ODYSSEYWARE

I consider myself a pretty dedicated Google user. Love it or hate it, it’s where I go when I need information. Like you, I think I’m pretty good at finding the right search terms to get relevant results. I’ve been known to say, “Just Google it,” when I find someone trying to remember the name of a book she read recently, the little town outside Tulsa where he ate the best barbecue of his life, or the population of Guam. Read more »

I’m a writer. Obviously, I have a problem with others taking my words and calling them their own; however, a recent article in The New York Times indicated that perhaps those who claim the rights to “intellectual property” are a dying breed. 

According to the article: 

The Internet may also be redefining how students — who came of age with music file-sharing, Wikipedia, and web-linking — understand the concept of authorship and the singularity of any text or image.  Read more »

It’s 10 p.m. and a 10th grader we’ll call Jesse has been trying to complete a school research paper for the last few hours. Like many of his friends, he’s been checking his Facebook page and listening to music while he writes. There should be an easier way to get this done, he thinks. He texts a friend for advice. The response…

“Google it and copy.” 

In a world where quick answers are the norm, the time it takes to actually do research, take notes, draw conclusions, and finally, write conclusions all down in grammatically correct form may seem overwhelming. Plagiarism is an easy way out for many students.  Read more »

Starting in 2009, a new law took effect in South Dakota requiring high school students to stay in school until age 18. Not the only state to follow the trend of raising the legal age to drop out, South Dakota educators are asking themselves how they can get students back and offer them the sort of program that will not only allow them to get a diploma, but make it realistic and practical. 

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Famously coined by Gene Kranz during the Apollo 13 mission, “Failure is not an option,” joined this list of most quoted words of the 20th century. Why? The idea is not revolutionary. It’s not even thought-provoking. Rather, it stirs within us the resolve of determination, perseverance, and sheer will-power to succeed. 

Decades after the Apollo mission, America faced a new challenge with a different face: the economic collapse of the U.S. financial system in 2008.  Read more »