Plagiarism: Why We Do It!

The two readings on plagiarism were useful to me, as they pointed out types of plagiarism that weren’t totally clear to me, as well as giving ways to avoid them.  The article by Trip Gabriel gave a lot of good reasons as to why plagiarism is increasing so much. I agree that it is much easier to plagiarize with all the internet resources that are available to us at any time and I think that the quote in paragraph seven on the second page by Ms. Brookover gave another good explanation to why it “feels” easier to plagiarize when you don’t have a physical source in your hand.  The one reason in the article that stuck out the most to me was the quote by Ms. Wilensky on the fourth page, fourth paragraph about how so much of plagiarism is caused by students leaving high school unprepared.  Personally, I know that I was not taught how to read and synthesize sources in high school and that is something that I struggle greatly with in college. Also, I think that the quote in the third paragraph on the third page by Ms. Blum portrayed well the attitude of so many students, myself included. So many times I find myself just throwing in one thing after another from various sources and not coming up with and developing my own ideas or thoughts just so that I can complete the assignment and turn it in on time. 
The handout helped me understand what plagiarism includes entirely. I never knew that you had to acknowledge a person or group of people that helped you at all with your paper. I also didn't know that you had to cite a source that's information helped you simply develop an idea. The handout made me more aware of the types of plagiarism that aren't as obvious and I think it will help me when I am writing to avoid plagiarizing.    

Annotated Bibliography

Markus, Frank. "Road smarts: shrinking the carbon footprint of our highways." Motor Trend 63.1 (Jan 2011): 38(1). Academic OneFile. Gale. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 9 Feb. 2011 
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=indi68545

The author usually uses the page, technologue, in the magazine to examine the technologies that are being applied to the automotive industry to reduce the carbon footprint, but this time he points out a surprising piece of information.  According to a study by MIT, the production of concrete, used to build roads, bridges and buildings, generates about as much carbon dioxide per year as that of automobile exhaust, accounting for almost 10 percent of all manmade emissions. The article continues to explain the ways that researchers and scientists are working to try and lower the amount of concrete production. One way would be looking for ultra-high density concrete alternatives that would last longer and reduce the amount of creep (expansion of concrete), as well as permit the structure to be thinner, creating more options for architects when planning roads and bridges. Another area of research that has had numerous approaches is that of self-healing concrete. The idea is, that as the concrete begins to crack, it will fix itself, by the use of bacteria spores or little capsules that crack and release compounds that will rejuvenate the concrete. This article was interesting to me and has sparked a few ideas for possible research paper topics.  

Attached to Technology Response

I thought that this article had many good points, many of which hit right at home. I can relate to a lot of what it says about the constant urge, almost a little voice inside calling me, to check for a new e-mail, Facebook post or Skype message. I like how we were encouraged to read the article online, rather then in course packet, because it was funny, even though I was conscious of what I was reading, I still probably checked both my e-mail accounts 5 times each, Facebook a few times and Skype every time that little orange ball popped up. I also was distracted by the links within the article and played both focus/multi-tasking tests that it had.

I have also had the same problems that Mr. Campbell had with video games and it is definitely true that it can cause family quarrels. It is especially during a break, when I have more free time, that I find myself constantly sneaking downstairs any chance I get to play XBOX. This has often caused strife with my family, especially when I become engrossed in a game and end up spending numerous hours at a time playing without even realizing it.

As far as the focusing goes, I feel like the enormous amount of technology right at our finger tips is creating more distractions for us, but I don't think that it should take complete blame. It all depends on the person and their amount of self-control. It is clear that I use these technologies a lot and enjoy using them, but when it comes down to getting an assignment done or studying for an exam, I can control myself and stay focused on the task at  hand.

About Me

I am 20 years old and a fourth semester Junior at IUP, majoring in Physics (Pre-Engineering track to PITT) and minoring in mathematics and music.  I am from Homer City, PA, which is just a few miles down the road from Indiana, and I live here with my parents and one of my sisters. I am the youngest in my family and I have three sisters, Joy, Christa and Monica, and one brother, Josiah. I have one brother-in-law, named Noel and another one, Josh, that will be joining our family this summer. I also have, in my mind, the smartest and prettiest 2 year-old niece ever, Elleyana, as well as a great 7 month-old nephew, Everett. My family is extremely close and is one of the most important parts of my life!

Without getting into my life story, which I am sure that you would all love to hear, NOT, I will tell you about my main interests in life. I love hanging out with my family and friends, watching movies, playing games/sports or just doing whatever with them. Oddly enough I love mathematics and like science, but I guess that is why I want to be an engineer. One of my greatest passions in life is the piano, which I have been playing since I was 6 years old, and although it is not the career that I have chosen, it has been my entire source of income for the past 2-3 years. I enjoy playing sports, particularly basketball, which was a huge part of my life in high school. My favorite athletes are Steve Nash and Troy Polamalu. My favorite sports teams are; the one and only Pittsburgh Steelers (going for number 7 baby!), the PITT Panthers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and yeah I got to give a shout out to the Pittsburgh Pirates (at least it's fun going to PNC to watch some games), and also the Phoenix Suns, basically just because of Nash. I enjoy playing board games, mainly Settlers of Catan, and video games, Halo series, Call of Duty, and any Star Wars game. Last, but definitely not least, I love going to CRU (a campus ministry at IUP) and playing keyboard on the worship team, and in general praising Jesus at church or wherever!