Turnitin Sucks It's with a great deal of interest that I've been following the most recent uproar in the blogoshpere about Turnitin.com and about whether or not higher ed is taking the proverbial low ground in the ethical battles by the increasing use of Turnitin. It is my opinion and always has been that there is something fundamentally wrong with the whole process of requiring students to turn in their work to the plagiarism police. I think this graphic from the Honk Kong Polytechnic University is especially humorous. I didn't have their permission to show it on my site so I created my own sign at the Ronald McHummer site. About 2-3 years ago we had the conversation on campus about whether we should license (or is it subscribe to) the Turnitin service. Of course there were some people who were in favor of it, but the majority was put off by the same things that have always bothered me about the deal. The arguments at that time against using Turnitin appear to still be the main arguments. In no particular order, they include: "I am currently taking a course that requires me to submit my papers to Turnitin. My objection to Turnitin is that they are not only infringing my copyright, but that they are doing so for commercial profit. If they want to make money from storing my paper in a database, they should pay me for a license." (EricSmith comment on Slashdot) "Why are we violating authorial integrity to teach students that violating authorial integrity is wrong?" (by Bob, first comment) "can shift attention away from teaching students how to avoid plagiarism in the first place. In “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices,” the Council of Writing Program Administrators urges teachers to “use plagiarism detection services cautiously,” for they should “never be used to justify the avoidance of responsible teaching methods.” "I find it more than a bit ironic, that this company works with WebCT and Blackboard, who argue that one should use Course Managment software to protect student's privacy (alah FERPA) when turnitin.com fundamentally violates student's rights." (Dave, Sept. 7, 18:05) "It's just like music composition. People with similar music education backgrounds end up producing similar music. That's just how it is. Are you seriously going to argue that the standard educational texts HAVEN'T been mined for every bloody original idea they contain a thousand times over?" (read the whole comment by Cadallin)
Plagiarism of Electronic material has been very difficult to detect in the past, but new technology has made detecting electronic plagiarism of material such as Internet content, online databases, and e-books possible. Educational institutions are now able to check content submitted by students’ using software such as DupliChecker and Turnitin, which check work against current and archived web pages and databases of previously submitted student work consisting of journals, assignments and essays. Students can also take an active part by checking their work using similar software made available to the public.
This lifestyle included drugs and music which he eventually got addicted to. Being in the drug world, he became heavily reliant on heroin and started getting hired and fired by bands and partners. Deciding to overcome the addiction and get back to music, he made his biggest musical breakthrough on his own. In 1960, he released his own album on tenor saxophone, Giant Steps, with Atlantic Records. By this time in his career, as Biography.com Editors say, Coltrane had “nurtured a distinctive sound defined in part by an ability to play several notes at once amid wondrous cascades of scales, dubbed in 1958 by critic Ira Gitler as a “sheets of sound” technique.” He had his own perception of jazz and many other people began to love it. John Coltrane had a soulful sound in his music driven from passionate, fierce notes. His fast, loud style was a difficult thing to do as a jazz solo artist. People began to look up to him as a successful independent artist that could move a crowd. Students and tenor-saxophonists today still try and replicate the intense sound he produced. As Coltrane produced his music, he brought up the style of improvisation. Improvisation was one of the biggest influences he could have in the jazz genre. His success in improv changed the musicians around him and after him to engage in the practice too which created a new world of individual music and styles in
Elvis Aaron Presley, “the King of Rock and Roll”, passed away suddenly at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. The famed singer and actor, who graced the world with his melodious voice by singing his well-known hits such as “Hound Dog”, “Jailhouse Rock”, and “Burning Love”, was age 42.
On January 8th, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, the “King of Rock and Roll” was born. His name was Elvis Presley. He was the son of Vernon Presley who was a truck driver, and his mother was Gladys, a sewing machine operator. He had a twin brother named Jesse, but he was still born, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. His father was hardly around, and he was imprisoned for three years for forgery. Surrounding him as a child though, was the gospel music of the Pentecost church, where his love for music first took roots in his heart. In the fifth grade his teacher Oletta Grimes asked Elvis to participate in the talent contest on Children’s Day at the Mississippi – Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. At age ten, he donned his cowboy hat and slipped into a cowboy suit to sing in the talent show, but he was in need of a chair in order to reach the microphone. He sang his personal rendition of Red Foley’s “Old Shep”; it won him a second prize and a free ticket for all the numerous rides in the park. His following Birthday, he received his first guitar from the Tupelo Hardware Store and took lessons from his dad’s brother. In 1948 his family picked up their life and moved to Memphis, Tennessee. It was there that he was exposed to the rhythmic sound of the blues, as well as Jazz on Beale Street, where he grew up...
