SchoolBoyError

Hi,

I tried to create a sheet in Excel that, when I click on a cell changes the background colour from red to orange to green. I really want it for an assessment tool so I would have a list of children down the left, the learning objective at the top and then I can walk around with it on my tablet tapping the cells to change the colour depending on how the children have got on.

Adding new rows would be fantastic so you would keep the class together but keep adding new objectives and then print off (export) at report writing time for parents evening.

I managed this in Excel (via vba) but I can't get it to work on the tablet and have no idea how to write Android apps.

Thanks, the teachers of the world will be very grateful!

WildcardDev

This is a pretty neat idea that I don't think would be too difficult to implement. I might take on this project if no one else wants to within a month or so.

SchoolBoyError

It was simple in Excel, so I'd assume it'd be simple for Android. Of course I would not knowing anything about Android development (and you know what they say about people that assume!)

BigPapaPedro

This sounds like a fairly simple app. I'm guessing it needs three simple data backends. One to save the student/parent information, one for the courses/classes/objectives and one for the progress of each student. At least one Activity to tie it all in a main screen and another activity to create the reports for parents.

Perhaps if you share your spreadsheet to see how it works it will help us understand what you are trying to achieve.

Let us know.

Thx!

Last edited by BigPapaPedro; January 20th, 2012 at 08:20 PM.

SchoolBoyError

Thanks, this is what I'd done as a quick idea

http://www.bjsictclub.co.uk/teachermarkbooks.xlsm

Using it, I realise double clicking is perhaps not the way to go as I have 36 in my Maths set so if they all achieve the learning intention I would have to click 6 times each to change them to green therefore 208 clicks?!

Would it be easy enough to have a colour picker button? So press the red one say and every cell you press then will be red, then choose orange and go and click all the orange children then select green to click all the green children so it would only be one click per child?

Or even do it the other way, select all the children and then click on a colour? So select all the green child and click on green, then go and select all the orange and click on orange etc.

The good thing is with this in Excel was that I could then just add another sheet for the next term, or another subject etc etc and keep it all in the same file.

Were you thinking of allowing the user to export the file and then give them the option to delete it from the markbook? I'm thinking termly (or maybe half termly that would be a really good idea) so by the end of the year you dont have something 200 columns wide!

WildcardDev

That link 404s :/

SchoolBoyError

Sorry, here it is:


http://www.bjsictclub.co.uk/teachermarkbook.xlsm

BigPapaPedro

I see what you did with the spreadsheet. Have a list of students then columns for objectives. For progress you simply rotate colors from white, red, yellow and green.

I think I can start working on a prototype this weekend. I'll begin with the students and objectives databases, then lay them out in a cross-tab grid.

A few more questions:
1. How do you group the students?
2. How do you group the objectives?
3. Will this be used only on a tablet? What tablet do you own and what version? I'll probably design it for Android 2.1 but will work for 3.0 and 4.0
4. Any other ideas you may have.

Thx!
- BPP

SchoolBoyError

1 - The students will normally be grouped alphabetically

2 - The objectives aren't necessarily grouped so it would be good to be able to export the markbook to a csv or something each week perhaps and start with a new one for that weeks objectives.

3 - I have a Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab at the moment and am trialling it for use by the other teachers

I think as far as the markbook goes that's pretty much it. You wouldn't want to store too much in there because it would be too hard to sieve through.

Freezing panes (I don't know if that's what you call it in Android development) would be good so you can always see the child's name and the objective without having to continually scroll back and forth or up and down.

I'll PM you my email address if that makes communicating a bit easier..

Thanks

SchoolBoyError

Perhaps the main menu screen would have access to the different files you have / had stored? That way I could have my English, Maths and Science assessment sheets all in the same place and I just need to click on the relevant file for that lesson.

Some way then to keep the student names when you have exported old objectives would be good then too so you're not re-typing them at the beginning of every week.

brindamarfatia

I will try to make this app

ITdragon

This app is exactly what hundreds of teachers want. Did anyone write it?

SchoolBoyError

Yes, I did in the end.

DroidVish

This is a nice app request, has it been developed ? Is it available in the market? or is it still a request?

StangTexan

This might help...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teacherhelperlite.free