BP8_Planbook

Okay, first comes the disclaimer: (1) I'm not sure this qualifies as Web 2.0 because it's not web-based, and (2) I'm not usually a fan of tools that require you to purchase them (eh-hem..Ning), but this one just made my life a little bit easier, so I think it's worth it.

The tool I'm featuring today is Planbook, which is simply what it says, a computer based lesson planning and tracking application. While there are many reasons why I like this program, the most important is that I don't have to carry around a physical planbook with me or need to make templates in Word to keep my lessons on my computer.

The first key feature is the planbook setup.  You see this screen everytime you open the program because it allows you to have as many seperate planbook files as you like, such as one for each school year, but you don't need a seperate file for each class.

To set up your planbook, you need to select the start and end date for the school year using the two calendars in the upper left-hand corner.  Don't worry about if the school year is extended due to snow days, smog days, or whatever you face in your area; the program allows you to easily extend the school year later if it's required later.
Next you enter you course names in the text field in the upper right hand corner.  You can enter as many classes as you need, so I entered a class for each period I teach because my four English classes rarely stay right on schedule all year.
In the middle of the window you select the days you teach, and the type of schedule you follow.  This is one of the best features I've found so far because it has three preset schedules for traditional and alternating schedules,  along with a customizable rotating schedule up to 14 days.  (See the help page for screenflows on how to use these features. I promise it's easy, I just don't have time to explain it.)

Once your file is set up, each course can be color coded using colors of your choice and can be toggled on and off from the left sidebar.  In the screencap below I have my drama class toggled off because I won't teach it until the spring semester.  There is also a calendar in the lower left hand corner where you can navigate between a daily, weekly, or monthly view of you plans.  The cap below shows the weekly view.

It allows you to easily input your lessons on the right side bar, giving you six separate text fields that are fully customizable.  The three basic are "Teacher Information," "Homework," and "Public Information," along with 3 Custom fields. 

I didn't like these field titles, so I changed mine to "Bellwork," "Class Work," "Homework," and added a custom field of "Resources."  All you have to do to change the field title is click the name and change the text. It is very user friendly.

The program also gives you the option to attach web links and files directly to the lesson using a simple upload feature.  This is handy for when you use the web publishing feature because it will place the attachments on the lesson website for students and parents to access with requiring you to know code or create the links yourself.

The final feature I want to showcase is the web publishing tool.  I haven't set this up yet, but the program has built in features that allow you to upload your plans to your MobileMe account or a custom FTP.

There are other features I know of but haven't had to time to check out.  They include customizable lesson reports you can print to turn into your administrators, the ability to easily move all lessons forward or backward with the push of a button in case of sudden changes in scheduling, the ability to place holidays and snowdays in the plans seamlessly without losing lessons, and the ability to insert standards into lesson plans.

Before you decide to purchase the application, I recommend that you take advantage of the free trial version (it stops after you enter your 20th lesson plan) and watch the screenflows that were created by the program designer, Jeff Hellmen, a science teacher from Oregon.  

At $30.00, it's not a program you want to purchase and not use, but the fact that you can use it year after year and not need to buy a new paper planbook each year means it's an inexpensive investment in the longterm.