Sharon L. Sherman, PhD

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Sharon L. Sherman, PhD

• Facing the Dragon
• Boy Writers Speak Up Using
• Voice-Recognition Technology

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Why this dissertation?

• Sharons background
• The Tools Class story

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Sociocultural Theory Vygotskys Vision

• Development is not a straight path of qualitative
  gains and accumulations, but a series of
  qualitative, dialectic transformations, a complex
  process of integration and disintegration. The
  essence and uniqueness of human development
  resides in its mediation by material instruments
  and social signs (language). Culture is acquired
  through the internalization of social signs,
  starting with language.
• Boris Gindis (1999)

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The Art of Teaching Writing

• No one learns well while feeling afraid and
  ashamed. Our students need us to realize that
  its okay to make editorial errors as they write
  all of us do, and then we correct them as we
  edit. Although it is important to teach our
  students to edit, probably the single most
  important thing we can do for their syntax,
  spelling, penmanship, and use of mechanics is to
  help them write often and with confidence.
• Lucy Calkins (1994)

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Writing with ADD/ADHD

Many students with ADHD want to go directly from
the initial draft to the final draft without
making revisions, as it is tedious and takes too
much effort to do (without the use of assistive
technology and other supports).Although they
know the answers and can verbally express their
thoughts and ideas articulately, they are unable
to put more than a few words or sentences down on
paper. Susan Rief (2003)
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Research Questions

• 1. How do adolescents with special
• needs view themselves as writers?
• 2. How does the use of voice-
• recognition software (VRS) influence students
  participation in the writing process and their
  writing production?

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Data Collection

• Participant surveys
• Interviews
• Writing samples
• Observations

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Data Analysis

• Sorting questionnaires for themes on students
  literacy activities in and out of school.
• Cataloging interview responses regarding writing
  habits (editing/revising) and VRS use.
• Coding written drafts for content, changes and
  length (across each individuals samples).
• Reviewing and coding daily field notes of
  participants interactions.

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The Tools Boys
Revising your work is like having somebody
else do it for you.

• James
• Keith
• Adam
• Eddie
• Jake
• Dan
• David
• Ted

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Student Profiles
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Kid Quotes

• I dont do drafts because they are
  pointless. EDDIE
• It takes me a while to think. I try to read the
  sentences I write and ... place them where
  theyre supposed to go in my head and sometimes
  that takes up the class period which makes it
  harder for me to finish it. TED
• Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 just makes me want to
  hit it. JAMES

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Observations of learners attitudes

• Glad to have more autonomy.
• Less content with responsibility for revising on
  their own with DNS9.
• Frustrated with special use of The Dragon.

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Findings

• Adolescents view their writing aptitudes
  differently in school than out-of-school.
• Middle schoolers with special needs can use VRS
  technology to engage in the writing process more
  effectively.
• Students attitudes to VRS use are impacted by
  perceptions that the only learners who should be
  afforded access to this tool are those receiving
  special services.

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Changes in the writing process

• More revisions/drafts produced by each student
  who used The Dragon.
• More adult/student interaction involved in
  producing drafts of writing.
• More student/student feedback on writing.
• Lengthier final copies.

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Recommendations

• Do not provide special needs learners supportive
  services in isolation.
• Fund equipment and provide teacher training to
  encourage the VRS use in mainstreamed classrooms.
• Integrate more Vygotskian perspectives into the
  field of special education to promote the
  socialization, acculturation and development of
  children with special needs.