Transcription of Interview: Ruby, Ricky, Ryan, Raymond
Interviewer(s): Thy
Interviewee(s): Ruby, Ricky, Ryan, Raymond

Thy: So you’ve been on the program for 5 months already, how has it been for you? Let’s say out of 10, how do you rate it? 10 out of 10, or pass, 5 out of 10, 7 out of 10? ...Ryan how has the program been?

Ryan: Probably a 7.

Thy: 7? Okay right now you think about why is it a 7 and then you describe to me. What about Ricky?

Ricky: 7 also.

Thy: 7 also? Okay that’s great what about Raymond? Raymond you joined a little later, but out of 10, 10 as in excellent, wonderful or...how do you feel?

Raymond: 7.

Thy: Oh 7? All of y’all united. What about Ruby?

Ruby: Around 5.

Thy: Okay. So let’s hear the reasons, why is it 7, not 5 not 10 for you?

Ryan: For me the reason why it’s not under 5...I mean it’s a well done tool for us to use it for ourselves, example like essays and stuff. But the reason why I don’t put as very as 10 is because it only spots spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes. It doesn’t really spot the general content of what you’re writing.

Thy: Okay, it posts mechanical errors, but not-

Ryan: It’s not really complete.

Thy: Okay, but I thought they can also ...sticky sentences, the other 2 groups always talk to me about the sentences, they help you decide if it’s too long too short.

Ryan: Yeah it will decide for you but usually for myself I don’t replace it sometimes.

Thy: Why don’t you replace it?

Ryan: Sometimes it feels wrong. It may feel wrong and it may feel right at the same time, but usually it may feel wrong.

Thy: Ok, so you talk about that one because I want to understand that a little bit more. By the way if I ask follow up questions it’s not because I don’t believe you or whatever, it’s because I need to understand more, I need to walk in your shoes more.

Ruby: I have a question, can we keep the markers?

Thy: If that’s helpful, if you want that. Okay, so Ricky why 7? Why not 5, why not 10?

Ricky: Basically the same thing as Ryan,

Thy: Cannot do that...

Ricky: Like it helps you with all your studies and everything, it’s like a general knowledge. Like when you write something about stuff, they just talk about the wrong spelling mistakes, similar to Ryan.

They say that something is wrong, your spelling is wrong, better sentence to use. So it’s like those kind of Youtube ads, Grammarly, something like that one. But the thing is it doesn’t go with the topic, it just suggests you the best answer.

So it’s basically like AI program. Like when you make coffee, the ?? function, it still does the same thing even if there’s nothing being done.

Thy: It’s like those coffee machines when there’s no capsule and it’s still trying to make water and all that.

Ricky: Like when it’s trying to draw but it doesn’t pick up the pen properly but still draws. Nothing comes out because the pen was there.

Thy: Okay, wow very much into AI. We’ll talk about that later on, but very quickly out of curiosity do y’all use Scribo also with your schoolwork?

Ruby: No.

Raymond: No.

Ricky: No.

Ruby: No never, because our teachers don’t support AI.

Thy: Okay, your teachers don’t allow for them to be used?

Ryan: Maybe because we can use it to cheat, it does make a point when the teacher doesn’t allow us to use because we use it as our advantage.

Thy: ...using ChatGPT.

Ryan: Yeah. Could be the same [inaudible] also.

Ruby: Our school don’t support ChatGPT.

Thy: Okay, but anyone using Grammarly, or QuillBot? Quillbot is actually paraphrasing tool, but I hope y’all don’t see Scribo as a cheating thing right, because it’s supposed to be helping...

Ryan: It’s a tool for you to output your essay.

Thy: Yeah, it’s a tool, and like ChatGPT it can be used for good or for bad. How Raymond? Why 7 out of 10?

Raymond: Like what Ryan said I think it was okay because it also doesn’t identify the content, only the spelling errors and then [inaudible] write wrong sentence.

