So what can help kids cheat? We now know the list includes cellphones and iPods, but I was reminded toward the end of school that the cheating aid can be as simple as the money in a wallet. My seniors were taking an exam on the three branches of government and on the last page, I decided to include, on the last page after all of the content-related questions, pictures; pictures including the President, Vice President, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Capitol, both sides of the White House, and the Supreme Court. Apparently one of the White House views was a bit challenging for many of my students, in fact, as I was standing right in front of one student, he pulled out his wallet and tried to check the back of his money; when I inquired as to what he was doing and shook my head.
What’s the point? I guess there are several. First, students will use the resources they have available to them – high tech, low tech, or anywhere in between. Second, if students want to find answers to learn the answers, that is great (I’m not a very high person on earning “points” for points sake) but we need to work on helping them to place a higher value on ethics in the workplace, in whatever situations they find themselves.
No Time to Sleep 