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No More Cheating!
You Will be Caught
Because technology has allowed cheating to reach exponential heights, numerous programs and services have been created
to aid the common teacher in catching students cheating. For example, www.turnitin.com is a website dedicated to catching
plagarism in term papers and even simple book reports. It is very easy to use, and is a great resource for finding cheaters
out there. The paper is simply input into the database and the program searches the thousands of articles, papers, and other
resources to attempt to find any sort of plagarism that may have taken place. Once a paper is submitted to the website, it
too becomes a part of the online database. Schools using services similar to this one, are taking the first step necessary
to eliminate the use of technology to cheat in school and even in life. However, this cannot be the only attempt to deter
students from attempting to cheat, because it will not be successful. The amount of cheating that goes on in schools is astonishingly
high and it will take much more than a website to stop students from using other resources.
A likely deterrence
Obviously, the first step is accomplished by the parents; as soon as a child is born, the expectation must be for the
child to accomplish tasks on his/her own. “Starting at preschool age, parents can teach their kids the value of honesty—explaining
it, expecting it, and demonstrating it. Providing youth with the tools to make good decisions will make students less likely
to cheat” (“Cheating” 2). Of course this solution is too simple and cannot eliminate cheating in high schools
around the country. However, it is a start and is likely to have some sort of ethical impact on the child. Many people believe
that children cheat in order to receive good grades that will please, or rather, not disappoint their parents. If this is
the case, than it would make sense to assume that cheating would not be the way to go because if a parent found out about
their students’ cheating history, it is likely that they would be more disappointed than their child coming home with
a poor grade on a test because he/she didn’t understand the material.
An Aware Team
Similarly, parents can help the teachers in catching technology driven cheating, or even preventing it before it begins
by understanding what their children’s devices are capable of and talking to their kids about what they expect from
them. Simply knowing that iPods are capable of storing massive amounts of information of all types can help parents to touch
base with their kids and even scan their iPod for such materials that may allow them to cheat.
Both parents and
educators can step up their efforts to uncover cheating. Parents can become savvy about what wireless devices can do and what
resources are available on the Internet. Checking the Web sites a student visits and reviewing his work to see if it looks
too polished can cut down on cheating and provide opportunities to address it. (2).
When teachers
and parents become aware of technologies capabilities, they will become more likely to catch such instances and possibly prevent
them from occurring.
Prohibition
A greater chance of success can be obtained if teachers do in fact prohibit the use of cell phones, iPods and all portable
devices inside the classroom. If a student is caught using one of the aforementioned devices, it will be taken away and will
not be returned unless a parent comes to the school and picks it up his/herself. While the parent is at the school picking
up the device, the teacher should also mention to the parent why these rules are in place and ask the parent to talk to their
son/daughter about having these instruments in school. Unfortunately cheating cannot be eliminated using just these methods,
because the old-fashioned way will always remain and can’t really be controlled. However, informing the students and
becoming aware of technological capabilities will help both the parent and the teacher to create a more self-sufficient environment.
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Cancer's Risk Reducing Habits
Use the Phone Less
Dr Nick Begich and James Roderick have compiled a list of three solutions
that may drastically decrease the threats in using a cell phone. The first and most obvious solution is to decrease the amount
of cell phone use (Begich 26). By doing so, the odds of permanent damage are significantly decreased. Furthermore, one should
try to limit cell phone use to the outdoors where signals are easier to find. Being inside when trying to make a call is a
cause for more radiation and a higher likelihood of side-effects occurring (26).
Maintain a distance
Comparably, when using a cell phone, try to keep the phone as far away from
the head as possible to reduce the amount of radiation that may come in contact with the brain. “Even three or four inches can significantly reduce the exposure
because the energy density drops very rapidly with distance from the body. Keep the antenna away from the head and pointing
away from the body” (26). By pointing the antenna away from the head, the odds of the signal making contact with the
brain are far less likely which will prevent possible headaches that may occur from too much radiation.
Safe
TechnologiesThe most significant deterrent of radio frequencies is a technology
that is rarely found, but when used, its effects are significant. The devices that are currently available do not test for
side effects such as the ones noted above, however there are two items available on the market that do accommodate to the health threats that exist
(26). “We found that up to 61% of radio frequency emissions could be prevented from entering the body” (26). This large percentage may in fact be exactly what is necessary to eliminate the negative
effects of cell phone use. Thus, the government should pass laws that will force manufacturers to test for all possible health
effects and these effects must be listed on their product. If these laws are passed, the responsibility will lie in the hands
of the user and it is then up to every individual to decide what is necessary.
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