Thy: I see, okay why not 5 or 4 if it can only pick out-

Raymond: I’ve only been here for 3 lessons.

Thy: Oh okay, so the 3 lessons one whole unit you finished right? The whole unit of writing or something like that? How often have you used it for Scribo?

Raymond: 2 lessons.

Thy: Okay. Can you describe for me so I know where you are in relation to the rest? How do you use Scribo? Do you recall?

Raymond: I type out everything then after that I check for spelling errors and the grammar.

Thy: So you just hit the “check” button?

Raymond: Then after that I fix it up.

Thy: Okay so like in Ryan’s case you said you might decide not to change, not to-

Raymond: Sometimes suggestion wrong, sometimes suggestion don’t want to change.

Thy: Can you give me an example when it was wrong?

Raymond: Forget the word already.

Thy: Okay no problem. By the way if any point in time there’s a question you’re not comfortable answering, you can just let me know. Or maybe I could be phrasing it very badly. So Ruby, why 5? I think you gave the lowest score.

Ruby: Yeah because there’s some pros and cons to it, for example pros although it can help you give straightforward ideas, but the cons are actually when the grammar issues start to come in, they just randomly put the word and just come in.

So some students blindly just accept accept accept. But then when we check the entire essay again, the grammar is all wrong. Grammar is a bit here and there.

Thy: Okay can you give me a specific example?

Ruby: I forgot the word already, it’s a long time ago.

Thy: Okay. So I hear from y’all that...do you find yourself, whether you accept or not, do you find that your schoolwork is better in terms of grammar? Any changes in there? Of course Raymond is only 3 lessons in.

Raymond: Before or after using?

Thy: Before and after can you compare? Any changes? Improvement, not improvement?

Ruby: The before one was better for mine, but after using Scribo it was worser.

Thy: Worse? In school or?

Ruby: In school also.

Thy: Okay, we’ll come back to understanding in what way is it worse, but for the 2 gentlemen who gave it a 7?

Ryan: No change from my point of view. Because my English like my grammar and spelling is also very bad so I don’t see any changes. From my point of view.

Thy: Sure sure, but...for your WA did you feel that you were more confident, less confident, doing better for your WA?

Ryan: Since WA2 was tested on comprehension, so I don’t feel like- I just take average, don’t really have any [inaudible], then my confidence is only [inaudible].

Thy: Okay, it’s the same?

Ryan: Yeah it’s just the same.

Thy: Okay thank you so much, Ricky how?

Ricky: Slightly better since there are new words, they show you the synonym that you can use. Then I remember them, then after that I put it in the exam.

Thy: Oh okay, so your WA was a compo?

Ricky: Something like that.

Thy: Okay, so you managed to use the synonyms in the WA. Did your teachers see any difference during this past term for your common? Did they say anything-

Ricky: Say my use of word is slightly better.

Thy: Okay, that’s good congrats. Raymond? 3 weeks only but what do you feel yourself? Any changes, improvement?

Raymond: [shakes head] Nothing.

Thy: Okay fair fair. Ruby I’m very curious why you said worse, now that you’ve gone in this program.

Ruby: Because before when I started this Scribo thing, I was passing my English exam. Then suddenly I used Scribo and it just went downhill.

Thy: Okay, the exam was in WA right, sometimes there’s a difference between Sec 2 and Sec 3, could it be because of the difference from Sec 2 to Sec 3?

Ruby: I’m not sure.

Thy: Okay, so what was your WA this time?

Ruby: This time was not compre, not compo, was planned response. I tried to use the words from Scribo but then when the teacher gave me the feedback, she said some of the grammar was wrong.

Thy: Okay, planned response, that sounds- is it like

Ruby: Like oral.

Thy: Oh okay

Ruby: Yeah it’s no longer read from the paper, you have to write the response and then you say to the teacher within 2 minutes.

