Zangle: the inside scoop
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November 9, 2009 • Erin Cockreham, Reporter
Filed under 2009-2010
It’s shiny and new, and it has the ability to confuse all our teachers. The new Zangle system has been providing a hearty debate on the old system versus the new system, and how this new system will change the way teachers deal with those little things called grades. To understand this further, I interviewed numerous teachers to get their take on the matter.
My first interviewee was Megan Williams, one of our math teachers, who said, “So far, so good. Still getting used to it but I see a lot of potential in it.”
“I think Zangle allows better access to a student’s grades and class announcements and I really enjoy the attendance feature,” Yoko Grove, our Japanese language teacher, explained at the end of her third period class, “The grading system on the last program we used was easier for me, but it’s nice knowing the parents are getting involved, so [it’s] more work for teachers but better for students and parents, which is the most important part.”
Allen High, one of our art teachers, said, “It seems like it’s working okay but I can’t figure out how to add new assignments, which aren’t graded yet, from bringing down everyone’s grades.” Since this quote was given she has since figured out how to hide assignments so that students aren’t getting F’s for work that hasn’t even been graded yet.
“As with any new program, change can be difficult but I don’t know it’s full potential just yet,” Denise Barrett, the art department chair, commented cheerfully, “I’m ever hopeful.”
James Granata, one of our science teachers, had this not so hopeful comment, “It’s a good idea, but the software is not perfect and the grading system is a step back from the old program; Teachers are trying to learn something new, so it’s taking a little time.”
Ron King, one of our math teachers, seems to agree with Granata, “It’s unbearably slow, has poor access to stats. Not to mention the printing problems. The software seems like a beta version, not a finished product.”
When asked at the same time, Angela Armstrong, one of our English teachers, and Lisa Reed, our social studies and drama teacher, had similar responses, “I think it’s a lot more complex then they thought it would be, and there are still plenty of flaws that need to be worked out,” was Armstrong’s response. Reed’s was, “It has many steps and a lot of buttons.”
“It’s great really; it uploads quickly,” said Kristi Senden, our German language teacher, but she also had this point to make, “I only wish the students would check it out.” In fact most of the teachers agree that students need their own access codes so they can view and monitor their grades.
“Zangle is a very useful and powerful tool to record grades; however, the one thing I’d like to see is e-mail. They had it with Easy Grade Pro (the old system), [along with] the ability to e-mail progress reports to parents, which Zangle doesn’t currently feature,” offered David Kinder, one of our science teachers, while giving tips in between our interview on how to better advertise the school’s online newspaper.
Cindy Davis, a science teacher, supplied a little humor to the situation, “It’s useful, but I find the ‘spinning cursor of death’ very frustrating, the rest of the program is good though.” The ‘spinning cursor of death’ is the colorful-pinwheel icon that the mouse’s cursor turns into when there is a problem with a program.
“I think once we get used to it, all will be good. That’s all I have to say,” contemplated Amanda Terryberry, an English teacher, before adding, “As soon as parents get access to it.”
Sarah Birmanns, one of our Spanish immersion teachers, had an interesting point, “I wish it took less time; people have been slightly impatient about it and students should have their own passwords to access. It doesn’t save me a lot of time day-to-day but around grading time it’s already done for me.”
Chris Rees stated, “It’s not perfect but it’s a good tool, and I’m getting used to it.”
Due to still having dial-up at home, Derek Dagley, a math teacher, can’t honestly say he’s a fan, “It’s a lot of work, I have to do it all in school because I’m old school.”
“It’s… Laborious,” said Debra LaRue, a social studies teacher, taking the time to spell the word out correctly for me, “But it has lots of good features at any rate.”
“I think there’s a steeper learning curve to it then they ever imagined when they were programming it,” commented Kathie Steele, the English department chair, over lunch break, “I like the fact you don’t have to bubble it all in and I think you should just get used to it now [that] we’re all hooked into it.”
It’s interesting to see how technology controls our educational system. Even more so, it’s interesting to see that such a seemingly insignificant change in the grading system can cause such a commotion among educators, parents and students alike.
