It's All in the Documentation . . .

In my previous post, I said I would share an app for documentation.  So here it is . . . .
Super Duper Data Tracker!!!  (I tried to put a picture of the app icon, but I was unsuccessful.)  I really like this app.  It costs $1.99.  Here are some crude screen shots of the home screen.

This app allows you to set up individual students and student groups.  I have only input two of my 18 students because they have goals that are easier to tally.  For example, one kindergarten goal is to read the 44 kindergarten sight words my district assesses.  Here is what the set up looks like:

As you can see I have chosen to track incorrect/correct.  Using this selection, the app will calculate percentages each time I track this goal for this student.  Then it creates a graph using all of the sessions.  Each goal also allows me to add notes for each session that print with the graph report. (UGH! I can't win with these pics today.)

As I hope you can see, here is a session report for one of kindergarteners last year.  It lists his percentages incorrect & correct for each goal assessed.  In the upper right corner of the iPad screen there is a blue send button.  This allows you to email the report.  I used this feature to e-mail my school psychologist as she prepared an evaluation report for one of my students.  It gave her a graph for each of the goals as well as my notes on what his mistakes were.  It made sharing with parents quite simple and concrete.

For more complicated goals that can't be tracked my simply tallying or checking incorrect/correct, I am trying Evernote.  If you haven't tried it, it is definitely worth looking into for much, MUCH more than documentation.

And so it begins . . .

     Welcome!  Let me tell you a little about myself.  I am a wife to a wonderful man of almost 17 years.  We have two incredible daughters.  Second to that, I am a special education teacher in a resource classroom for students in grades kindergarten through 5th grade in a small school.  I am the only special education teacher in my school.  This makes for some exciting times!  I love my job, and I have been teaching there since graduating from college in 1996.
     My hope with this blog is to help keep myself on track.  From the title I chose, you can correctly assume I can be at times unorganized and/or messy.  In an attempt to help me this fall, I have changed my school bag to this wonderful 31 Utility Tote.  I like it because it is the perfect size to hold a file box.

Isn't it cute?  You can find it at http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/.  It's called the Organizing Utility Tote.  (Also there you see my Tervis tumbler  http://www.tervis.com.  I got it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  I carry it with me almost everywhere.  I drink a lot of water!  The other nice thing about it is that if I leave it behind somewhere at school, everyone knows it belongs to me, and it finds its way back to the classroom.)

Here is how I am starting my organizing:

I'm sure it will change as I start the school year, but I have to start somewhere!  My hope is that this helps me stop lugging the same stuff to and from school everyday that I don't really need.

Then, there is my clipboard.  I covered it in pretty duct tape.  On the front I have staggered and taped a 5x8 index card for each of my students with their basic goals for the year.  This will give me a quick flip reference when I am making plans for each student and/or group.  I want to streamline my documentation so I do it more effectively.  The binder system was to cumbersome for me.

I'll share an app for the iPad I use for documentation another time.