WHY BARTOW COUNTY NEEDS ZANER-BLOSER

Implementing Writing Technology in our Instruction

ByJudson Smith

What does Zaner-Bloser offer?

Teachers have the unique ability to do the following with Zaner-Bloser:

Use a program for making differentiated writing and grammar assignments

Provide feedback to students at each step of the writing process and assess students’ completed assignments

Take advantage of their eBooks and assessments, multimedia teaching resources, and storing all teaching masters in one place

Not Just For Teachers

Students will also be able to gain benefits from this program. Students will be able to:

compose their writing, receive ongoing teacher feedback, and complete assignments both at school and at home

Have access to eBooks and interactive resources that they can access on their own and work independently with

Keep a digital record of their writing in their portfolio

View more about this product

There are many things that this software will be able to do and so many ways it can help our students. View more at:

Zaner-Bloser

Bartow’s Technology Vision

Bartow has great aspirations for Technology. Bartow has stated that the system will:

Have modern technology in every class Extend Modern technology beyond the

classroom Have interactive boards in every class Have collaborative resources available for

students and teachers Actively engage students using

technology

Vision Continued

Teachers will be using technology daily to increase student achievement

Paperless books will be purchased for the students

Teachers will have access to materials to allow students of all levels to be successful

Resources will allow teachers to deliver instruction that is aligned with current standards

How Zaner-Bloser fits in with Bartow’s Vision

Students will actively be engaged in learning with this writing program

Teachers will be able to design differentiated lesson plans using this software

Students will work collaboratively with their teachers, receiving feedback during each step of the writing process that will allow student improvement in writing

Students will be able to publish their writing and allow others, outside the school, to view their work and comment on the final product

Further follows Bartow’s Vision by:

Allowing teachers to teach the current writing standards using the guide provided with the software

eBooks are included with the program, along with interactive tasks that allow the students to independently work on tasks

This technology will allow students to work collaboratively with their teachers, fellow classmates, and others outside of their class to improve their writing skills and their overall approach to the writing process

Objectives in using this technology

The use of this technology will further develop the finished product in student writing

The technology will hone student skills in the writing process

The technology will allow for differentiated instruction, based on the students needs, to be easily designed by the classroom teacher

The technology will allow students to become more engaged in the writing process

Students will become part of a community that shares its work with others

Objectives cont.

Students will be able to publish their works online for others across the world to see

Students will become Digital Citizens Teachers will be able to give more

effective feedback at each stage of the writing process

The Benefits to Zaner-Bloser

Teachers can design differentiated instruction using their program and the resources with it

Students can receive instant feedback from their instructor

All students will have their own account Teachers will be able to continuously monitor

student work from their own computer Students will have online resources and the

ability to publish their work Lessons are included with the program to

improve writing and grammar

Which Students Should Receive This?

Bartow County will be giving Mac Book Air laptops to all students in grades 4-10 thanks to receiving the Striving Readers Grant. All students, in these grades 4-8, should receive this technology. It should be available on the Mac Books for these students.

Zaner-Bloser currently has programs for K-8, so it would not be as beneficial for students above grade 8

Equipment/Software needed

Thanks to the Striving Readers Grant, students will have the number one piece of equipment needed, a computer. Each student should also have ear buds for their own computer for their activities they will be doing. The software needs to be purchased from Zaner-Bloser. The only current need will be the software since students will already have the ear buds and laptops

Technical Support

Bartow County already has its own Technology Department, which can easily add the software to the Mac Books

In addition, Zaner-Bloser has online tutorials and will provide training to teachers on how to use their product.

Each teacher will receive a tutorial kit with the purchase for their class

Zaner-Bloser also has a technical support department available Monday-Friday to help with any issues

Limitations

With each student getting their own Mac Book, there are no limitations

Students in grades 6-10 will be carrying their Mac Books home with them, even if they do not have internet access at home; they can work on their assignment and upload it when they return to school the next day

Students in 4th and 5th grade will have internet access with their Mac Book during the school day and will be able to upload their work during the day; the only limitation will be that they are not allowed to carry their Mac Book home, per county policy

Safety Issues

With any online experience, there is always the concern of safety

Children will be publishing their work, online, for others to see

Students need to be assigned a screen name that in no ways identifies them to strangers

The school has filters in place to block students from certain sites and to monitor what they are viewing; this will also help ensure the safety of the students

