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Who writes these things?" people ask me. I have to tell them, without a hint of irony, "No one." It's symptomatic of the whole muddled mess that is the $4.3 billion textbook business. Textbooks are a core part of the curriculum, as crucial to the teacher as a blueprint is to a carpenter, so one might assume they are conceived, researched, written, and published as unique contributions to advancing knowledge. In fact, most of these books fall far short of their important role in the educational scheme of things. They are processed into existence using the pulp of what already exists, rising like swamp things from the compost of the past. The mulch is turned and tended by many layers of editors who scrub it of anything possibly objectionable before it is fed into a government-run "adoption" system that provides mediocre material to students of all ages.

There's no quick, simple fix for the blanding of American textbooks, but several steps are key to reform:

On Demand Classes help you meet the needs of your students. You know the need for 21st Century Information Fluency Skills has never been higher You also know you’re understaffed and overbooked Start the new school year with a customized online training experience that will teach your students critical reading skills as they learn to search and evaluate Internet resources. Our multimedia enhanced, interactive course is suited for students from middle school through adult.

Learn how to locate authentic digital primary sources in multiple formats to enhance your curriculum. Develop age appropriate learning activities that promote higher level questioning and critical thinking skills while adding excitement to student learning through engaging activities. The course is especially helpful for teachers of AP classes, teachers addressing state and national standards requiring the use of primary sources, and teachers working with National History Day activities. Materials fromTPS Direct, the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources professional development program, will be incorporated in the class.

Certainly there is the entertainment element to this service, however I also see a great deal of potential for educational value as well. The Common Craft Show has shown us that hand-drawn explanations – completely devoid of a single on-screen pixel – can be used to effectively explain social media concepts. I think GoAnimate could do much the same.

I’m hoping that there will be a way to download the cartoons you create, and/or upload them to your YouTube account – because I prefer to keep all my digital media stored more or less in the same place.

You can’t make any sweeping generalizations based on the results

older students tend to cheat less frequently than younger students

If you are interested in this topic, look for the interesting edited book called Student Plagiarism in an Online World: http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?ID=7031&v=tableOfContentsI wrote a chapter called, "Expect Originality! Using Taxonomies to Structure Assignments that Support Original Work." In it I discuss the complexities of plagiarism in the context of a digital culture of sharing and suggest that it is rarely black and white. I propose a continuum with intentional academic dishonesty on one end and original work on the other, with gradations in between. Based on my own research and teaching experience, I believe the instructional design and style of teaching can either make it easy-- or very difficult-- to cheat.