Elvis Presley is one of the biggest names in rock and roll. Singer, musician and actor he was an American icon. He is best known as the King of Rock and Roll. His musical influence included the country and pop music of the time, the gospel music he sang in church and the black R&B music he listened to as a teenager (Comprehensive History of Elvis Presley’s Dynamic Life). Elvis has influenced American culture not only while he was living but also in today’s 21st century. It wasn’t easy for him to be accepted; in fact many adults and the older generations of his time were appalled by his performances and his music. In time though, people were able to accept him and he became well-known all over the world. Even after his death Americans are still influenced by his music. Presley had some of the most unforgettable and also unpredictable singles in of the 1950s and 60s (Comprehensive History of Elvis Presley’s Dynamic Life). According to the New York Times article “25 Years Later, Elvis Rolls On,” written by Jon Pareles (2002), Elvis didn’t invent rock and roll but he was the one who made the music larger than life. He set off rock n roll’s conquest of popular culture, enlarging his views of country and blues, pop and gospel with star presence and a jolt of sexuality (Pareles, 2002).
Sousa was born on November 6, 1854 at a small place on 636 G Street, in southeast Washington D.C., near the Marine Barracks that would later have some influence on his music. (Sousa) His father played trombone in the Marine Band. Sousa was the third of ten children from John Antonio Sousa and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhous. Young Sousa grew up around military band music, and when he was just 6, he began learning a variety of instruments, such as; violin and piano. He also played flute, cornet, baritone, trombone, and alto horn. (Sousa)
With his hips swiveling and legs swinging, Elvis Presley’s risque performances made teenage girls swoon as their parents would rage over the atrocity of his dancing back in the mid-50s. Today, however, he is regarded as one of the most important musicians/performers of all time. Commonly known as “The King of Rock and Roll,” Elvis Presley has tremendously influenced society as well as the music industry in both the past and present.
I love procrastinating and then cheating and plagiarizing to get my essays and research papers complete on time! The only drawback is a website called turnitin.com Teachers use turnitin.com to check for plagiarism in submitted papers. This website often indicates plagiarism when all the writing is completely original. This is called a "false positive". Although a "false positive" has no negative impact at all on the owners of turnitin.com, it can destroy a students academic future!
Elvis Aaron Presley, born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, grew up listening to gospel music of the Pentecostal church (rockhall 1). Presley “was the guy the guys wanted to be, and the guy girls wanted to date” (Di Luca 1). He influenced fashion, American dance, music, and became one of first rock and roll sensations. As Di Luca states in his article, “His talent, good looks, sensuality, charisma, and good humor endeared him to millions,” (1). Presley had a major lasting impact on fashion, American dance and sexuality, and music.
The King of Rock “N” Roll was a tremendously talented artist. Elvis recorded over 30 motion pictures, and over 30 record albums. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and even had a postal stamp released in the United States after him. Later after his death, he was also inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Graceland would later become a National Historic Landmark. Presley won three Grammys as well as several other awards throughout his lifetime.
John Coltrane was a jazz saxophonist from 1955 to 1967. He was born in Hamlet, North Carolina on September 23, 1926. A few years later he moved to Highpoint, North Carolina.(D) As a child he was surrounded by a musical family. When he turned thirteen he started to play the alto saxophone. 1939 was a life changing year for Coltrane because his father, uncle, and grandparents died.(C) In the middle of that same year he graduated from grammar school.(D) Sadly when his family started to split and go to different states Coltrane moved to Philadelphia in 1943.(C)
Elvis was like no other entertainer in the world. The talented man’s success and music will live on as some of the best in history. Elvis inspired a generation and overall transformed the way we see and listen to music today. John Lennon’s son, John Lennon Jr., even states, “Before Elvis, there was nothing” (Klein 291). However, without the help of The Ed Sullivan Show, Elvis’ influence would not have been able to spread across the nation. Television still has that impact in today’s society. One learns of new artists and up and coming celebrities through the world of social and mass media. Today’s generation relies on the power of mass and social media to express their opinions, thoughts and creativity. Without it, this world would be stuck in a non-innovated and non-expressive culture.
Elvis Presley was a successful singer and his singing won him many awards in his lifetime. His talent and kindness also earned him millions of fans and he is one of the most important figures of the 20th century in popular culture. When he died, it was tragic for everyone who loved him and his talent for writing music. Even though there are reasons to believe that he is dead, I believe that Elvis Presley is still alive because there is evidence that proves it.
I can relate to the fact that Elvis was a person that didn’t grow up wealthy and didn’t have all the things he wanted but no one can compare to the fact that he was a well respected musician from the 1950s. He influenced so many people with the new types of music that blew over the world. Elvis struggled with school and friends just like any other teenage kid. He struggled with how people looked at him because he wanted to be different. But that all paid off in the end. All of these factors is what made Elvis a strong, hard headed man that the world has come to love and idol for many years to come.
Students that copy other student's work are hurting themselves in the long run. Their creativity level drops every time they copy or have someone else do their work. After a while of copying and forging, the student's ability to think creatively and successfully becomes next to nothing. "Educators must continue to socialize students of all ages about the importance of maintaining high ethical standards," (Glazer 222). The educational system is where students learn these tricks and proceed to carry them on into there professional careers. Corners are too easy to cut these days, and in order for people to keep their minds as functional as possible, they need to do their own work. It is too easy for students to buy a students paper that had the same class the quarter before, reword it a little, and turn it in as their own. Students are no longer able to write a fictional story by themselves because the computer or someone else can do it for them.