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Michael D. Eisner College of Education

Professional Issues

(1) Evaluating Internet Resources

Most of what is posted on the Internet has never been subjected to the rigors of peer review common with many traditional publications. Students must learn to evaluate the reliability of information of the websites they visit.

(2) Record Keeping

Teachers have a professional responsibility to monitor, record and communicate student progress. Many schools and districts have adopted networked grading systems, and some publish grades on secure websites.

(3) Plagiarism

The ease of information access can accelerate the learning process, but it can also be counter-productive by facilitating plagiarism. Discuss the importance of intellectual honesty with your students and illustrate how you can easily identify work plagiarized from sites on the Internet.

(4) Assessment

Teachers must regularly assess student progress. Many textbook publishers make test construction easier by providing test generators, software which allows the teacher to quickly compose tests and keys from question databases. Test generators allow the teacher to input questions, and often provide databases of questions the teacher can select from.

(5) Professional Growth

Teachers should model "life-long learning" by attending workshops, reading journals, and participating in professional organizations.

(6) Employment

Most schools and districts advertise job openings on the Internet. Teachers should use such resources not only to find employment for themselves, but also to attract others to their schools and thus build strong departments.