1) Barry, first of all, tell us a bit about your background.

I have a BA in English from Florida International University. I taught HS in a Title I Reading Program where I was responsible for developing reading systems, as the ones we had were not effective. As this is a Federal Program we had a significant amount of money, which is always a benefit. The main system I developed was one where the students checked their own work. I left the answer keys out for them to do so. They always gave themselves a 100% on their work.

However, they did not get a real grade until they read the material one to one with a teacher. So, after checking their work they would go back to their desks and learn how to read the material. The material was individually appropriate, so that it was possible for them to do this. The end result was that the students felt that they were "Putting one over on the teachers" but the teachers saw that the students were learning how to read. And we all know how kids love to "Put one over on us."

This idea has manifested itself in the Helpful Hints section where we tell the user that, if they have an essay question, they should turn the question into a statement and prove that statement. So by asking the question, the teacher is giving the student half of the answer. Again they think they are "Putting one over on us." Great.

2) Now, how did this concept of "easy essay" come about?

Very interesting question. It started in 1968, when I was a senior in HS and my teacher, Jenny Vogel, gave a lesson on the Five Paragraph Essay. We were told to write an essay and, as is typical, I had no idea what to write about. I decided to write a five paragraph essay about the Five Paragraph Essay. This can be seen as Demo 2 in our Demo Section. Fast forward 35+ years and I decide to automate the process, as it has served me and others quite well, but I now see it as a computer program.

I met a software designer, Greg Pechenik, and told him my idea for making a CD. He said that we should put it on the internet for greater accessibility. I said that if it is on the web we can link it to Google(R) so that the program can be an aid in research, as well as in structure. This began an interesting relationship. He could not write an essay and I am computer challenged, so, we had to design a system to the lowest common denominator; one that taught him to write and that I could operate. The obstacles became a cause for innovation and the result is a program that is used in Special Services Education and as a class in college.

3) What are you trying to accomplish with your web site?

We are trying to help. I mentioned earlier that the program is being used in college. That is a shame. The fact that college students cannot write an essay is horrific. We are doing what we can to avoid this in the future. We see that our program offers the most efficient and easiest way to organize an essay, so that teachers can use the time for more creative exercises. As far as Special Services, it is amazingly effective in mainstreaming, since the program can de used by a great variety of student levels, yet it is still individualized.

This same fact works for the student population at large. A wonderful side effect is that users begin to communicate more logically and I guess the bottom line of what we wish to accomplish is ease of operation and greater communication.

4) What kind of cognitive skills are you teaching?

We are teaching users how to logically organize their thoughts; that in order to prove a point they must have valid reasons supporting their assertions. We are also helping them not to digress from their main topic.

There is no room for it in the program and if they do make this error, their essay stops making sense, immediately. Expanding on the cognitive arena, we believe that the repetitive, color coded aspects of the program would be helpful in educational rehabilitation for stroke and traumatic brain injury patients as they could reopen or stimulate the neural pathways necessary for these patients to relearn logical thinking.

5) Have you done any research with your site?

The research we have done is on the site, for the site. As a computer challenged member of a technological society, the building of the system and its constant upgrades have been an exercise in expansion for me, personally, and that research has been the inspiration for the program's evolution. At the same time, I recognize the gift that comes with a completely fresh point of view. Achieving a balance of the two is the key for optimum performance, but I do make the software designer nuts sometimes.

6) What kinds of feedback have you gotten?

Since the program is free, we live for the feedback and have not been disappointed. Some of this I have mentioned above, but there is much more.

There has been the letters from young users, their parents and their teachers. There have been the college teachers and the Special Services teachers and their websites and the compliments and gratitude that they have expressed. We thank them. We feel a gift is twice as much fun when we get to share it and we are sharing this on a worldwide platform. And, not to be prejudicial, I also thank our electronic friends, the counters, for showing us how many thousands and thousands of people are using the site.

Of course, there have been the detractors who expected the program to write their essays for them and the ones who enter garbage and expect something other than garbage to be returned, but they are statistically insignificant. But there are also the people who use it for things we never imagined, for example, a doctor who uses it with his patients so that when they are in his office, they are organized and do not forget to mention aspects of their concerns. We welcome this feedback so that we can constantly target new groups and share our information with them.

7) What are your plans for the future?

In the near future we hope to have our patent so that we will know that no one will ever be able to use our format and charge for it. The present and future designs are now patent pending and well on their way to approval. We have a number of design upgrades in the works. Eventually the program will have search button by every autogenerated topic sentence for more specific research and we will make the program more flexible by allowing for more or less than three proofs per paragraph. And further down the line we hope to have a variety of options that will make the program age and user appropriate.

8) What question have I neglected to ask?

I am complete. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Published Febraury 5, 2009