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Students also also expressed some negative views about the reading programme.  DCSR had no access to the internet

Students P2 and P3 hoped to have an internet connection while doing the tasks so that they could seek help from the internet through extra reading or watching a related YouTube clip:

Me: are there any features you would like to see in the Tabletop computer that you did not see? And what are they?

114 P3: maybe internet connection.

 It does not allow connection to an external hard drive while working on the reading task One disadvantage identified by student P4 was the inability to use the USB to save work. Although it was not possible for students to use a USB during data collection, the tabletop can save a recording of students’ activities on the tabletop. Students, teachers, and parents can take a copy and view the student’s performance and collaboration with others:

P4: like one note that is in the whole programme and it is just for you, and you can have a USB.

 No personal note throughout the task

Lack of a digital diary where students could reflect on their work while doing the task was one negative aspect identified in the interview:

P2: maybe a little space, where you can write some notes about if you have some doubts about grammar, other things you want to ask the teacher. Because when you are in class, sometimes you write notes about why they put the article here, why they use this tense, why they use the past perfect.. and after when the lesson finish you ask the teacher for this.. just a little space where you can write your own notes.

P4: like one note that is in the whole programme and it is just for you, and you can have a USB.

 No assessment of students’ performance at the end

There was criticism that there was no immediate assessment of their performance. The students wanted the system to tell them if what they did was correct or not:

P4: if someone then review my answers, or our speaking, I think I am going to learn more. Because, ok, I read, I brought my ideas, but nobody told me if I brought a good idea, so I don’t know.

 The built-in dictionary had no phrasal verbs, idioms, or example sentences

When asked if there were any other features they would like to see in the reading programme, students mentioned that phrasal verbs, idioms, and example sentences would assist them to clarify meaning better:

115 P3: phrasal verbs and idioms

P1: yes P4: yes

Me: ok, phrasal verbs and idioms. In what ways? P2: this is very important

Me: in the dictionary?

P2: the dictionary yes because it doesn’t have the phrasal verbs.  Some fix-up strategies were skipped

Students didn’t find the fix-up strategies coming before dictionary useful; they intended to skip them and jump to the digital dictionary:

P2: yeah, it was like we touched, we almost never like look the sentence again. We almost went to the dictionary.

Me: you go immediately to the dictionary P1: yes

P4: yes

Me: how many times did you do that? P1: always

P4: always

P2: always, because that work, we have done before when reading. Me: so you think it’s not helpful?

 There was no timer

Student P3 highlighted the lack of a timer in the system, which could lead to inefficient use of time:

P3: I think the bad point of this is the thing that to do this properly is a clock.. just a time for to do every task. Because sometimes you stay, you become absent minded or think of other things because you have finished and other people are still working... maybe it’s there a time to do every task.

Other students did not like the idea of adding a timer to the reading software: P1: But I disagree with him because you have a clock, it’s a more pressure P2: You are under pressure

 No efficient use of waiting-time

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P3: Whilst you are waiting, the vocabulary of the words you don’t know the meaning, they can show maybe in different sentence to show the application of the word. Because sometimes we use the word in the incorrect way. So maybe this is a point, something to do, while you are waiting.

 The wrap-up stage was not helpful

The wrap-up stage was also viewed as unhelpful for several reasons: (1) it did not have clear conclusions about the reading topic; (2) it lacked organization and it was very messy; (3) the students did not feel like reading the content of the wrap-up stage because this had already been presented and discussed in previous stages; (4) the students preferred to write conclusions and summaries rather than questions and answers; and (5) the screen space during the wrap-up stage was occupied with the recorded previous stages.

 No clear conclusion in the wrap-up stage

P1: no because the final of the process, I don’t see any part that shows all the groups, or the conclusion. You understand?

Me: yes, why do you think it’s not helpful. Why is it the least helpful?

P1: no it’s not helpful for me. Maybe we need one step more, the finally, to put the conclusion about all the group and say this is the brainstorming, you start here, and say a conclusion.

 The wrap-up stage is messy P3: yes but its very messy

P1: it’s not organized, things here and questions there P4: it’s like a mess, for me

 Students did not read the content of the recorded previous stages: P1: yes but we don’t read the other things for example

Me: you don’t usually read them? P2: no, never

P1: no, for me, no

P4: no, I don’t read nothing.

Me: you don’t feel like reading them because..? P1: no because you have all the text in your brain.

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P1: no it’s not helpful for me. Maybe we need one step more, the finally, to put the conclusion about all the group and say this is the brainstorming, you start here, and say a conclusion.

P2: maybe she wants close to her, when she does the last part, like a paper, a sheet, where there are all the work that you have done up the final section P3: yes, I agree with that.

P2: so you can see the different group, the different ideas, and you can discuss

 The screen space during the wrap-up stage was occupied with the recorded previous stages:

P2: no, like this is your personal position here. I’m here, and this is where I write, and close to me is another page with all the thing we have done to summarize. Because we like, never had, we have never had, the stimulation. We never stimulate to open it, because attend this if one, to watch all, you have to open all but it takes a lot of space.

P3: yes but its very messy

Figure 5.11 below provides a summary of the negative views students expressed about the DCSR.

Figure 5.11. Negative views about DCSR