Teletherapy: Using Google Forms to Track Parent Contacts

I have no problem with the idea of keeping handwritten documentation. In fact, sometimes I think it is faster than using the computer. I suppose it depends on the system or the way you do it. Some telepractice platforms have powerful data collection capability built in or require data and information to be tracked with their own online system. The company I contract with uses Go To Meeting. It is the only platform I have ever used. All of my students that I currently work with, attend virtual academies and I provide one-on-one services. As part of my daily documentation for each student, I needed to find a fast and efficient way to track my contacts with parents and maintain an editable running record of those contacts organized on one page that could be uploaded to the school's secure database in the form of a PDF. I'm okay with Excel but have found Google Sheets and Forms easier. I decided to use a simple Google Form with drop downs that would populate a spread sheet for me and could be downloaded as a PDF. Below is a sample form and what the spreadsheet looks like with bogus information. 

The following is screenshot of what the information looks like in a spreadsheet format. If needed, the spreadsheet itself can be edited at any time. A nice feature of  Google Forms is that you can also see data presented in charts and graphs with a click.

In order for me to track all of my parent contacts, I will need a Google Form for each student. All of the forms would be stored in one folder in Google Drive. I also need a folder for the live spreadsheets. In actual use, since I have a second monitor, I can open Drive and select the students I have on my schedule for the day so they would appear as tabs. Once organized, the process of documenting using the forms will require a few more minutes of morning preparation time, plus I think I will initially keep paper forms in case I encounter glitches or it turns out to be a pain. What would really be cool is if I had an iPad or tablet and each form could be a "button" on a screen. That would make it easy peasy. Now I want an iPad. 

Speech Therapy Pensieve: Part 2

After talking with a few speech colleagues in my district, I am liking the idea of using Google forms to track student contacts even more. I decided to create two additional forms. One for screenings and consultation services and another to document meetings. I'm not sure that tracking these therapeutic activities will be any faster using an iPad but I like the idea of having all the data in one place. And maybe, once I start using the forms, I will be able to glean some trends or big ideas. I was afraid that my co-professionals would think it was a dorky idea and it would be too difficult. But as it turns out, some of my speech buddies are also interested in experimenting with ways to collect and interpret student data using their iPad. My thinking is that any data collection method needs to be quick. As school speech therapists, our time with students is often brief and we need to be able to use every instructional minute wisely. Data collection cannot be so cumbersome that it steals away lots of these minutes. I anticipate that I will want to make revisions to the forms as I begin using them. Below is a screenshot of the live form for tracking screening and consultation services. Under the live form is a view of what the columns in the Google spreadsheet will look like. Any suggestions, questions, or comments are very much appreciated.

Screenshot of the live form as it will appear on my iPad.

This shot shows what the buttons will look like on my iPad.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Speech Therapy Pensieve: Part 1

A few days ago I came across two excellent blog posts from Ruth Morgan at Chapel Hill Snippets explaining how she uses Google forms to track student therapy contacts. As a literacy coach, I used Google forms to create my own digital conferring notebook and was itching to use the same approach with my speech therapy students. Ruth created an individual Google doc for each of her students which allowed her to display all therapy notes on a comprehensive spreadsheet. I liked this idea and may end up following Ruth's model but I also wanted to experiment with a single form that could capture all of my therapy notes for all of my students. Below is a screenshot of the live form I'm playing with as well as what the spreadsheet looks like. I will probably enter some dummy data to get a feel for how it will work or not work.

This is what the form will look like on my iPad.

This shot shows the headings for the data I want to collect.

Whenever I create a form in Google docs, I start with what information I will need and how I want it to look in the spreadsheet. In other words, I don't start by creating a form. I begin with sketching out a spreadsheet on paper, then go from there. I want my form to be simple, quick, and flexible. And I want the columns to fit across one sheet of paper in a landscape view. I usually do a test print of what the spreadsheet will look like before I finalize the questions on the form. In the future, when I need to print the information I have collected, I want it to be in a useful format. Please follow the links for the live form and the spreadsheet to take a look, ask any questions, and provide any suggestions or comments.

Posted with Blogsy

Blogging Using My iPad

Kind of a boring post title. It may seem like a small thing but I've been interested in finding ways to work on multiple blog posts on the go for a while. I tend to write and publish in the early morning hours before work or late at night after finishing dishes, laundry, and school work. My work day is typically filled to the brim with activity but sometimes I have a spare minute or two that I would like to use to start drafting a post. My iPad together with the Blogsy app are making this more possible. Like many of the apps I most use frequently, Blogsy takes some effort to learn. I don't see that as a negative. My biggest issue with using my iPad to compose and post wasn't learning Blogsy but using the iPad's internal keyboard. I found that I just wasn't able to get my thoughts down fast enough. I invested in an Apple wireless keyboard which brought me instant relief. I splurged and swallowed the high price tag and I couldn't be happier. I can easily switch from the internal keyboard to the wireless keyboard according to my needs or the setting. Apple also has a trackpad that integrates with the keyboard but I don't feel the need for it. The arrow keys together with touching the screen works just dandy for me.

My keyboard is lightweight and portable. I love it!

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy