(Paperless) Counselor Calendar

Again in my efforts to go paperless here's an idea to consider using for the new school year...a paperless counselor calendar!  I used this paperless calendar idea for part of the year last year to try out and I can happily report that I loved it!  Here's how to create your paperless counselor calendar:

-Go to Google and log in (you'll need to have a gmail account to log in)

-Choose the calendar option and you can begin to create your calendars.

Choose Calendar from Google

-Click "create" to make your calendars (remember you can make multiple calendars)

What I love about this paperless calendar feature is that you can have multiple calendars all in one place that can be shared and viewed by others (you can still have private calendars too).  Work with a team?  Then everyone on your team can make a calendar for the team to see (each person's calendar is a different color).  My counselor intern and I both have a calendar that we share and post info for the other to see.  If I'll be at a meeting, I'll post it on our "shared" calendar together and my intern will see it and vice versa.

Share your calendar with another counselor/team member

-You can synch your calendars to your mobile device (smart phones) and of course it will synch to your iPad!  To synch to your iPad, go to Settings, Mail, Contacts, Calendars and update your calendar settings.

Add your Google Calendar to your iPad or smart phone.

-Another cool feature I like about the paperless calendar is that you can have a reminder before your event (on your iPad/iPhone). On my JYJ Counselor calendar, I like to have an alert 10 mins before any event that I have scheduled so that way, I know I need to get to a stopping point on what I'm doing.  It's been really helpful in keeping me on track especially when things start getting hectic and time slips by.

This calendar has been yet another (paperless) success!  Do you use Google Calendar for your counselor calendar?



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Back to School Apps for School Counselors

Many, many more school counselors are adding the use of an iPad to their programs.  I think that this is absolutely fantastic! This will be my 3rd school year using one in my program and each year I find more and more ways to incorporate its use in my day to day counselor life.  So here are a few (free, my favorite price) apps to consider adding on your iPad:

-Dusty D. Dawg Has Feelings Too:  Completely interactive book that shows students that having and showing your feelings is ok.

-Digital Passport for Kids:  Great app to share knowledge of on-line/internet safety.  There are also games and great videos about proper internet use.

-ABC Notes:  Sticky notes and reminders for you iPad.  I don't know about you, but I use more than my fair share of sticky notes.  Here's a paperless alternative (I'm always looking for paperless ideas).  

-PikMe:  This app randomly chooses students, so that everyone gets a chance.  I will most likely use this in my small groups so that everyone gets a turn to talk/share. 

-Frame Artist:  This is a cool picture app that be used to create calendars, flyers, photo collages, etc.  I plan on using it in small groups (could be used individually also) and I plan on using this app to create a photo collage of all the various things that a school counselor does.  

Here's a quick collage that I created to show for this post.  

-Keeper:  (I've shared this before but it's worth sharing again) Store all your passwords in one place.  We all have full plates and remembering 15 different passwords just adds to the madness.  You now only need to remember ONE password to access Keeper.  This app has been a lifesaver for me!  

-Teacher Kit:  Another app worth sharing again, keep (paperless) attendance and notes for your small groups.  To see my full post on this app click here.

And for high school counselors...

-College FASFA Finder: College and financial aid reference

-SATMax SAT Prep: SAT prep app that even provides SAT info on colleges that you're interested in.

-Teen Hotlines:  Need resources, phone numbers or websites for issues and concerns that teens deal with?  It's all in one place thanks to this app.

If you're looking for more free educational apps, sign up to receive daily Fabulous and Free educational apps from Shannon Long by clicking here.   If you have more counselor apps to share, please comment below. Pin It

Easing Into Middle School One Group At a Time

We have a large group of 5th graders anxiously and nervously thinking about their next big step, which for them is middle school.  As we begin our middle school registration process,  I came up with a great idea to help ease some stresses and answer some questions that our students may have about moving up to middle school.

We (counselor intern & I) decided to do small lunch groups (of 10 students) so that each 5th grade student has the opportunity to meet and ask questions about being a 6th grader.  We grouped the students together by which middle school they would be attending (JYJ is a magnet school which means we have students going to 20 different middle schools) so that we could discuss specifics about each school easier and so that they would be familiar with who from our school would be "moving up" with them.  Some middle school groups were combined due to there being just 1 or 2 students going. 

