Reflections on Thoughts of Ideas and Stuff

It's 2:30 AM on a Monday morning, and I still don't really know how I feel about the events that transpired that fateful day almost 5 days ago. A life time ago, in all regards now. When things are so eventful, they stick with you more, you analyze it with more scrutiny, and begin to detach yourself from the event. You become an outside observer on your own life. An outside, coolly watching an event that took place so long ago. But it didn't it happened only a few days ago.

Suffice to say, things got a bit heated on that day. Even before class began, I could tell something was wrong. Well, mostly because Prof. Sloane said something was wrong, and I could feel the disappointment. And, I don't mean to say that accusingly, and I am in complete belief that Prof. Sloane was entirely more INTERESTED in the situation, than she was disappointed. But those feelings, of expecting one thing, and getting the entire opposite, sit with us whether we want them or not. And to Prof. Sloane's humongous credit, she dealt with it magnificently. But we will get to that later.

Well, the thing was, get didn't do so well on the wiki. Well, some people did, the Futurama group got special (and well deserved) mention for their wiki, which took a creative slant on the project, writing the wiki from an 'in-universe' perspective, an idea that does not lend itself to plagiarism easily. An idea that would've saved many of the other groups, mine included, some shame. But, we went with the straight encyclopedic style. I really wish we would've come up with the 'in-universe' one for ours before starting, as it would've fit well with the show, but it was far too late at this point. The seeds were sown, so to speak.

Actually, I take that back. I would actually say that the seeds were not sown here, but tended to. These seeds, planted long ago in our minds, as that 'don't worry, it will work out.' I cannot be the only one in the class who felt like they coasted through high-school on nothing but good graces. And I was even in honors classes! And still! I felt like, we were given bones, every opportunity they could be tossed our ways. We would write our papers, the night before, researched that very night, and turn them in to As and Bs. Most of that information would be taken without giving any sources. Because it was high-school, and they didn't care.

But then, you go to college, and then it is a different story. In college, oversight is everything. Knowledge is also everything. Integrity is also everything. It is very cramped in college. The rules and regulations come flying at you from every which way, and you duck and dive, but they hit you square in the face, and you end up taking early composition classes. Or, if you were like some honors kids, you didn't. Because you could test out of them. And many did. Missing out on such lectures about plagiarism as "don't steal ideas" and "cite if you do!" And very little, if nothing, about paraphrasing. So a lot of people, especially those who skip past Comp, remain ignorant, as the years go by. And we get by, because we were taught the basic things, don't steal, and if you do, cite! (because then it isn't stealing!) And, for the most part, this works.

Until it doesn't.

Enter our wonderful class! And I say that without any sarcasm. As trying as most of our times have been in this class, we can at least say it has been memorable, and, let's be honest, that is something unique in college life. And, like many of my fellow classmates, probably entered into a class with the word "Web" in the title expecting ease. As we have all grown up with the web, even people who don't use it often. So, as it is something familiar, it is something easy. If A, then B. Very rarely in college, do we go in, and get blindsided by a class that is now a C.

And that's what this class is. It is something no one could've been prepared for. It made us think. As it shouldn't come as much as a surprise, college courses, as many before it, don't actually require that much thinking. Sure, plenty of memorization, regurgitation and organization. Not much anaylization. But plenty of perspiration. So, it always comes as a shock, when a class actually challenges you. And challenging this class has been.

WELL, that's mostly a lie, from my standpoint. Don't get me wrong! The class still makes me think, and has from the start! But, I cannot say I was actually challenged until this project. Something I cannot say for a great deal of my compatriots. I use the internet every day, for far more time than I care to mention. Technology in general, for that matter. So I have eaten all of this up as candy. And once the wiki project appeared, I felt like that candy lead me to a candy store where I could eat my fill. It lead us all there. Unfortunately, not everyone in our class has sweet-tooths, so to speak. The wiki, was not their cup of tea, and I felt bad for them, but I found the topic interesting, and my group amiable and like-minded.

And we worked without a care. It was here, where something bad happened. I got complacent. Worse, I got sloppy. WORSE STILL, I didn't really try. I'll admit it, it's something I do a lot, when something doesn't feel like it's gonna be all that hard, I don't put as much effort in. Sad to say (truly) it works more often than not. I am a fan of the path of least resistance, in almost all cases of life. Here was no exception.

To say my heart began to race when something I "wrote" came up on the overhead would be an understatement. Me? Under scrutiny? In college? Well, it just never happened. And no, not because I was perfect, but just because I flew under the radar. I don't do anything spectacular (again I point you to the 'not trying' section) and I don't draw attention. At least not when I don't want to. And here I was, on the big board, being picked apart for my plagiarism, something I have never been accused of (not saying accused badly here, just the only word I can come up with, as said, Prof. Sloane dealt with this with the utmost class and poise), nor ever dreamt of doing. And yet, here it was, startling clear in front of me. And it was there, because it was easy. It happened, because I thought my understanding of paraphrasing, and re-purposing information (largely a skill I learned from the internet) was lacking. When I wrote it, I thought I changed enough around, and added enough from my own database like brain to be different enough. It was not the case.

And I was not alone in these claims, many others were brought up to the block, and every single one of them were guilty of doing the same, some more and less than each other, but all still failing to see, beforehand, what was wrong. I think I can safely say, the message that it was, is burning bright in all of our heads now.

I felt low, but then Peter gave praise to our page, and I felt a bit better. I also think at least, my sections on Anime Studios was alright. Maybe it wasn't.

So, what happened, was a trial. We were accused, evidence was brought forward, and we were judged by a jury of our peers. Luckily, that jury was us. Prof. Sloane, took this as a learning opportunity, and I don't think it could've worked out any better. Instead of giving us accusatory words and glances, she instead allowed us to turn the mirror onto ourselves, and look inside to see why this happened, and allowed us to learn. Reasons were given, good and bad, words and arguments were exchanged, good and bad. People stormed out, some consensus were made.

And above all, we learned.

With that said, stick a B on me. I'm done.