I enthusiastically support Ms. Linder's thoughts on plagiarism and the others' thoughts on the value of the essay or research paper. To say these exercises are outdated is kind of like saying critical thinking is outdated. Despite all the technological advances from cuneiform and the alphabet through the printing press and the computer, the one thing that hasn't changed appreciably and still needs constant training and maintenance is the human brain. In order for it to be able to think on its own, it needs to seek out and critically analyze others' ideas, not just cut and paste them. Until someone devises a way to feed Plato and Shakespeare to our brains intravenously, we'll still have to actively research and pursue those ideas. Whether that's through clay tablets or electronic data banks, our brains still process information in the same way they always have.