TraceyS/FL Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Is anyone trying this beta? (that went live today) I cannot see doing my total schedule in it, but there are some things that would be very very handy for us as a family. But $65 is a lot of $$ for what I can envision using it for.... So i'm curious if anyone has been using it this past month and what you think overall. How did you schedule before, how do you find scheduling in it for lessons (the details in a lesson seem like they would be tedious unless you had it typed elsewhere ahead of time). I'm happy they opened it up today - I thought I missed the beta chance to even LOOK at it before committing time and money to something else. I would have been irked at myself it was "perfect" and I bought something else!Thanks for any feedback.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I was invited to beta test it. I almost didn't because I couldn't see spending that amount of money on a planner. I tried it for a few weeks and it is beautiful and pretty easy to use. I like many of the features such as emailing a daily work list to each student, auto-filling the lessons, and the widgets, but it still doesn't do enough for me to keep using it. I haven't even visited it in the last month or so because I was trying something else (Well Planned Day-paper). I keep going back to making my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Thanks - that was what I loved too, the emailing the daily work lists and it being online so it didn't matter what the child was on device wise. Also that I could coordinate other aspects of our schedule in there easily. A blend of lessons and life. I'm trying to set my stuff up so that someone else can facilitate/teach for me a couple of days a week if needed. That means I could need pretty detailed plans.... somewhere. Which is my problem!I love the Well Planned Day - I just don't think it will work for me this coming year either! :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I just saw the e-mail for the free 30 days. I'm doing my best to not even check it out, although I love seeing different planners. The 65.00 is a budget buster for us. It would have to teach a class for that price. I realize that's not everyone's situation though. Mardel has a free online planner that is basic, but decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 I tried the Mardel one - well, I signed up and it isn't of much use for me.It is a budget buster here - unless it really truly will make things work smooth during the week. However, after spending the last hour and a half on the phone with Comcast.... i'm about ready to just unplug. Forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I have been using it for a few weeks now. There are a few features that I love, such as the daily email of the schedule. I am not sure I will use it though. It is quite pricey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3byzaz Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I have just started using it!! I absolutely love it!! i am super cheap, but I think this is worth it for the year and will consider it a school expense. I tried a few others and this is the best I have seen - easy, visually awesome, and it will coordinate my whole life. I did ask about being able to use it on mobile a bit easier. Right now, my son got it to work on my cell with making it a favorite and using the desktop version. They said they were working on it though. I would be able to get rid of evernote, google calendar and just use this! Would love if it was cheaper, but I think it's worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classical Michele Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 So far, I like it. I added a few classes yesterday & it is certainly easier to figure out than other online planners. I will decide between Homeschool Planet and My Well Planned Day over the next few weeks when, hopefully, WPD releases an update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma2Luke Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 this looks tempting! And it would be a business expense for me, since i would use it to track the progress and attendance of 2 of the children I care for (I do a preschool program with them) in addition to using it for my son's homeschooling progress...... I've signed up for the 30 day free trial! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 I have been playing with it and compared it side by side to some free ones. I have to say that I think I'm going to be shelling out the $65. It seems to be very flexible and intuitive when it comes to creating assignments. I have never seen any program that allows me to set up a repeating daily assignment but still edit some specifics for the day PER student. I am almost finished with six weeks of planning for my boys. DD's is harder because of CC Challenge 1 but we will plan that out weekly anyway. Try the free trial but you might end up hooked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted July 26, 2013 Author Share Posted July 26, 2013 Thanks for the opinions!I do have the free trial going - just haven't had a chance to play with it more. If only my life could calm down from the crisis stuff and let me do what I need to do! LOL!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paceofnature Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 So far I really like it...and with the size of our family it runs about the same price as Scholaric. I wish they had a pay by the month deal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I was on the beta team for several months. I already have permanent planning solution, but there were very nice things about Homeschool Planet. Data entry was quite painless. The list sharing to email worked perfectly Bumping assignments worked very easily. Generally the learning curve and navigation were very easy, something the bigger programs have really lost their way on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schsmom Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I am on the trial as well. So far I like it but $65 is steep for a computer planner because I do well with them (as long as they work) for about 3 months. I just get so busy, sitting at a computer planning is just so taxing. That is why having a hand written one is so much easier sometimes. I have always used WPD paper planner but with hearing all of the nightmares people had I wouldn't touch their program with a 10ft pole! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Can you file share like in the HST+? That feature is about the only one I really love in HST+, so I might be swayed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 It is wonderfully done, but as far as I could tell there is no way to track resources used. I have to do that for my portfolio, and that was a deal breaker. I use HST, so I can input resources and it lets me choose which resource to use for what day, etc. With Homeschool Planet you don't have a resource section that I could find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma H Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I have to say, I have never had a planner I liked but I really like this one. If they make it so I can add information from my ipad and iPhone, my life will be complete. This is a very Good planner. They are in the process of improving it to work with iOS (so I gathered) maybe someone should ask them to add resource list tracking too. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would shell out 65 bucks for a planner but, here I am! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I have to say, I have never had a planner I liked but I really like this one. If they make it so I can add information from my ipad and iPhone, my life will be complete. This is a very Good planner. They are in the process of improving it to work with iOS (so I gathered) maybe someone should ask them to add resource list tracking too. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would shell out 65 bucks for a planner but, here I am! I would like the resource/curriculum tracking list as well. You should send them an email! I have issues with it working on windows phone and they kindly replied back stating that they are working on the issue and followed up a few days later saying they are still working on a solution and they haven't forgotten about my request. My experience leads me to believe that they have great customer service, so don't be afraid to email them with improvement suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommytoFour Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 So far I really like it...and with the size of our family it runs about the same price as Scholaric. I wish they had a pay by the month deal... I saw there's a pay by month option now for $6.95 a month that you can cancel anytime. Has anyone tried Homeschool Minder? Someone recommended it to me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I was on the beta team for a while. Unfortunately, I am a die-hard OneNote fan. Having said that, I think they are on the right track. It was just not as flexible as I would like- for me. My tech dh had some concerns. He did not like the fact that it was on the web. What if they do not make a go of it? What if they do not have the info when college rolls around. We do our own backups here, but what if they have problems? Do I really want to be tied to having to pay every month/year for it. If I stopped using it down the road - would I still have access to the info on there? It was enough to make me head back to OneNote with a clear conscience that I had at least tried something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daysaregifts Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Would love it if someone could compare it to Scholaric! And of course the new Well Planned Day (when it appears), or even the Mardel one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 I very briefly tried Scholaric and Mardel. I didn't feel either was as intuitive as Homeschool planet when it came to dealing with multiple children doing similar assignments but at different levels. But they both had features that Homeschool Planet doesn't. Since you can get a free trial for Scholaric and Homeschool Planet, why not try imputing in a few lessons into both and get a feel for them. Mardel is free. You won't be out anything but some time. I will try the new Well Planned Day provided they release very soon. I have to get my planning finished and don't have time to wait on their nebulous release schedule. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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