Cost of the Product

The product will cost the system money Each student will receive a writing kit

with a text book and a writing handbook Each teacher will receive training on the

product Each teacher will receive a writing kit

that will be specific to the grade that they teach

Each student will have access to their own dashboard which will include their writing, lessons, and the eBooks

Cost of Product Cont’d

Each teacher will receive access to the dashboard of each of their students, and have their own dashboard for creating differentiated lessons and assignments for students

The total cost will be approximately $30 per student in grades 4-8

This includes computer access, training for teachers, and a writing kit for each student

Funding

The funding will come from the Striving Readers grant, which Bartow has already won

Bartow wrote the grant with the idea of implementing technology such as Zaner-Bloser

The money has already been received and this technology easily falls in line with what the grant money is intended for

How can teachers use this?

Teachers can teach their writing standards by using this technology

Teacher feedback to the student will be able to be done quickly and at each stage of the writing task

Teachers will be able to use the program to design lessons for all levels of students and design differentiated instruction

Lessons can be easily created using the Zaner-Bloser resources

More Uses

Students will be able to share their work with others

Students will be able to collaborate with teachers, classmates, and others once their work is publish

Students who receive feedback in this quick of a manner will be able to easily correct any mistakes and not develop bad writing or grammar habits

Students will have a portfolio of their writing

What Specific Learning Goals are Promoted?

Zaner-Bloser allows teachers to create lessons based upon student needs

Zaner-Bloser will take what the lessons have taught the students and allow them to produce work that is authentic based and promotes higher-order of learning through the expression of writing

Students can publish their final work and work collaboratively with others in the online publishing site to gain feedback to improve their writing

More Specific Learning Goals

By using the differentiated instruction tool that is provided, teachers can post higher-order questions or provide remediation for those students who need it

Grammar lessons can be designed to be specific to what the teacher has observed is an area of need

Differentiation

The teacher dashboard for Zaner-Bloser comes with a program that easily allows the teachers to provide differentiation in their instruction

Students will have access to various eBooks of their choice and engaging activities for students of various level

Students will be able to produce work that coincides with their level of ability

What does the Research Say?

Zaner-Bloser is a company that has been around since the 1800’s

They have become well known for their Handwriting Programs

According to Sipe (2013) “poor writing skills were called out as the fundamental deficiency for work readiness for graduates of high schools, two-year colleges/technical schools, and four-year colleges” (p. 2)

Sipe also commented that “The quality of writing instruction that K–8 students receive has a great impact on their ability to become proficient, effective writers for the rest of their school years” (p. 3)

More Research

Sipe also reveals that “Other research studies have shown higher student engagement and motivation, greater collaboration, and more extensive revision activities in classrooms where computers were used for writing” (p. 11)

And that “Another more recent study suggests that one-to-one laptop programs could help increase English Language Arts test scores of upper elementary students” (p. 11)

Listen to the Research

We just learned that the research has discovered: Writing Skills are deficient for graduates of High

School, two year schools, and four year colleges There is a positive impact on their writing skills if

K-8 students receive quality instruction Students are more engaged, motivated, willing to

revise more, and have a greater chance of collaboration using computers in writing

Use of Laptops could increase the Language Arts scores of students in upper elementary

Professional Learning for Teachers

Teachers will need to be trained for this program, once again: it is free!!!!

Teachers will have to learn how to implement technology in their classroom

Teachers need to be given training on how to use their Mac Books (which is already planned due to receiving the Striving Readers Grant)

Teachers will need to learn what type of feedback needs to be given for writing (if they have not already been trained).

References

Bartow County Board of Education. Technology Plan. Retrieved July 9, 2013 from Bartow County Schools http://bartow.ga.schoolwebpages.com/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=QmFydG93X0NvdW50eV9TY2hvb2xzX1RlY2hub2xvZ3lfUGxhbl8wOV8xMi5wZGY6Ojovd3d3MTAvc2Nob29scy9nYS9iYXJ0b3cvaW1hZ2VzL2RvY21nci8xMjdmaWxlMzI5Ny5wZGY=&sectiondetailid=20910

Sipe, R. (2013) Strategies For Writers: Foundational research. Retrieved July 9. 2013 from National Council of Teachers of English http://www.ncte.org/cel/ec/rebeccasipe

Zaner-Bloser. Strategies for Online Writing Center. Retrieved July 9, 2013 from Zaner-Bloser http://www.zaner-bloser.com/strategies-writers-online-writing-center