To let the students know about their lunch group, I made invitations using Word and copied them on colored paper.  4 copies of the invitation fit onto one page. 

Original and copied versions of invitation

After copying and cutting the invitations, I wrote the student's names and lunch date on their invitation (gives it a personal touch).  The invitations were delivered to each class.  During the "delivery" we briefly spoke to each class about what was going to happen during the lunch groups and that one group would meet with me and another group would meet with the counselor intern (since there are 2 of us, we could each take a group).  We also made a daily list of which students would be at lunch with us for the teachers (& ourselves).

Finished Invitations!

During our meetings we discussed how to choose electives, how middle school is different from elementary school, changing classes, etc.  These things we discussed a few months ago on our 5th grade classroom visit on going to middle school.  We encouraged the students to use this time to ask questions about middle school and that we would try our best to answer them or contact the counselor from their middle school and get an answer.  In some cases, they were able to ask the questions themselves to other 6th graders at their new school!  Thanks to the magic of FaceTime on my iPad, we were able to connect with other students.  To do this, I contacted the counselors at the school prior to our lunch to schedule a time when we would "connect".

The lunch groups were quite successful!  Over the two week time frame it took to meet with everyone I could tell that the students were really excited about going to 6th grade and having lunch with the counselors didn't hurt much either!  We had lots of questions and discussions which we hope were helpful.  Their favorite part of the lunch was being able to practice opening locks.  I have a class set of locks that the PTA got for me for this activity.  This was a great and fun way for us to spend the last few weeks of school with students who are graduating from 5th grade.  This is something that I plan to continue each year with my 5th grade students.

Practicing with the locks

Lock practice over lunch

What other ways do you address middle school transition questions?

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May #scchat: iPads In School Counseling

I am super excited to share that I'll be moderating this month's #scchat on Twitter on Tuesday,  May 7th!  Our topic of discussion will be using iPads in school counseling K-12.  Please join us to share your favorite iPad apps, how you use your iPad at your school or even if you're on the fence about using an iPad at your school.


The #scchat will begin at 8pm EST

If you haven't participated in a Twitter #scchat, boy are you in for a treat!  This is great professional development that can be done from the comforts of your home.  These awesome chats are planned and coordinated by Danielle Schultz and Erin Mason who I have the pleasure of presenting with at this year's ASCA conference (shameless plug).

For directions on how to participate in the #scchat click here.  To see previous #scchat transcripts click here.

Don't forget to join us on Tuesday, May 7th at 8pm EST for the chat.  Looking forward to tweeting with you! Pin It

Use Your Voice To Keep Your Counselor Notes!

I'm still (actively) on my quest to keep paperless counselor notes.  Previously, I shared how I used Google Docs and my trusty iPad  to keep track of the students that I see daily.  So my wheels have be steadily spinning on what other options can be used to keep paperless counselor notes.  So here's my next "discovery" (if you want to call it that) on keeping (somewhat) paperless counselor notes.

Dragon Dictation is a free (my favorite price) app that converts speech into text, which means you simply just talk and Dragon turns what you say into written text!  Dragon is also available to use on computers (but you'll have to purchase the software).

So how did I use Dragon to keep track of my counselor notes?  Well, I decided to do a 2 week "Dragon Counselor Note Challenge" where I was to keep track of my counselor notes on Dragon for 2 weeks and share my experience with you.  Before I get started with my review, I'll share that #1, I did keep paper notes (as I've always done before going paperless) for the 2 weeks and #2 I have some prior experience with using Dragon from my high school teaching days (this was a unit that we covered in my class).   So here goes...

Each day, I keep a list of what I do each day in my personalized school counselor notebook.  I created this daily template myself where I record which students I've seen, parents called, classes visited, to do list, reminders and general daily info (nothing too detailed).  At the end of each day during my Dragon Challenge, I simply read my day to Dragon to record my notes.

