Well Planned Day vs. something else

[KristenR]

Okay- I'm ready to purchase a nice and easy planner for homeschooling. I see Well Planned Day is coming out. Has anyone here liked the Beta version of it? Or should I stick with something like Scholaric? I want an easy-peasy program. One that doesn't require a new user to have to watch a butt load of tutorials to figure it out.

 

:bigear:

[chepyl]

So far, I am happy with the well planned day. It is pretty user friendly and it keeps getting better.

[KristenR]

Thanks! I'm checking out their screen shots and comparing to a few other planners. I hope I have this figured out soon.

[Cynful]

I've been going through this dilemma lately too. I've tried:

 

Scholaric - not enough for me;

Edutrack - no free trial that I could find;

Homeschool Tracker Plus - hate the learning curve but it does everything I could want;

Homeschool Tracker Online - easier to use but not sure I want the yearly expense and my data could be lost in one fell swoop if the server crashed and they don't have a good backup, it also doesn't do quite as much as the Plus version;

Well Planned Day Online Planner - looks sooo pretty, I like that, I both like and dislike that it does everything, such as menus, shopping, projects, etc., it's still evolving so I'm not sure I can make a decision yet especially since I can't see how the Lesson Plans and Reports will work (those functions aren't up yet);

Simply Charlotte Mason Organizer - I do love this for its simplicity but yet it doesn't really have much and no reports. If I'm missing any, let me know. :)

 

I think I've decided I really want something on my computer, not online. I worry about losing my information (I'm a webhost and know how easily that can happen). I also can hook up my iPad to access it on my computer so I can "use" my iPad with it also which is the only reason I would go for an online one.

 

Good luck finding what works for you. If I can answer any questions on the ones I've tried, let me know.

[KristenR]

What was lacking in Scholaric for you? I didn't start a free trial yet but would love your thoughts.

 

I've been going through this dilemma lately too. I've tried:

 

Scholaric - not enough for me;

Edutrack - no free trial that I could find;

Homeschool Tracker Plus - hate the learning curve but it does everything I could want;

Homeschool Tracker Online - easier to use but not sure I want the yearly expense and my data could be lost in one fell swoop if the server crashed and they don't have a good backup, it also doesn't do quite as much as the Plus version;

Well Planned Day Online Planner - looks sooo pretty, I like that, I both like and dislike that it does everything, such as menus, shopping, projects, etc., it's still evolving so I'm not sure I can make a decision yet especially since I can't see how the Lesson Plans and Reports will work (those functions aren't up yet);

Simply Charlotte Mason Organizer - I do love this for its simplicity but yet it doesn't really have much and no reports. If I'm missing any, let me know. :)

 

I think I've decided I really want something on my computer, not online. I worry about losing my information (I'm a webhost and know how easily that can happen). I also can hook up my iPad to access it on my computer so I can "use" my iPad with it also which is the only reason I would go for an online one.

 

Good luck finding what works for you. If I can answer any questions on the ones I've tried, let me know.

[Zuzu822]

I've been going through this dilemma lately too. I've tried:

 

Scholaric - not enough for me;

Edutrack - no free trial that I could find;

Homeschool Tracker Plus - hate the learning curve but it does everything I could want;

Homeschool Tracker Online - easier to use but not sure I want the yearly expense and my data could be lost in one fell swoop if the server crashed and they don't have a good backup, it also doesn't do quite as much as the Plus version;

Well Planned Day Online Planner - looks sooo pretty, I like that, I both like and dislike that it does everything, such as menus, shopping, projects, etc., it's still evolving so I'm not sure I can make a decision yet especially since I can't see how the Lesson Plans and Reports will work (those functions aren't up yet);

Simply Charlotte Mason Organizer - I do love this for its simplicity but yet it doesn't really have much and no reports. If I'm missing any, let me know. :)

 

I think I've decided I really want something on my computer, not online. I worry about losing my information (I'm a webhost and know how easily that can happen). I also can hook up my iPad to access it on my computer so I can "use" my iPad with it also which is the only reason I would go for an online one.

 

Good luck finding what works for you. If I can answer any questions on the ones I've tried, let me know.

 

The Simply Charlotte Mason Organizer does basic reports, but no, not to the detail (grades, weighting, etc.) as others. CM doesn't do grades in general, right?

 

I use SCM since its perfect for the ages of my kids and our current goals. I've been able to make it work very well for our needs and a variety of resources (including PE classes!). It is, however, pricey. :)

[Cynful]

What was lacking in Scholaric for you? I didn't start a free trial yet but would love your thoughts.

 

Oh, it might work great for you, I'd definitely try it out. I don't like that I can't see both students at the same time. I don't like that it doesn't have alot of "help" to figure out how to do things. I can't plan easily and then pass out those plans to whichever student I want. I have to plan per student. I can't put alot of details in the lesson plans, at least not that I can find. It's just too plain for me, even too plain compared to Simply Charlotte Mason Organizer.