Thy: Okay. Well obviously the CDAC program is not just about the Scribo, it’s all the other things that your teacher does with you guys as well, so maybe you help me understand what the cher does. The cher in CDAC, how is he same or different from the cher back in school?

Is there any difference in the way he teach? And which one is more helpful for you?

Ruby: Cher teach more fun.

Thy: Which cher? The CDAC cher. Okay, so he teach more fun. Can you describe to me when you say “more fun”?

Ruby: Because my English cher from my school, the only thing she does is scold the class and then ask us to stand outside and stuff. When you are absent, because for me I was absent quite recently because of flu, I didn’t have the worksheet and she just asked me to stand outside.

And she just scolded me. At least I have the decency to take out something to do.

Thy: Oh dear. So when you say “more fun”, what does he do that was fun?

Ruby: No scold.

Thy: Okay he doesn’t scold, so that’s a positive. Anything else that he does which is not...you know?

Ruby: Play Kahoot. My English teacher don’t do that at all.

Thy: What about Raymond? Comparing cher here and comparing cher back in school?

Raymond: I think similar but then this cher is more friendly and the school cher is a bit more strict. But both are friendly.

Thy: Okay, both are friendly but comparatively. What are the things that is helpful apart from friendly and not friendly? What does he do that is helpful for English?

Raymond: He help me if I need help.

Thy: Okay thank you Raymond. What about Ricky, how? Comparing?

Ricky: The CDAC slightly better since it uses technology to do stuff. Whereas the school use last year test paper- they take little bit by little bit from all the past year and put it into one together and teach us.

Thy: Okay, so is that helpful?

Ricky: Okay lah. Because after a while you’ll get used to it and then it’s not that fun anymore. That’s why [here] more fun because get to do this AI and show suggestions.

Thy: So school is test after test. What is it that you enjoy about the AI? I thought just now you said it gives rubbish, why is the use of AI better than what is happening in school?

Ricky: It’s more fun.

Thy: It’s more fun, can describe to me more fun? I understand it’s making use of Kahoot, but how is it more fun? Just by the use of Scribo?

Ricky: Because we get to read the other people...compo writing. We get to leave comments.

Ruby: Like peer review.

Thy: Ah okay, so you enjoy peer review?

Ryan: It is very helpful.

Ruby: Yeah because the cher here will give us a lot of pointers, like what to tell them. Like how to improve the whole thing.

Thy: Okay, so that’s a good point because sometimes when students are asked to give comments, they will say “what?” but here you’re actually given pointers as to what you should be saying

Ruby: Yeah he give us a piece of paper, and then like “here are the 9 pointers, you can ask them ‘what you’re trying to do’”, ask them.

Thy: Okay, so I noticed you jumped in, that means you really benefited from the peer review?

Ryan: Somewhat helpful.

Thy: Okay, helpful to somewhat helpful. So what was it helpful, in terms of content, in terms of grammar, in terms of what?

Ryan: I think everything, because example like you read yours, [inaudible] essay, you do not know what to do so the teacher comes in and help you. So you do your own essay.

So a peer review is like asking a peer person to read the essay that you’ve written, and then there will be a question then asking yourself do you understand the essay that your friend written. So if they do not understand, you can just say that some part you don’t understand this and that,

Then you might say this is their spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes.

Thy: Okay, so you’re mentioning it as the person giving the feedback, and you find that helpful for yourself?

Ryan: Yeah helpful for yourself because he can understand what went wrong, so then you can improve from the mistakes that you’ve done.

Thy: Okay so by telling him his mistakes that helps you?

Ryan: No like him telling me.

Thy: Oh he telling you, so when he tells you. But teacher can also tell you what, Scribo can also tell you.

Ryan: I mean teachers and friends can give me peer reviews, but I find that a friend giving you review is slightly better.

Ricky: Like it makes you want to remember your mistake.

Ryan: It’s slightly better than the teacher giving you a review.

