costly learning journeys

[blondie]

we are finding it very costly to keep copying the observation books for each child each term - it consists of front cover, page with details of attendance etc, one or two pages for observations, two pages for the focused obs then two pages for summary and yet another for the parent to make comments - a total of 9 pieces of copying.

financially we are struggling with this but arent sure how else we can do this using less paper and money - could anyone let me know how they are doing their learning journals- perhaps a copy of yours for me to look at would be fantastic so we can try to adjust ours to make it less costly.

[Guest]

A virtual learning journey - all online - word processed....ony thing with this is finding the time to type them up. there is no printing and when child leaves you email it to next setting.

Probably not helpful but an idea.....

Edited March 15, 2013 by Alabaloo

[Stargrower]

Have you looked at Tapestry? In a rush but someone will come along and explain...

[DebbieW]

Tapestry is definitely worth considering.....It has revolutionised the way we do our learning journeys, and we have no printing costs..except for parents who don't do computers (2 out of 55) and we can print their's out in a very professional format. parents can view the learning journal whenever they like and get e mail alerts when an observation or assessment has been added. I give my team 1 hour a week with the laptop in the setting to update their key children's records...as long as they keep up to date and use this time wisely they can update their key children's learning journals easily (up to 10 for each key person). parents leave comments when they have viewed the journal and can add their observations and add photographs from home. Just Brilliant.

 

As a manager I have admin rights and can see whether entries have been made and by whom. I can view what's been written and how a child has been assessed before it gets added to the journal (my staff like this option). Once I add it to the journal the e mail alert goes out informing parents. There is a very reasonable charge for using Tapestry and there is very prompt help and support if you need it.

 

(Steve......do I get commission?)

[Mouseketeer]

Sounds good Debbiew.....but one hour a week to update up to 10 key childrens records.....a couple of mine would still be trying to figure out how to open and turn the lap top on in that time

[Steve]

Thanks for those lovely comments Debbie, and absolutely - I'm sending a brown envelope as I type! :1b

 

Blondie, one thing Tapestry won't enable you to do yet is give an exact replica of your focussed and summary pages, so it depends if that's a rigid format that your LA has forced on you.

[blondie]

hi thankyou all for your replies.

steve is there anyway i can look at tapestry? i think as long as we do focused obs and summary it is upto us to decide how we do it.

what are the costs - we have approx 100-120 children per year - is it an annual fee or once paid you use it forever- any details you can give me would be great xx

[Steve]

Hi Blondie -

Sorry, I missed this reply, and have just spotted your other post enquiring about Tapestry.

 

Costings are pretty simple: £30, £50 or £70 per year depending on the number of children you have (up to 60 children, between 60 and 120, or over 120). Add VAT onto that. You need to be a subscribing member of the FSF which costs £20 per year, unless you have Local Authority membership, in which case that is free.

 

So in your case, since you're a LA member that is free. You need to work out whether you're likely to go over 120 children, so Tapestry would cost you either £50 or £70 per year, plus VAT.

 

With regard to having a look at Tapestry, we don't have a formal trial scheme, although several people have asked for it so we'll be thinking about how to introduce one. We will always cheerfully give anyone a refund if they decide Tapestry isn't for them within the first month or two, so that's currently our equivalent of a trial. However, I'd be happy to give you access to mytest account if you wanted to have a play around, although you would need to enter any details again if you decided to go ahead and open your own account.

 

Hope that helps! :1b

[Guest]

Steve, could I have access to your test account please. Would like to have a little go with it to see if would work for my setting. thank you x

 

[Steve]

Hi Max -

I've PMd you with details. Have fun! :1b

[rappers]

Hi Steve,

 

Please could l also have a go with your test account? My staff very sceptical that any kind of online learning journey would work for us and hopefully save a lot of staff time so I'd like to set up a sample to test it out first.

 

many thanks

 

 

[Steve]

Hi rappers -

 

I've PMd you with access details. Likewise, have fun! :1b

[Greenfinch]

Hi Steve

You can probably guess! I too am really interested but would like to have a play on it to see if it would suit us. Please can I also have a go on the test account? :-)

[blondie]

hi steve

that would be great - could i have a look at your test account please?

i am off work at the moment and probably wont return until after easter, will that still be ok to use then as want to show staff too x

[tracyb46]

Thank you for the information re costings Steve, and yes you have guessed it can I have a look at your account to see how it all works please.... Just want to see if I can work it really! Thanks

[giggy2frogs]

Hi Steve, Like so many others I am interested in Tapestry. We are a small village preschool with 30 children on roll and five staff members. The staff struggle with I.T skills, again like most settings our printing costs and compiling time has doubled. Anything that would make the staff's life easier and allow parents to view the journeys. My one question to you all is Our children love looking at their learning journeys, sharing them with their friends, Can we do this electronically? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Cait]

Hi giggy2frogs, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your first post.

 

Do you have internet access at preschool? If you have, then could the children look at their Tapestries online? At home they could look at them with family and friends using their parents' log in. We are getting round this by still having ringbinders containing pictures, paintings, bus tickets or whatever that children can still look at and share. Their Tapestries are mainly the photographs and annotations against the learning outcomes, so they are more interested in what's in the physical file really.