 

One reason I'm wanting to use a planner this year is to try to keep better track of everything since my son will be starting highschool. It would be nice to have it keep track of it all so I can put it both in his portfolio and use as a transcript.

[Cynful]

The Simply Charlotte Mason Organizer does basic reports, but no, not to the detail (grades, weighting, etc.) as others. CM doesn't do grades in general, right?

 

I use SCM since its perfect for the ages of my kids and our current goals. I've been able to make it work very well for our needs and a variety of resources (including PE classes!). It is, however, pricey. :)

 

I don't think it does grades either. I do like it though and I wish it had a little more to it. We are CM in philosophy so it's great in that regard. Maybe if they give it some more "umph". :) I would place this, oddly enough, as my second favorite with HST+ being my reluctant favorite so far.

[ByGrace3]

I am curiously watching WPD but am using scholaric right now and it is working. It does what I need, but there are a few things I would like it to do that it doesn't. I used HST plus this year and liked it a lot, but I want something I can use on the iPad. I love the idea of WPD but I am nervous buying something that "may" do what I want. I wish it were more ready now. Also, I think the cost of these online planners is ridiculous. :001_huh: I will probably end up getting one, but I do think they need to reconsider pricing...

[Alte Veste Academy]

I love the House of Doolittle Professional Academic Calendar. No tutorials required. :D

 

In all seriousness, I bought WPD online and I'm thinking of taking advantage of the thirty day money back guarantee. It was an impulse buy and I should have known better...and known myself better. I like paper. I just do. :tongue_smilie:

[sagira]

I love the House of Doolittle Professional Academic Calendar. No tutorials required. :D

 

In all seriousness, I bought WPD online and I'm thinking of taking advantage of the thirty day money back guarantee. It was an impulse buy and I should have known better...and known myself better. I like paper. I just do. :tongue_smilie:

 

I suspect this about myself too. Maybe the WPD printed planner?

[Bee Happy]

If you use a paper planner, what do you do about grades?

I carry a large planner with me all day, but I use it for work, notes, general todo lists. I'm currently using HST Online, but really want something that isn't exclusively online.

[Closeacademy]

You know there is Skedtrack too. It was fairly easy to figure out and just enter in all the information. I didn't watch any tutorials.:001_smile:

Edited July 7, 2012 by Closeacademy

[KristenR]

I love the House of Doolittle Professional Academic Calendar. No tutorials required. :D

 

In all seriousness, I bought WPD online and I'm thinking of taking advantage of the thirty day money back guarantee. It was an impulse buy and I should have known better...and known myself better. I like paper. I just do. :tongue_smilie:

 

SO is it just because you are more paper oriented that you are thinking of returning it? Or is there some other flaws of disadvantages you noticed?? :bigear:

[KristenR]

You know there is Skedtrack to. It was fairly easy to figure out and just enter in all the information. I didn't watch any tutorials.:001_smile:

 

I used Skedtrack last year as my "trial" because I don't need to record anything officially for the state for kindergarten so I figured it would give me a year of play to mess around with it.

 

I thought Skedtrack sounded and looked good--- and for the most part it is. However, there were times I needed to backdate things and if I didn't log in everyday it was a pain to correct. I eventually emailed the company and they told me how to fix it. Still I hated when I forgot log in because it created (however slight) additional work for me. Then I totally screwed up my times because our daily work generally exceeded what I had scheduled out. So a few months before the end of the year I was told we had already completed our required hours and it no longer kept track of things the way I wanted. Maybe there was an easy fix to this but it drove me crazy.

 

Anyway- I am still so bummed because I really LOVED Olly. It looked like what I had envisioned when I pictured a planner. {sigh}

 

Darn PC vs. Mac world.

[SkateLeft]

We have another forum thread discussing early impressions of a Well-Planned Day. I bought the beta during the first week, and as far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out on whether I'll be using it. I log in every few days to see the changes. They're working on it rapidly, and they've improved a ton and fixed many of the early bugs, but it still needs a lot of work.

 

Until the lesson plan feature is active, which it currently isn't, it's pretty much unusable for me. I've got too many kids and too many courses to enter each separate assignment in by hand.

 

So for now, all of our lessons for the younger two are going into Skedtrack.

[Alte Veste Academy]

If you use a paper planner, what do you do about grades?

I carry a large planner with me all day, but I use it for work, notes, general todo lists. I'm currently using HST Online, but really want something that isn't exclusively online.

 

I don't give grades yet, probably not until 6th grade or so. When I do, if I still use paper, I will just break out the calculator. :tongue_smilie:

 

My impression is that they are making WPD so that you can use it offline and sync when you are online.