Thy: It’s not that I disagree with you, I’m trying to understand. So if your friend gives you that comment, you’re more likely to act on it than what the teacher tells you?

Ryan: Depends.

Thy: Okay, but it’s just that generally y’all prefer if your friend is the one giving you feedback.

Ruby: Yeah because it’s like not a lot of pressure. If the teacher tell you “oh you can improve on this” you feel a lot of pressure.

Thy: Okay. So that’s exactly what I needed to understand. But if Scribo tells you that’s even less pressure right?

Ruby: Yeah but sometimes Scribo gives the wrong suggestions.

Thy: Sure. Okay, so that is very helpful for me to understand. What else has the cher here done that was helpful apart from peer review? What about all those- I know that they give a lot of resources, watch videos, then they give y’all the helping words and all that?

Ruby: I don’t really use the helping words at Scribo.

Thy: So what about y’all, Raymond and the rest? The gentlemen? Do y’all use the resources that’s given? Helping words or whatever structure?

Ricky: Somewhat.

Ryan: Yeah somewhat [inaudible]

Thy: I’m still trying to understand the somewhat. Somewhat meaning a little bit?

Ryan: Yeah you use a little bit, then the rest you don’t want to use, or you just don’t feel like using it. Doesn’t fit into the essay-

Ricky: Like not suitable in the content area.

Thy: Oh, so not suitable. So y’all got give feedback to your cher or not? That it is not suitable?

Ricky: Because we write different stuff.

Ryan: Yeah, so we have different opinions for the [inaudible] so it could really affect it.

Thy: Okay, so y’all were writing an exposition right, on jobs?

Ryan: It was about your ball (?) What can your ball (?) do for climate change.

Thy: Okay so you all have your own point of view.

Ryan: And then another one was about how would you set up a class climate change for the festival thing or something.

Thy: Ah okay, because that was about teens taking a stand right, something again about climate change. Wasn’t there one on jobs is it? No?

Ruby: I don’t remember.

Thy: Okay, because “Module 2: Jobs” it says here. So I thought-

Ruby: I don’t think we have covered Module 2

Thy: Okay. Y’all didn’t write a personal recount?

Ruby: No,

Thy: ...So it was all about the exposition, the climate change. So this is exposition writing, did y’all do exposition writing in school yet?

Ruby: I don’t know what that is.

Thy: Okay so exposition is to talk about something, to elaborate on something.

Ryan: Is it to elaborate your stand?

Thy: Yeah.

Ryan: Yeah I’ve done it recently.

Ruby: I never, my school never.

Raymond: Is it argumentative writing?

Thy: Argumentative is a little bit more...it’s a branch off exposition because exposition I can make a stand without having to argue pros and cons. So like “Singapore should do this this this and this for climate change”, that’s exposition.

But if I say “the pros and cons of us doing this”, then that becomes argumentative. So I guess argumentative is a subset of exposition. So I gather Raymond you have done argumentative in school? Okay so you’ve done a form of exposition.

Ruby: I also got do argumentative in school also.

Thy: Okay, so did y’all apply what y’all learn here in school?

Ruby: Somewhat. But then when I use the grammar from Scribo, when the results come in, like marginally fail.

Thy: Alright, but structure and all that did y’all make use of what y’all learnt here?

Ruby: I tried.

Thy: So apart from the grammar, but when you tried did it make it easier for you?

Ruby: No. Because I have a hard time remembering what I just learnt.

Thy: Okay, so this is once a week right? Yeah? Okay maybe it was very long time ago that you did it and you had [inaudible]. What about yourself? Since you’ve done-

Ryan: Same with Raymond. Because both of us are in the same class. We’re in the same school. It’s about whether VIA is compulsory or not. Maybe the reason why I don’t really use it from the Scribo to our school is because I just forget sometimes.

Thy: Okay so the things you learn, you forget. Fair enough. Ricky, no, not at all?

Ricky: Same thing as Ryan, I forget also.

Thy: Also forget.

