Getting Started With Homeschool Tracker
Getting Started with Homeschool Tracker
Homeschool Tracker is an excellent computer program for home school programs that helps you keep your home-based classroom organized. Let's discuss the program, and specifically, how you can get started using it.
The purpose of Homeschool Tracker is to help you keep track of all of your children's records. With it, you'll be able to create lesson plans, record their grades, record field trips, and a lot more. In fact, the program boasts just about anything you could need, record-wise, for your homeschool. Even better, it's totally free to use after you download it from the website (Although you can get a deluxe version for a $35 upgrade fee).
You can use the program to keep a watch on your children's attendance and even to generate report cards. It will literally allow you to get rid of all physical planners and papers. Entry is simple: Just enter some responses to some questions and then copy them. The program will do the work for you.
Some parents report using the software for many tasks; others use it for just one or two. It fits your specific needs.
Another nice feature is that you can input how many minutes you spend on a subject. This would be especially helpful if you live in a state where you have to keep track of hours. The reports can be printed in a variety of formats which look very professional.
Reviews for the program are generally quite positive. The one negative comment that does pop up from time to time is that it's a bit complicated for some parents, especially those with very limited computer skills. In fact, one reviewer said it took her one weekend to get it set up. Afterwards, though, she said she had no desire to go back to paper records and forms. That's because the program is so packed with powerful features, and that often gives programs a high learning curve for the computer newbie.
Homeschool Tracker seems to be one of the better tools for parents who are required to report their cihldren's progress to the state. Notification is, in fact, a breeze. It's as simple as going to the report menu and printing out your projected book list and an overview of what benchmarks you will touch on. The person supervising your children's progress will be able to glance at the report in a moment and understand what you'll be teaching your kids.
First-year homeschoolers also find that Homeschool Tracker helps them to guage their kids' progress--all while avoiding burn-out.
One other thing that doesn't seem to fit with the type of things Homeschool Tracker was designed for, but which is a nice addition, is the ability to create a resource list. Just click on the "Resource Type" link in the "Maintenance Folder." After this, click "Add" to add your selected resources. Deleting a resource is as simple as clicking "Delete."
Homeschool Tracker might not be for all parents, especially those with no computer skills. But if you know your way around Windows, you'll find that this program saves you a lot of time--and paper--in the operation of your home-based classroom.