 

SO is it just because you are more paper oriented that you are thinking of returning it? Or is there some other flaws of disadvantages you noticed?? :bigear:

 

I think most of the flaws I see (aside from it being in Beta and not all features currently being available) do come from me being paper oriented. Long story short? For me, it's a toy...a pretty, time-consuming distraction. WPD is the first planner that I have been attracted to because it is as pretty as it is well-organized for homeschool use. However, it is still very time-consuming to put all the info you need into the program, much more so than putting plans on paper, if only because of the learning curve. Maybe it is worth it, after all the work is done. It is the same info though, so I don't see how having it in an electronic planner makes it better. :lol: I think I need to just take a day, sit with a big pitcher of iced tea, put all the info in and see. Maybe once you get past the data entry point, it makes life easier? Maybe... I will probably still fool around with it a little while longer before I make the decision to get my money back. It is pretty. :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm getting an iMac for Christmas though, so maybe I'll just get Olly...and then post the same things about Olly later because I really do just love paper something fierce. ;)

[lovemy9kids]

How does the WPD software compare to Homeschool tracker?

 

I just ordered the beta version of WPD, but I cannot access it yet. I'm not sure why, since my payment went through.

 

Anyone used both?

 

Renee

[Alte Veste Academy]

I just ordered the beta version of WPD, but I cannot access it yet. I'm not sure why, since my payment went through.

 

Same thing happened to me. They have to send you a second e-mail with log-in information. I get the impression that it is supposed to come through automatically but it didn't for me. I bought last Saturday, e-mailed wondering why I didn't have access on Sunday, and was hooked up by Monday.

[lovemy9kids]

Same thing happened to me. They have to send you a second e-mail with log-in information. I get the impression that it is supposed to come through automatically but it didn't for me. I bought last Saturday, e-mailed wondering why I didn't have access on Sunday, and was hooked up by Monday.

 

I think they should be upfront about that before you buy it. Usually, when you order something online, it comes through right away. I did email them to let them know of my disappointment. It just seems a little.....dishonest.

 

I guess I'll have to wait till Monday..... :)

[caitlinsmom]

We have another forum thread discussing early impressions of a Well-Planned Day.

 

I've searched but can't find the mentioned thread. Anyone have the link? I really want to hear others impressions of the program.

[ByGrace3]

I would really like to know how the August WPD will compare to HST online. What will the lesson planning be like? What kind of incremental options will there be, 1 part, 2 part? Will you be able to put in lesson plans but not assign a date? I love that feature of HST but honestly, I think it is taking me just as long to "assign" the lesson plans as it does to just put them into scholaric. My month trial to HST online is about up and I need to decide between WPD, HST, or Scholaric. Right now I like the ease of use of scholaric with the extra features of HST. I don't know that I like the extras enough to justify the cost though. I am kind of hoping WPD is exactly what I need. :tongue_smilie:

 

Anyone know when the lesson planning features will be ready? Is there a place to input resources and then when you lesson plan choose from resources you have input?

[Cynful]

I would really like to know how the August WPD will compare to HST online. What will the lesson planning be like? What kind of incremental options will there be, 1 part, 2 part? Will you be able to put in lesson plans but not assign a date? I love that feature of HST but honestly, I think it is taking me just as long to "assign" the lesson plans as it does to just put them into scholaric. My month trial to HST online is about up and I need to decide between WPD, HST, or Scholaric. Right now I like the ease of use of scholaric with the extra features of HST. I don't know that I like the extras enough to justify the cost though. I am kind of hoping WPD is exactly what I need. :tongue_smilie:

 

Anyone know when the lesson planning features will be ready? Is there a place to input resources and then when you lesson plan choose from resources you have input?

 

I don't know when the lesson planning will be ready for sure, but on their site, where you go to login or purchase, on the left hand side is a section called Beta Updates - it says that July 14 is when Lesson Planning will be added. I assume that could change at any time though. There are also two locations for resources - curriculum and literature. I haven't figured this all out yet as I'm still playing with WPD, HST+ and CMO. I decided I didn't like HST Online though. I'm probably wasting more time comparing all these when I could have had all my lesson planning done on paper. ;) :lol:

[PollyOR]

I've searched but can't find the mentioned thread. Anyone have the link? I really want to hear others impressions of the program.

 

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=393735

[KristenR]

I'm probably wasting more time comparing all these when I could have had all my lesson planning done on paper. ;) :lol:

 

:iagree:

 

I feel like I am in the same boat.

[Chelli]

In only use Skedtrack for my oldest's independent work. I just put in a year long school year and lots of hours, then I don't have to worry about it running out. I taught her how to input the dates, so I print out her daily work, when she completes it she dates her paper, then types the dates in Skedtrack at the end of the week.