Ryan: I mean we have too many things to worry so...

Ruby: We have other stuff to worry about cher.

Thy: Y’all like old people like that, very busy, many things to remember and all that...

Okay so let’s talk about what happens in school after your teacher gives you- she marks, gives you feedback, what happens after that?

Ryan: You just take it, like when she go through the paper she either keep it for marking the correction, or she ask you to take back and that’s it.

Ruby: My school doesn’t need do corrections. The teacher also don’t go through the paper. They just continue what they want to do

Thy: Wow so don’t need to do corrections one.

Ruby: But because some of the parents also like “why never do corrections?”, then they start scolding.

Thy: So because the parents ask for corrections then y’all end up doing corrections?

Ruby: No it’s because right, when the parents ask for corrections, then we tell them “teacher never go through, teacher never say.” Then in the end we get scolded.

Thy: Okay so your parents scold y’all not scold the teachers.

Ruby: Then after we tell them that the teachers never tell us to do, then they call the teacher and start scolding them.

Thy: Okay, so is that the same with you as well Ricky? You don’t have to do corrections?

Ricky: She give out the paper and then the next day ask us to do correction. She do on the whiteboard then we just follow her, and she explains. She explain and then she say why it’s this answer, why it’s not that answer. Then sometimes she also ask for suggestion.

Thy: Suggestions of what?

Ricky: To make the idea better.

Ryan: So like example this is the answer that she gave, then she will ask if anyone has a different answer. Then someone raise up their hand because that person got it correct.

Ricky: A bit like [inaudible] 4 people, if the person is sitting here, the person vertically and behind and left and right must stand up. The last to stand up must answer the question, so that’s like fun.

Thy: Cool, everybody start standing and all that.

Ryan: Yeah it’s a fun way to engage.

Thy: Are you...not the same school right?

Ryan: But my mother teacher did it before during Sec 2 then now she’s not my mother teacher anymore.

Thy: Your mother tongue- ah okay your mother tongue teacher. So it’s just to force everybody to be engaged, not sit there and- ...talk me through, teacher gives y’all a piece of homework, y’all do it, hand it in-

Ryan: She marks, we do corrections or you don’t, and then she either keeps it to see the corrections, or she just gives it back to you. Nothing else.

Ruby: That’s all.

Raymond: So you do finish already, then she write feedback. She only ask you read the feedback, she never personally find you.

Ryan: Yeah. And then you just file inside your English file.

Thy: Okay, so how is that same or different here? Because here y’all check, y’all key it in, it checks right?

Raymond: The teacher give personal feedback.

Ruby: The teacher will also give teacher feedback.

Thy: Okay, and then what happens after that? Y’all also bochap ah?

Ruby: Just improve on that one.

Raymond: Peer feedback also.

Thy: But after the peer feedback what happens? Also bochap?

Raymond: No I mean after the teacher feedback then we do again.

Ricky: So we improve it.

Ryan: ...what the comments have said.

Raymond: Then we fix.

Ryan: It’s like error, so if you have a error and then just fix it.

Thy: Okay, so there’s at least some- you have to pay attention to the feedback that’s given to you. Y’all do redraft it as well. On your own do y’all redraft?

Ruby: I don’t. Personally I [inaudible].

Thy: So that means the teacher gives you a topic and you just [write]?

Ruby: Yeah I don’t.

Thy: Bochap then do you run through Scribo and then look to what Scribo says to do a- to at least edit it for draft number 2?

Raymond: I usually just run the grammar one.

Thy: Only once?

Raymond: I only run the grammar one.

Ricky: Because we don’t have time.

Thy: Only run the grammar one, the whole time?

Ryan: Usually when we finish we only have left with 10 minutes to-

Ruby: 5, 10 minutes left only

Raymond: We type until like don’t know how to type already.

Thy: Very fast or a lot?

Ruby: My one is like that one.

Raymond: For me, I type until don’t know what to type.

