Dr. G. A. Price DDIG Conference 2007 1 Student-led technology: practical solutions to making...

Dr. G. A. Price DDIG Conference 2007

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Student-led technology: practical solutions to

making technology work.

Dr. Geraldine A. PriceSchool of Education

University of Southampton

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Issues

Student DemographicsWidening Participation‘Diverse Learners’Explosion in numbers

Impact on infrastructureDSA SupportRole of Assistive Technology

Changes in HE:Impact of SENDAHuman RightsEqual OpportunitiesSocial Inclusion

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Pedagogy: The Teaching & Learning

EnvironmentSocial Constructivist ParadigmCollaborative DialoguesScaffolded Support

Student-led environmentContextualised learningRole of metacognition

Cognitive Style PreferencesTechnological Scaffolds

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Role of TechnologyTensions:Educational Knowledge & Practice Student-led Support

Contextualised UsageIndividual Differences

‘Means of assisting’ Tharp & Gallimore, 1991:42

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Best FitThe Importance of Getting it

Right!• Software/hardware

MUST:• Lessen difficulties• Enhance learning• Not create even more

barriers

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Caveat

• Not all software/hardware will help all dyslexic learners

• Some software/hardware will frustrate some dyslexic learners

• Do NOT be seduced by technology to the point of forgetting simple but effective solutions!

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What are students’ needs?

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Matching Tools To Needs

Contextualisation

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Three Case Studies:Needs and Solutions

• Student A (Medicine):– Management & Organgisation

• Student B (Mechanical Engineering):– Blank Page Syndrome

• Student C (Post-graduate Education):– Fears of Plagiarism

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Supporting Writing:the role of technology

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Aspects of the Writing Process

• Collecting information – reading & note-making

• Planning – macro & micro levels of operation

• Drafting• Editing/revising• Proof-reading & neat copy

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Three Dyslexic Students’ Use of Technology to Assist

in the Writing Process

Data collected as part of phenomenological study

Semi-structured interview data and samples of writing are drawn upon for this paper.

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Student A

• Severely dyslexic• Female• Failed first year of Medicine and had to re-sit

the whole year• Directed to Learning Differences Centre for

assessment of difficulties and needs• Received support for academic skills from

specialist dyslexia-trained tutor

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Student A’s Perceived Difficulties

• Never seemed to obtain results which reflected time and effort

• Lacked self confidence in academic abilities

• Could not process different types of information simultaneously

• Essay writing was a source of anxiety

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Student A’s Performance Levels

Spelling 14th Percentile

Reading 47th Percentile

Words per minute 15wpm with 6% error rate

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‘I did my first essay, and I did really badly because I didn’t know how they wanted it to be written or I didn’t know the language and things like that.’

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Needs and PreferencesWeak working memoryMulti-tasking slowed her downWeak visual skills – proof-readingGlobal ThinkerA step-by-step approach to work

Student ‘A’

StrategiesWorked on small chunks of textPhysical method of planning

Technology Use:InspirationText to SpeechTalking Thesaurus

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Matching Technology to Needs

1. Inspiration

2. Text to Speech

3. Talking Thesaurus

1. Flow chart work schedule

Content & rhetoric planning

Helped to prevent memory

overload

2. Editing work

Supported weak linguistic skills

3. Editing work

Supported weak linguistic skills

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Should I giv e my child

MMR?

1. INTRODUCTION - outline of essay- what going to do

- how to do it

2. Measles, Mumps, Rubella- what are they

what are the consequences

of disease

3. Vaccines- what are

they-why giv en

- general side ef f ects-MMR

v accine

4. SIDE EFFECTS

autisminf lamatory

bowel disease -

Kronesbacterial menigitis

5. Health Prof essions

ViewsGMCnurse

health v isitorGPs

Public Viewsparents

6. Mediainf ormation

giv enhow handled

7. Single v multiple

v accines- immune response

8. Herd immunity-current

v accination stats

9. Gov erning Policy

10. SUMMARY

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Technological Scaffold

• Hooks: – Provided a scaffolded structure to her

management of organising the process

• Compensatory features:– Reduction of memory overload– Ability to work on small chunks at a time– Helped to process and categorise

information from notes and research reading

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Student B• Male dyslexic, 24 years’ old• Final year of Mechanical Engineering• Successfully completed

apprenticeship and ONC/B.Tech.• Highly motivated to succeed• Searches for practical solutions• Wanted to move his grades from 2:1

to First

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Student B’s Perceived Difficulties

• Disappointed with grades• Grades did not represent his depth of

knowledge & understanding• Spent longer than his peers on his

assignments• Written work lacked structure• Difficulties with simultaneous operations

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“It’s daunting because you’ll sit there looking at a white screen and how do you physically start?”

