social networking

by

How to practice safe social networking

From eSchool News, 10/4/2011 — The popularity of smart phones and social networking sites is keeping a growing number of students connected, but many are unaware of the danger, deception, and a loss of academic or career opportunities cyber networking poses.  Sameer Hinduja, the co-director of Florida Atlantic University’s Cyberbullying Research Center, has put together a series of tips to help students minimize the risks of using social networking.

Hinduja stresses to students that flirting with strangers online could have serious consequences. Because some people lie about who they really are, you never really know who you’re dealing with. He also points out to be aware that people you meet online might be nothing like they describe themselves, and they might not even be the gender they claim.

Read the entire article, which includes his list of tips, by clicking here.

by

Social websites are latest sources for plagiarized material

From eSchool News, September 6, 2011 — Plagiarism is going social, according to Turnitin.com, which found that one-third of plagiarized material in student papers can be traced to social networking, content sharing, or question-and-answer websites; sources that more and more students are turning to to fulfill assignments.

Turnitin.com offers software that checks student papers against a vast database of prior works and the internet at large, looking for matches that can indicate possible plagiarism. An analysis of the top sources of matched content flagged by the software reveals a significant shift in the last few years, the company says—from so-called “term paper mills” to social sites and homework help sites.

The white paper outlines three recommendations for educators as they strive to teach students how to research and properly cite from sources online. Read the entire story here.