TURNITIN VIOLATES STUDENT PROPERTY RIGHTS

When the teacher reads a student's writing, the student's "voice" should be heard by the second or third sentence ("Is Turnitin's anti-plagiarism service fair to students?" Speak Out, October 2007). As a teacher, I stress the value of original thinking and the consequences of plagiarism, which can range from a "do-over" in the lower grades to a failure in the higher grades to expulsion from college. If a student's work sounds as if it was written by a college professor or another student, I will hear that voice.

I no more fault the use of Internet sites than I fault CliffsNotes for use as a tool to understand another's work.
—Arthur C. Norman, Providence, R.I.

I read with interest the two pieces in American Teacher on the use of Turnitin and similar sites for the detection of plagiarism.

Both writers make interesting points, but neither addresses what I believe is the key issue. The best way to prevent plagiarism is to make it impossible by requiring students to submit their work in steps. First the selection of topic, then the selection of materials for research. Then the notes taken during reading and research. Then the outline and first draft. And, at the end, the edited final sub-mission.

The beauty of this is that it recognizes that our role as high school pedagogues is to train students in precisely this process, to give them the method and habit of studying any subject in any depth, forever. This is not a dry exercise; the interactive process-with teacher guidance-of studying, writing, editing will produce not only an original work, but one with content that will stand up to scrutiny.

No amount of "gotcha" or "this would have been the right way" can replace learning the ropes this way.
—Paul Heymont, Brooklyn, N.Y.

I just read the debate about Turnitin.org and found it irritating because the two writers are not arguing the same point. Randy McNally argues that the service is valuable.
No kidding. But that is not the issue.

Bill Walsh argues that it violates student property rights. Right. So McNally should be addressing that and not whether the service is useful. Walsh is right.

If we want original thought from our students, then by copyright law it is the student's product the moment it is created. The student owns it, period.

If Turnitin wants to use the student work product to add to its database and sell that database to users, then fine. But Turnitin must pay a user fee to the copyright holder. That's the way the copyright law works.

Sadly, Turnitin has a legal chance because it claims to reduce the work to a digital format and the work is no longer what the student created. This is a hole in the copyright law. Turnitin is still making money from that work.
—James E. Murray, Fairfax County, Va.

UNWISE TO RELY ON TOBACCO COMPANY MATERIALS

As an educator with a degree in health and behavioral sciences, I receive your publication regularly. I admit that I am taken aback by the ads from Philip Morris offering free educational tools to promote "smoke-free" children.

While many parents rely on the schools for this valuable preventive education, it is unwise to rely on materials offered by tobacco producers and, in essence, promoters of their products.

These preventive programs are merely ways to divert the attention of legislators who are aiming to somehow decrease or abolish the smoking habits of youngsters (and even adults).

I think it best to focus on how advertising promotes the use of tobacco, rather than offer ways to rectify something that has already occurred in epidemic proportions. The efforts on the part of the tobacco industry to fight taxes, institute clean-air acts, and to restrict marketing have not shown to decrease smoking among youths.
—Nancy G. DiMonte, Elwood, N.Y.

EDITOR'S NOTE: While we understand your concern, and know that it is shared by many others, the Philip Morris anti-smoking campaign is just one among myriad efforts to address the problem of teenage smoking. We've reviewed the materials offered in the Philip Morris advertisement and they appear to be sound.