maximum feedback"

What Web2.0 tool tops your list for use in education?... at AnswerGarden.ch.