Summer is a great time to look at new options for the next year. I have trouble changing course when the year has already begun. However, changing to a new caseload gives me opportunities to start afresh and technology presents new options.
Up until now I have used the typical paper and pencil data collection system, but I would like to change to something that doesn’t require as much paper shuffling. A site called classdojo.com intrigued me so I put it on my list for exploration this summer. I added it to my blog roll on the right if you want to look at it also. I just got around to playing with it and I think it has good potential for record keeping.
I can’t claim the idea of using it for speech therapy as mine. In my meandering across speech sites (Speaking of Speech possibly) someone mentioned it. I no longer remember the person with the great idea. If you are out there please step forward and say who you are so you can be acknowledged properly.
The premiss of the program is to track behaviors in a classroom and give immediate feedback. The behaviors can easily be setup for therapy goals also. You can set up a number of classes so each group of students you work with can form a class. At the end of a session, a percentage score can be obtained for each student. This score can actually be emailed to parents if you like. There is flexibility in recording degrees of correctness such as correct, correct with prompt, or incorrect, depending on how you set it up initially. I have always hated the idea of minus and plus as the only options because it doesn’t indicate when a cue has occurred. I think that is valuable information for the child and me.
If you are like me and are lucky to have one iPad to use, you are reluctant to use it for data collection because this prevents you from using the other apps for actual therapy. There is another good feature. You can access the program on a smart phone and record responses there as well. I am eager to see if this will work for me.