Thy: So what does that mean, that you...you had so much to say? Or you just-

Raymond: I say everything I want to say already, I don’t know what to say already.

Thy: Okay so that’s a good point that I want to bring up, because Scribo also counts number of words right, word count? So are y’all writing more now, or less?

Ruby: Lesser.

Raymond: Same.

Ryan: For me it’s more.

Thy: Okay so less, same...but it’s because you’re only 3-

Raymond: I write a lot.

Thy: Oh you write a lot, so- very much okay, but in your case more. Why are you writing more now?

Ryan: I guess because it’s because of the peer review and the teacher’s feedback so there’s a way to improve.

Thy: But in school are you writing more?

Ryan: Less, I write less, below 150 words. I don’t have any- usually I don’t have any idea on what’s going on. So when I ask the teacher then the teacher explain to me then I understand. But then in the end I still won’t get the idea. I just miss out the point and then just scoop it away.

Thy: Okay, what about Ricky?

Ricky: More.

Thy: Write more?

Ricky: Get more points.

Thy: So you were...but I think writing more also the whole idea of confidence. Do y’all feel that you’re more confident now?

Ruby: Less confident.

Thy: Okay I hear the consistent story from Ruby that she’s less confident.

Ricky: More.

Ryan: No change.

Thy: No change, more. Why no change? You have so much support here and all that.

Ryan: I just don’t feel any confidence...[inaudible] because it’s just a normal essay. I mean you started doing essay like in Primary 4, Primary 5, so it’s just technically the same thing.

Thy: The support from Scribo and all that that’s not helping? Ricky what about you? You said more, more confident now in writing. You’re writing more?

Ricky: Yeah.

Thy: Because you have more ideas? So the ideas come from where ah?

Ricky: My brain.

Thy: Sorry? Your brain? Your brain must be stimulated by something right, all of a sudden- even creative people must have been inspired by something. So was it from all the discussions in class or anything like that?

Ryan: No it could be in discussion, or we research it on the internet.

Ruby: Like using ChatGPT, but I don’t use already.

Ryan: Or you just type in- for example talking about climate change, so like “what is climate change?” then there is an article, then you just read through it.

Ricky: Like in school they make us read the article news, then label (?) knowledge about them like climate change.

Raymond: I think Scribo if you make it can like see the content, then you all can put websites that can help with the content.

Ricky: Like links, hyperlink.

Raymond: But it’s probably very hard to code right?

Thy: Okay so actually this is a good point because part of it is also to understand how can the program be improved. So what I’m hearing from Raymond is that to inspire y’all with the areas to be-

Raymond: More idea. It’s like to help with the idea for the content.

Ryan: Like starting tools, for example like starting tools.

Thy: Starting tools?

Raymond: Like let’s say the question is “What are the ways the government can make Singapore more sustainable?”, then after we write maybe y’all can put URA link.

Thy: Okay, for y’all to go and ownself on your own, go and

Raymond: Go and read them.

Thy: Yup. Actually I was under the impression that there was a lot given already but you probably want to choose your own lah?

Ryan: Yeah.

Ruby: Because more unique.

Thy: Yeah, it could be that choose and-if it’s the same set everybody ends up writing the same thing.

Ryan: Also a bit boring.

Thy: Yeah it’s gonna be boring. Ruby what are some ideas for improving the program then?

Ruby: Maybe improve the intelligence of the AI? Maybe like improve the grammar issue. The bug.

Thy: Yeah I keep hearing from you that there is a problem. You know what you can do is those that have a problem you write it down, because we have a direct- I know the person who came up with this, the people who are putting this, and I can tell them “Hey look at these areas.”

Because I remember last year when I talked to your seniors, they were so fed up that the program- because somebody wrote “a tin of sardines”, then the program-

Ricky: Because they say they put “can” right? Yeah then after that they ask you- because you use the word too many times, then the synonym will be “tin”, like the “can”, “tin”-

Ryan: Then suddenly it says it’s wrong.