 

For myself, I'm having a pretty paper planner made up for me exactly the way I want it. :party:

 

A blogger online mentioned her friend that will make custom planners for $20. Now I don't have to deal with spaces that aren't big enough, extra stuff that I don't need in my homeschool planner, too few subject spaces, etc.

 

She's working on it right now....I can't wait!!!

[ktgrok]

WPD is the first planner that I have been attracted to because it is as pretty as it is well-organized for homeschool use. However, it is still very time-consuming to put all the info you need into the program, much more so than putting plans on paper, if only because of the learning curve. Maybe it is worth it, after all the work is done. It is the same info though, so I don't see how having it in an electronic planner makes it better. :lol:

 

I don't know about WPD, but in HST plus and online versions it is MUCH faster than writing it out, because of the auto lesson planning features. So rather than writing out on each day "Punctuation Excercise 1", Punctuation Exercise 2", etc...it does it for me. I put in to do Exercise 1-80 or whatever the last one is, and it automatically makes a separate lesson for each one. Then I tell it to put one lesson per day, Monday, Tuesdays, and Fridays, or whatever I want, and it plugs them all in.

 

You can do it with things like WWE too. I can tell it that there are 36 weeks, with 4 days per week, and it will automatically make an entry for each one, labeled "Week 1, Day 1, Week 1 Day 2," etc etc.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I don't know about WPD, but in HST plus and online versions it is MUCH faster than writing it out, because of the auto lesson planning features. So rather than writing out on each day "Punctuation Excercise 1", Punctuation Exercise 2", etc...it does it for me. I put in to do Exercise 1-80 or whatever the last one is, and it automatically makes a separate lesson for each one. Then I tell it to put one lesson per day, Monday, Tuesdays, and Fridays, or whatever I want, and it plugs them all in.

 

You can do it with things like WWE too. I can tell it that there are 36 weeks, with 4 days per week, and it will automatically make an entry for each one, labeled "Week 1, Day 1, Week 1 Day 2," etc etc.

 

Thanks. I do think WPD plans to have that capability. I don't use a lot that can be done that way though, I think. Mostly I'm here and there, accelerating this, stalling that, while supplementing ad hoc and willy nilly. I'm starting to wonder how some things will ever be planned. I have an outline, always. Maybe that's my start.

 

Man, I've really got to get a hold of myself. :lol: Mostly, I schedule pretty strictly and then throw stuff into that schedule, sometimes regularly but many times prescriptively. This is why it is very difficult for me to schedule for a year like some people. I'm envious. Maybe I'll turn into one of those people who writes what they've done instead of what they intend to do. :D

[lovemy9kids]

I just got my login information and have been exploring their planner. I'm frustrated at the "little" things that aren't working. It looks like it will be grand when it is completed, but in the mean time I think the "bugs" could turn potential customers away. It might have been better to have a test group to work out all of those things before releasing it.

[hsmomma]

I think that is why you get the Beta discount price. We are the testers :glare:. Compared to other onliner planners it is a decent discount and we get to learn along the way, I am good with that. There are plenty of bugs yet, the email with your account activation comes through automatically for some(it did for me) and not for others( had friends who had to email about it). I love the paper planner too(used the large one last year) but my Dh really wanted us to go digital and he is really excited about being able to log in himself and check out what is scheduled and but his schedule in so I can see when he will be away. We are also excited that the older kids will have more accountability having no excuses about I lost my planner when it will be on their computer or phone! My good fried of mine who is a paper planner lover like me writes her plans out for a basic outline of the year, then enters things into Tracker weekly and prints it off for the kids. I think I am going to start out the same way with WPD. I like it for the record keep part too.

[profmom]

:bigear:

 

"I still haven't found what I'm looking for...."

 

Scholaric is new to me, so I need to check into it. Otherwise, it may be this paper planner! I compared it to the paper WPD and there are 22 more lines in the Dayrunner Bubbles!! That's a huge difference! The line spacing is too wide for me in WPD, too, and I'd much rather have more narrow lines.

 

I still haven't ruled out an online planner. One of the Scholaric screen shots looks just like the Excel weekly planner that I've been making for my ds.

[iafrmgrl77]

:bigear:

 

"I still haven't found what I'm looking for...."

 

Scholaric is new to me, so I need to check into it. Otherwise, it may be this paper planner! I compared it to the paper WPD and there are 22 more lines in the Dayrunner Bubbles!! That's a huge difference! The line spacing is too wide for me in WPD, too, and I'd much rather have more narrow lines.

 

I still haven't ruled out an online planner. One of the Scholaric screen shots looks just like the Excel weekly planner that I've been making for my ds.

 

Hmmm...I like the looks of that one! I have been a WPD devotee but am thinking I'll need more lines soon. I think I like that I could label my own sections, too. Gonna have to think about that one.