Writing Anxiety:

Fear of the Blank Page Syndrome

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Student B:Technology Use

• Word processing software• Adobe Acrobat software• Scanner• Mediated Learning Resources – Blackboard• Web information• Text-to-speech software (latterly)• Has high spec laptop

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The Organisation Stage:“Making the technology work for

me”Electronic Information.

SOURCES

– His own electronic notes from lectures

– On-line course information

– Web searches– Electronic journals

Solutions

• Simple word documents

• Cut and paste facilities

• Adobe Acrobat ‘find’ facility to search for key words + cut and paste facilities

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Multi-modal assistance

• Pen and paper Brainstorm – his working document

• Set up separate files for each main heading

• Series of random bullet points to be worked on separately

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Electronic Information

• The ‘bullet files’ helped to get him started with drafting texts

• Could scan in or copy language from electronic sources to get him started on language construction

• “It gives me a starting position”

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Technological Scaffold

• Hooks: – Provided a scaffolded structure to him

management of organising the process

• Compensatory features:– Reduction of memory overload– Ability to work on small chunks at a time– Helped to process and categorise

information from notes and research reading

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Student C

• Severely dyslexic mother of two children

• Mature, post graduate student – First degree English

• Matter-of-fact approach to her problems

• Confident technology user

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“I think less words is harder. I have to go through the process of putting it all in and then taking it out!”

“Getting my ideas on paper is really difficult. I get stuck on things and they go round and round and round.”

“I have wonderful sentences in my head but to write means that I have to think about the shape of letters and the spelling.”

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Needs and PreferencesWeak working memoryMulti-tasking slowed her downInappropriate note-making strategiesDifficulty with language processing andin particular distilling information in summary formatParanoid about plagiarismGlobal thinker

Student ‘C’

StrategiesWorked on small chunks of textUsed colour-coding of languageto avoid plagiarism

Technology Use:Word ProcessorGraphical MappingKurtzweilDragon Dictate

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Student C’s Performance Levels

Spelling 10th Percentile

Reading 27th Percentile

Written Production 28.8wpm with 7.6% error rate

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Matching Technology to Needs

1. Word Processor

2. Inspiration

3. Kurtzweil

4. Dragon Dictate

1. Use of colour to support language difficulties in drafting

2. Needed to brain-storm ideas to give her direction in her research

3. ‘Threw’ ideas at page at speed using software during drafting process

4. Used to help her edit her work

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Plagiarism Solution: Colour coded notes

CODE: Green = my notesBlack = text lifted from other sourcesRed = things to check before putting in the essayBlue = my essay text.

It is generally accepted that dyslexic children have a number of measurable differences from non-dyslexic. This implies that the dyslexic will require a different system of teaching, which should take into account these differences……… It is reasoned that after all they present like younger pre-readers so the incorrect assumption is that very often that more of the same will solve the problem. This could not be further from the truth (ref). Dyslexia in general is considered, naively, a condition that only affects children (ref) and then only in reading, writing and spelling. However, dyslexia is a constitutional condition that cannot be ‘grown out of’ and persists into adulthood. Add quote about dyslexic adult.

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Technological Scaffolds

• Variety• Flexible uses• Dove-tailing combinations of software to

meet individual needs and cognitive profile

• Colour coded text: – to reduce anxiety about text generation – To use language hooks (from ‘other’ sources)

to facilitate language usage

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Multi-modal uses of technology

• Individualisation is the key• Combinations to suit differences in profiles• Essential ‘kit bag’ suggests simple word

processing facilities with use of a scanner• More sophisticated software used with

caution• Learning to use ‘advanced’ facilities in

Microsoft Word