It's that time of year again.
Time to plan and keep track of all that important information needed to homeschool successfully. Recently, I was given the opportunity to review the Annual Membership Plan from My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping. This is our second time reviewing this online planner. They've made a few changes since we reviewed them last, so I'm eager to see what the new program is like.
Are looking for an online planner?
Well, stick around and see if this one is right for you!
Are looking for an online planner?
Well, stick around and see if this one is right for you!
For this review, I was given a annual membership for My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping. An annual membership costs $50 for the entire year or you can pay month to month. The monthly rate is $5 a month. If an annual membership is purchased, families can save 17%. Be sure to check the companies website for current and up-to-date pricing. If you're not sure if the planner is right for your family, don't worry the company does offer a 1 month free trial. This helps families see if this planner works for everyone.
In addition to the good, old-fashioned paper and pen planners I've been using, I've also used another online homeschool planner. Even though I like my fancy paper planner and my current online planner, I was more than willing to give My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping a try. Maybe I'd fall for the new features.
My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping is an online planner geared specifically for homeschooling families. Homeschool families can use this planner to organize their lessons and daily lives. This online planner can help homeschooling families become more organized, more efficient, and more focused. Families can keep track of classes, lessons, co-op classes, extracurricular activities, field trips, book lists, clubs, awards, etc. It keeps everything in one location at your finger tips.
~Organize~
Lesson Plan Generators
Lesson Re-scheduler
Lesson Sharing
Attendance Tracking
Automated Grading
~Tracking~
Reading Logs/Lists
Extra-curricular Activities
Awards
Standardized Tests
~Reports~
Lesson Plans
Course Descriptions
Report Cards
Transcripts
Families can customize their planner to fit their needs. Parents can adjust the grading scale and grading weight for different assignments. Parents and students can receive email notifications of assignments, upcoming events, and appointments. Classes can be set up as a core class or an elective. For older students, parents can set up dual enrollment and honors classes. My School Year has so many options and features for families to use. It actually can be a little intimidating when you first visit their site.
What Did I Think of My School Year?
The initial set up for the school was super easy. I created an account, logged into that account, and followed the steps of the Registration Wizard. I set up our start date and end date. I marked out holidays, days off, and vacations.
I assigned the dates for the 4 quarters. I set up both students with their classes.
All this was fairly easy to do.
When I went to enter the student's lessons is when things got a little tricky. The problem I encountered was the actual lesson planning.
I found 3 main options for adding lessons. I could add each lesson one at a time or use the create-a-plan. The create-a-plan option allows lessons to be added in Quick Split and Rapid Repeat.
Quick Split~ will divide up the material into evenly distributed lessons. This is perfect for books.
Rapid Repeat~ will create a pre-selected number of lessons. This is great for chores, practices, or repetitive lessons.
Neither option in the create-a-plan worked form us. For basic and simple lessons that repeat again these options seemed to work, but for detailed lessons that varied every day it just wasn't working. I had to go back to add a lesson option.
I couldn't figure out how to add individual lessons without having to go through too many steps. I don't have lessons that repeat day in and day out. Since I encourage my kids to try to work independently, I want them to be able to read their morning email and know exactly what to do. For me to put in detailed lesson plans for each day, I was having to click way too many buttons to just add one day. Once the lessons for that one day was added, I had to go through the whole process again for the entire year. I was having to add 100+ lessons one at a time with multiple steps. It wasn't confusing, it just was a giant hassle and took too much time. I couldn't figure out how to add bulk lesson plans on one page. It's a little too tedious to have to add each lesson plan, search for the date, click add, and then start the entire whole process again for the next lesson. Being able to do it all on one page and then click add would be a lot easier. Maybe I missed the instructions for this somewhere or didn't understand something I read. I searched and read all the helps for creating lessons, but they just didn't solve the problem I was having. This is the one area I disliked about My School Year.
Overall, My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping is great. I love all the different reports I can create. Transcripts, report cards, course descriptions etc. They are great for keeping all those high school records you need for college. I love how I can track books, test scores, outside classes, field trips, clubs, volunteer work, etc. I have to say they have thought of everything.
With so many things to add to the planner, the instructional videos are a must. There is no way, you can sit down and know all that this planner has or understand how to add everything. There is a HUGE learning curve with this program. Be patience and take a few days to watch the videos. They will help! I'm still figuring things out! I remember from the last time I reviewed the planner that set up was rather confusing. It no longer is. The confusion comes when trying to add lessons. I still think they could improve this area a little. Maybe make the process less confusing and easier to to accomplish.
I'm still working through the planner and figuring out all that it has, but overall I am pleased with the new program. I'm hoping I'll have it all figured out by the time school starts in a few weeks!
Need more information about My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping online planner?
Click below and see what the rest of the crew had to say about this new and improved planner.
Till Next Time,
Monique
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