The web 2.0 tool I chose to investigate this week is planbookedu. This tool allows teachers to create lesson plans that are saved on the Internet. This tool incorporates many options for making lesson plans that much simpler. Planbookedu has an option for creating your own templates or following an easy to create template provided by this site. One of the best functions of this tool is the ability to incorporate the Core Standards into your plans. This is made easily available by offering a place to type key words that will retrieve the core standards for that subject or key word. This is an effective way to document what you are covering.
My principal has been looking for a template that can be used school wide. He has implemented a school-wide expectation that all teachers at our school turn in their lesson plans electronically. This might be the answer to what he is looking for. This will still allow each teacher to be individualized in his or her plans, yet administration could have daily access to lesson plans.
Planbookedu also offers the ability to attach files. This allows the teachers to add files that they have created to their plans. So materials are readily available for each lesson.
Planbookedu offers a basic plan that is free and a more advanced plan that only costs $20.00 a year, and they offer group discounts. If schools want electronic plans, this might be the way to get this accomplished.
I began to play around with the plan book, and I think this is going to be a great tool to incorporate into my classroom. I anticipate that this tool will make my lesson planning more effective and more efficient.
What a fantastic tool. I love that you can create your own template and reference the associated standards. It is also wonderful that you can look at the month at a glance and see plan. My school has been stuck on requiring teachers to keep plans on paper for archiving but I think this is a much better option.
ReplyDeleteSaving lesson plans on a cloud is such a great idea! This way, there is no fear of a computer crashing and losing all information that was not backed up properly. Sending colleagues the URL makes for easy accessibility. I particularly like the versatility in either using the templates provided by the program for developing lesson plans, or creating your own templates and using them with the program. I also like the programs’ search and find feature for retrieving saved templates quickly. Another great feature, as you pointed out, is the relatively nominal yearly fee, ($20), for the advanced features of the program.
ReplyDeleteA great find! I look forward to seeing how you can put this tool to work for you! Thanks for sharing!