Presentation on Professional Ethics for Faculty

1. Professional ethics
BY SANDRA CRUZ
LIBRARY AND MEDIA SPECIALIST
BEN BRITE ELEMENTARY

2. Plagiarism
 What is plagiarism?
 According to the Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary, plagiarism is defined as “the act of using
another person's words or ideas without giving credit
to that person.”
 Anytime you are using ideas that are not your own, a
citation is required.
 In addition, if you are using the exact wording, as I
did above, quotation marks must be added.

3. Citations
 How should we teach elementary age students about
citations?
 First, as we use resources such as textbooks or the
Internet, we must show our students the
bibliography. This will familiarize them with the
idea of citations, what they look like, and how they
are used.
 Second, I have some handy sites that I have added to
our school library’s website in order to provide some
help for our students. Let me show you a couple.

4. Plagiarism: Websites
 You Quote It, You Note It published by the Vaughan
Memorial Library. This site is interactive and
answers questions students may have regarding
plagiarism.
 EdTech 502: The Internet for Educators published
by Jennifer Harris of Boise University. Her page on
plagiarism has a video, frequently asked questions,
and links kids can access.
 Plagiarism.org has several interactive options for
you to click, from paraphrasing, quoting, and
bibliographies.

5. Copyright
 What is Copyright?
 According to Copyright.gov, copyright is the
ownership of ones work. This allows the owner to
distribute, perform, allow others the use of,
showcase, and modify their work as they see fit.
 Why is this important for our students?
 Even at a young age, students should be familiar
with copyright laws, and how using someone else’s
work is unethical as well as a punishable criminal
offense.

6. Examples of Copyright Infringement
 Copying CDs or DVDs that are copyrighted
materials.
 Making complete copies of books for use or
distribution to others.
 Using copyrighted music on your personally created
videos.
 Using a photo or video in your school report that is
copyrighted.

7. Resources to Use
 Copyrightkids.org answers several questions
students may have regarding copyright issues. There
is even a tool for teachers and parents to use with
their children.
 Cyberbee.com is also a kid-friendly site that helps
students understand Fair Use, Attribution, and
answers questions that may arise when encountering
copyrighted materials online that they may want to
use in their assignments.

8. Right to Privacy
 Students have the right to privacy under the first
amendment.
 In a library setting, this means that a student has a
right to use the facilities to search for information
and choose books that fit their interests, without this
information being given to or available for others to
access.
 The library has a responsibility to help users gain
access to information. This is the students’ right to
privacy.

9. Right to Privacy
 The American Library Association has additional
information regarding privacy.
 The Privacy Rights of Minors: Parents must have
access to their school library’s privacy policies. This
can be done through the school website, social
media, and newsletters sent to parents.
 For additional information, please refer to Privacy
and Confidentiality from The American Library
Association.

10. Material Challenges
 Our district policy for Material Challenges is as follows:
Any person requesting to challenge material must
submit the request in writing to the school librarian.
The school librarian, together with a school
administrator, will come together and confer on the
challenge, whether it is a valid argument (out-of date
materials; information is false or misleading;
information is improperly edited). This may be grounds
for removal from the library, and will be referred to
Library Media Services Administrators for approval.

11. Material Challenges
 If the information is deemed controversial in nature (foul
language; sexual content; homosexuality; nudity), but
the material in question meets criteria for inclusion in
the library’s collection, then a meeting with the person
who filed the challenge is scheduled.
 At this meeting, the librarian, with an administrator for
support, will explain why this material is part of the
library’s collection, and that it will remain in the library
for use by patrons.
 If this person needs additional information, they will be
referred to Library and Media Services administration.

12. Internet Ethics
 Students should be informed of proper Internet use, and be
aware of their rights. The district’s Internet Use Policy is to be
signed at the beginning of each school year to ensure that
students understand their responsibilities while online.
 How should you monitor students, while giving them their
right to privacy?
 By informing them of their responsibilities, reminding them
of appropriate Internet use, and modeling online etiquette.
 If an issue arises, talk to the student, explain the problem and
consequences, and show them their agreement to the Internet
Use Policy. Loss of privileges may result if student is
committing an illegal offense.

13. Summary
 This presentation was a refresher course in
Professional Ethics.
 This information is meant for use by you to teach
your students proper choices in regards to
plagiarism, copyright infringement, and online
ethics.
 This information will be available on our school’s
website (Teacher Resources), with links available on
our school library site.
 Questions?

14. Thank you!

15.  American Library Association. (2014) Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.
Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=interpretations&Template=/ContentManagement
/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=132904.
 American Library Association. (2014) Privacy and Confidentiality. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=ifissues&Template=/ContentManagement/Conte
ntDisplay.cfm&ContentID=25304 .
 Brownsville Independent School District. (1997) Electronic Communication and Data
Management CQ. Retrieved from https://ts.bisd.us/Main%20Site/PDF/aupenglish.pdf .
 The Copyright Society of the U.S.A. (2007) Copyright Kids. Retrieved from
http://www.copyrightkids.org/ .
 Cyberbee. (2014) Retrieved from http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf.
 Harris, Jennifer. (2012) Plagiarism. Retrieved from
http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/jenniferharris2/502/scavenger.html .
 Merriam Webster Incorporated. (2014) Retrieved from
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/plagiarism.
 Plagiarism.org. (2014) Citing Sources. Retrieved from http://www.plagiarism.org/citing-sources/
overview/ .
 United States Copyright Office (2012) Copyright Basics. Retrieved from
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf .
 Vaughan Memorial Library. (2008) You Quote It, You Note It.
Retrieved from http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/.