The Sixth Post - Copyright & Fair Use

Throughout my schooling, I was taught by all my teachers the negatives of plagiarism and that it should always be avoided. I feel like in school they always emphasized the overall concept avoiding plagiarism in projects and there was a lot less focus on how to correctly cite sources and how those sources can be beneficial for your assignments. Throughout school, I tried my hardest to avoid any resources whatsoever and instead used my own words and ideas as often as I could because I feared plagiarism so much.

It wasn’t until I got into college that my teachers pointed out the benefits of using sources in writing and how it can enrich your assignments. I was taught how to correctly cite sources and give credit where needed. I realized that using sources in my writing helped me learn more rather than relying on my own thoughts. I could emphasize arguments or add more insights to my projects.

I think as a teacher, I want to emphasize more to my students how to correctly cite sources and use others’ works in projects responsibly. Yes, plagiarism needs to be avoided, but I don’t want them to think the same as me that using any resources should be avoided.

Also, a great way to avoid plagiarism and copyright issues as teachers is to create your own resources! I would love to do this and think it is very fun and creative. However, there is nothing wrong with using other resources just as long as you use them responsibly and correctly.

After doing the plagiarism assignment, I realized that plagiarizing others’ works is not worth your integrity and honor. Especially when there are resources and ways to cite responsibly. Plagiarism can lead to some damaging consequences, including a damaged reputation in school and on your record.

One of the reasons students may plagiarize may be because they are not confident in their own ideas and thoughts and feel like they need to rely on others’ opinions. Teaching our students that their ideas are unique and important and they should share them. They can benefit people with their opinions just as they are benefited by others’ opinions. We should build that confidence in our students, along with teaching them about their personal integrity and honor.