Ricky: Like they get the wrong meaning of the word.

Thy: Yeah because “can” can be also [inaudible]

Ricky: “The climate can change”, then suddenly the synonym say “the climate tin change”.

Raymond: Another thing about the word, like the grammar thing, let’s say you’re correct, then you want to write this word, then the word which they ask you to change is a lesser- less stronger meaning to it. Like lacks emphasis.

Thy: Okay, probably not suitable, not specific to what it is that y’all want. Thank you for all, you’re giving me feedback on this, I’ll go and tell them that. So actually-

Ruby: I think if improve the thing, then maybe younger children like primary school kids can use the Scribo.

Thy: Yeah actually they are right now. You know the Sec 2s now actually on the program as well, so that’s why we need to understand more from y’all. Okay there was something I wanted to ask, and I forgot. Apart from this “tin” and “can” and all that generally do y’all understand the Scribo feedback?

Are there things that they say “ I don’t understand, if I don’t understand I can’t change it.”

Ruby: The grammar thingy.

Thy: Okay, for example? I mean sometimes were there words that they were commenting on that you all don’t understand? Like for example “sticky sentences”, last year’s group kept mentioning that.

Raymond: What’s that?

Ricky: Synonym?

Thy: No. Synonym-

Ruby: Like sticky sentences like stuck together?

Ricky: When you write climate change right, they give you something you gotta do, like catastrophe. I don’t know what it’s called.

Thy: Catastrophe, yeah. So they suggested that word?

Ricky: Something like that, like temperature. So it give like very high level, but then your sentence a bit like...then they give you damn high sentence word, like used in the university.

Thy: Oh okay so the kind of words that they-

Ricky: Like you don’t usually see in sentences. It’s very rare.

Raymond: Atas.

Ruby: The atas word.

Thy: You know atas is Malay right?

Ruby: Yes.

Thy: So something that only people in university-

Ricky: My C I rewrite(?)

Thy: But isn’t it good to show off that you know a word that-

Ryan: But if you don’t know the word-

Ricky: Then you can’t write it down during exam.

Ryan: If you don’t understand the word or something then how are you supposed to use it?

Ruby: Yeah like if you don’t understand how possible is it-

Ricky: [inaudible] thinking about something then they give you a hypothetically (?) I don’t know what it’s called.

Thy: So I hear that it’s not just a problem with the grammar, there’s a problem with the vocabulary, and so it’s not as helpful as-

Ruby: And sometimes the sentences could be like quite annoying. Because it will pop-up again and again.

Thy: Okay so sticky sentences are like sentences that go on and on and on-

Raymond: Run on?

Thy: Yeah run-on sentences because you are trying to put too many things in there so it becomes very clumsy. So it’s best to break them up and start with that, so that’s what sticky sentences is all about.

Promise y’all one last question, because it’s 8.30pm and I notice y’all very tired already, and I’ll let y’all go back to your cher over there. Tell me at this point in time, what has been your most memorable experience so far in the past 5 months? Something that you remember best of the whole 5 months so far, the lessons here?

Ryan: I think it’s me figuring out how to use it.

Ricky: Yeah same.

Ryan: Like the functions or- I mean it’s your first time using it so I think that’s memorable.

Thy: Okay, by the way y’all know that schools will be using Scribo at some point in time, it’s already being rolled out. They got the tender, the company that produces it so in a sense y’all are one step ahead of everybody else. It will be put into SLS, so whatever you type actually can be run through inside.

So that’s great. What was the hardest thing that you didn’t understand until oh, then you understood?

Ryan: Pressing the “check” so checking all your mistakes, everything just starts flowing on right side of the screen. Everything just start flowing because got mistakes. You’re kinda pressured to fix these errors.

Thy: Okay, pressured in a good way or a bad way?

