Do we or don't we...

answer homework questions? The old board had a strict rule and flaming policy against homework questions (Rosa Parks!). A few weeks ago someone (sorry, I forgot who) put their pride on the line announced that they were going back to school, and one of the responses was “Sorry, we do NOT answer homework questions.” But the new thread entitled “Need a project topic” and the recent one titled “Roman era movies” were both tolerated. So where is the line being drawn?


Remember, I’m pulling for you; we’re all in this together.
—Red Green

Only my hairdresser knows for sure


We are, each of us angels with only one wing,and we can only fly by embracing one another

In my opinion, it is wrong to post a list of question and ask for all of the answers for your homework, but I see no problem with asking for a topic or a tip to get started on a project. That way, the majority of the work is done by the intended student.


We must blame them and cause a fuss before somebody thinks of blaming us.
Sheila Broflofski

Rilchiam,

I am the one who announced that I am going back to school and asked who wanted to help me with my homework.

It was partly asked in jest, but only partly.

I do not want anyone to give me the answers, just to help me with the rough spots, explain why x= ? ect.

I quit school 26 years ago in the 8th grade, now they are teaching what I learned in 8th grade in 5th grade, so catching up will not be easy for me.


Ayesha

Ayesha, walk proud.

There is no line that I can see. People here will help you, but if it’s clear that you don’t want to do the work yourself, you will be ignored. And rightfully so.

But if you’re stuck, there’s no shortage of people willing to help you over a rough spot.


I don’t have to do drugs to mess up my head. I went to Catholic school.

Tough call to make. Soliciting ideas is obviously different than requesting answers. But isn’t one of the functions of the board, in general, to seek answers to tough questions?

Unless someone comes right out and asks you to help them cheat, how can you tell the difference between someone asking a simple question and someone fishing for a ‘homework’ answer?

Hell, come to all that, I doubt there’s a question on the board that a diligent person couldn’t eventually dig out their own answer for.

On the other hand, only a child would automatically believe some of the answers yer likely to get around here. So perhaps the OP both asks and answers – “Do we, or Don’t we?”
Dr. Watson
“There is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it.” – William James

::harrumph! pompous fussing::

May an info professional be allowed to weigh in? Gotta say “welcome to the big leagues”, folks. I’ve spent 15 fun-filled years defining public policy on information vs plagarism. Before thou scoffeth, it’s routine for lawyers, military, corporate to call for information. Reasons are not asked, unless to clarify the question. And we are not deluded enough to believe that the actual source of research will be credited.

Which is fine. The benchmarks are: there are no stupid question, and knowledge is a birthright.

But academic plagarism is a different issue: fine line, but it’s there. Lawyers call for info they use in court and sure don’t share any cut from billable hours. But the purpose of the academy is to learn how to learn. That process is as important as the “answer”.

So…hellishly rambling answer, but pointers, ideas, clarifiers, etc. are all legitimate and honorable. Dialing a phone or posting a narrow question to fulfill a narrow test question is plagarism.

BTW, as exuberantly in love w/ the net as I am, it behooves all users to be informed: what’s available, what’s not, and the implications for real learning. Posting a question on a BB isn’t research. Cut and pasting spiffy text and graphics isn’t learning. It’s seductive shortcut that can defeat the real goal: learning.

Asking all the various experiences, ideas and suggestions of minds is–or can be–learning in the newest but best incarnation.

—>hopping off the soapbox and fleeing,
Veb

Right, and everyone was being very supportive, until someone, unfairly, I thought, jumped to the conclusion that you were soliciting homework answers. I would have responded to them, but my recently-departed computer was just too damn slow.

Some advice for you: When you’re assigned a novel for English lit, get your own copy at a used bookstore, so you can highlight and underline. Make note of the characters, significant events, and settings (houses, public squares, etc.) as you go along. Skip the descriptive passages. In long stretches of dialogue, skip to the end and just make note of each character’s last word. Reading for style is great, but unfortunately, in school, they don’t give you time for that. Just read for content. And forget Cliff’s Notes; teachers will structure the test around everything CN doesn’t go into.


Remember, I’m pulling for you; we’re all in this together.
—Red Green

Rilchiam,

English Lit will not be a problem for me, that is the one class I passed when I quit.

I got a D in it even after missing the last 3 months of the school year.

What scares the taste out of my mouth is math and science.


Ayesha

Oh. Well, those weren’t my strong points either :).


Remember, I’m pulling for you; we’re all in this together.
—Red Green

Ayesha - I will help you, as much as I can. Math and Science were no my strong points, but I was okay, I did get good grades in both.