Ryan: I don’t know [inaudible], but I mean- I don’t know how but I just pressing the checking and suddenly all the errors to your right side. Could be annoying. Because you want to take one step, a bit, then suddenly all-

Ricky: Step-by-step.

Ryan: Yeah step-by-step but the thing just suddenly pop up when you press the checking.

Thy: Okay, last year’s batch what they told me was they had quite a kick out of you know, you deal with it.

Ryan: Each section though.

Thy: And then they got quite a kick out of seeing their scores change.

Ryan: Yeah scores can either go down or up, and there’s this one area so grammar (?), then this grammar you click on it there’s another part of it. So like number- paragraph 1, paragraph 2, paragraph 3. It’s like a sub.

Thy: Okay, you deal one at a time? Okay, so most memorable also how to make sense out of Scribo? Why was that memorable?

Ricky: Because that’s the only main thing you do during class. Something that’s fun.

Thy: Okay, I’m still trying to figure out what “fun” means. “Fun” meaning when you can make something happen?

Ryan: Like you gotta use your pen and just write, listen in class.

Raymond: It’s easier than writing,

Thy: It’s easier than writing and it’s more interactive?

Ryan: Yeah it’s better than just staring at the first page.

Ruby: Yeah because when you write right, your wrist tend to get pain and tired.

Thy: But when you say less painful it’s nothing to do with the wrist right?

Raymond: Speaking from experience.

Thy: Sort of what do you mean by speaking from experience?

Raymond: It’s more painful to write.

Thy: But it’s nothing to do with physical pain or painful as in 伤脑经?

Ricky: Both.

Ryan: Both.

Raymond: Hand tired. Hand pain.

Ruby: Sometimes my hand pain and my head pain because sometimes when I write on paper right, then [inaudible]. Oh no.

Ricky: You write, you don’t focus on writing, so when we write the teacher say go here come out here (one ear in one ear out). Because you not focusing, you writing, copying down the thing-

Ryan: [inaudible] Just sitting down staring at a screen.

Thy: This is here or in school?

Ryan: School.

Ricky: School.

Thy: So teacher talks and talks but it’s like-

Ryan: It’s like grandmother story.

Thy: Okay, so you tell me how can we make it such that the cher here doesn’t make the same mistake as the teachers? So that when he says something, it doesn’t just you know, what can help?

Ryan: Maybe just not like keep on talking and talking.

Raymond: Yes.

Ryan: I mean example like the cher is your parent, then they scold you right, nagging at you. So-called nagging.

Raymond: If they never pause in a sentence then after that I just don’t [inaudible] already.

Ryan: So it’s nagging, you eventually get annoyed. Then you don’t want listen already.

Thy: Okay. Obviously that’s not just this teacher that you’re talking- teachers in general.

Raymond: Scribo got dark mode or not? Does it have a dark mode?

Ryan: Dark mode. Because it’s bright.

Thy: Oh, okay that’s a good point I-

Ryan: It helps to comfort the eye.

Raymond: Some people lik3 dark mode.

Ruby: Like maybe blue light. The screen.

Thy: Okay I could ask them, that’s a good point. Nobody has ever asked that so I’ll ask them that. Okay so any last words-she’s already going.

Ruby: My leg pain.

Thy: Okay can, not only hand pain, leg pain. Any last words about Scribo or the tuition program that you want to tell me that I didn’t ask?

Raymond: Maybe can add tutorial, how to use.

Ricky: Yeah.

Raymond: Because there’s no tutorial, and I’m still very blur.

Thy: Okay, tutorial on how to use the-

Raymond: Like basic

Ryan: It’s just like basic it’s just telling you what are the functions. It could be helpful.

Ricky: Like what you should do and what you shouldn’t do.

Ryan: Yeah kind of like that.

Ricky: Like if you were to lose your account one day then-

Thy: Okay so thank you very much, y’all have been very helpful in some things that I will convey. Obviously it’s anonymous so it’s not “who said what”.