Now to use Dragon, you must speak EXACTLY like you want Dragon to "type" it into text, meaning that you have to literally dictate punctation, spacing, etc.  So if I were to say today is: Monday, April 5th, 2013.  I would need to say it like this today is (colon) Monday (comma) April 5th (comma) two thousand thirteen (period).  For a list of commands for Dragon, click here.

Here's how using it on your iPad works:
Open the app and simply tap on the plus symbol, which means new note (at the top right corner) then the" tap and dictate" button.  Then talk away!

Ready to record!

Once you're finished talking you'll see what you said as text.  You can also type and correct misspelled words and/or type more info as needed (you'll see the keyboard at the bottom where you can type).

What's said is quickly & easily turned into text!  Notice the keyboard below the screenshot, this is where you can type and edit what was converted into text.  

You can email your notes to yourself or someone else or copy and paste the notes into a word document that you just add to each day.

So what's my take on the challenge?  Well I liked using Dragon, but it still doesn't quite make me want to switch from my paperless student notes through Google Docs.  But I do like the convenience for me to give myself quick voice reminders.  You could talk about your day as the day progresses, you would just have to remember to record your memo, that would be the tough part for me...remembering to record my notes.

Do you use Dragon for your student notes?  I'd love to hear your take on using it for student notes.






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Great (free) Paperless App for Groups

Running a school counselor group is a fun and interesting learning adventure for both myself and the students in the group.  In the past, I've kept a notebook with attendance, notes, reminders, etc.  Again in my attempt to head to the road to paperless school counselor tasks, I'd like to share a fantastic (free, my favorite price) app that will help you keep your groups organized WITHOUT paper!

Teacher Kit is a must have app for groups!  So here's how to set up your groups using the app:

-Add a new group (the plus symbol at the top) and give your group a name (for the purposes of this post, it'll be called "Practice Group". 

Add a new class (or group)

-Once you add the group, it'll appear on your "shelf", which lists all the groups that you've created.  Tap on the door to "open" your group.

All your groups appear on the shelf.  You can have multiple groups.

-You can now begin to add students to your group.  Tap the plus symbol at the top right corner and you will be able to add the students.  From here you can add info, parent contact info and even a picture of the student!  As you add the student info and click save the picture will appear with their name in a "school desk" icon (by the way you can move the desks around for changing seating charts around).  

Add your students in your group.

You can add images of the students in your group. 

-To keep attendance for the group click on attendance and tap on each student to mark either present or absent.  You can also add other choices for attendance.  For my book club groups, I have options such as read aloud, and brought snack (also way for me to keep track of info).

Keep track of attendance

-To keep individual notes on students in the group, click on behavior, choose the student you want to take notes on which will open a new window.  Click on the plus symbol and type what notes to you want to input (be sure to give your note a title), click notes and tap description (this is where you type your notes).  You can also use this to track positive or negative behavior.

Add your student notes

I LOVE this app and no longer have a need for my group notebook for keeping attendance or just general student notes.  I'm really feeling this counselor  going paperless plan!

For a more detailed description on using this app, check out this tutorial on YouTube:

Do you have an app to recommend to keep notes/attendance on your groups?

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(free) Relaxation iPad apps

Is it me or is it super busy at your school right about now?  It certainly seems extra busy lately these days.  Something that seems to "calm the storms"throughout our daily counselor lives when dealing with student issues is to have students cool down or relax.  So here are some free (my favorite price) apps for relaxation that you may want to add to your iPad:

-Breathe2Relax (free):  Neat app that I use quite a bit with students individually, small groups and even during class visits!  This app will let you practice your breathing using deep inhale and exhaling exercises.  This is also available on Android devices, click here for link.

-My 1st Yoga (free):  Quick and easy yoga poses for children.  *Note you may need to call this something else other than yoga to be politically correct (maybe relaxation poses).

-Fluid (free):  Cool calming app that gives the effect of running your fingers through water.  A bonus is that you can choose the background (including pictures from your camera roll!)

-Silent Island Relaxation Lite (free):  Ahhh, the relaxing sounds are all here!  

-Zen Space (free):  Create your own zen garden of tranquility!

-Pocket Pond (free);  Looking at fish is nothing but relaxing and since I don't have the space for a tank this will be as close as it gets.

-Relaxing Sounds of Nature Lite (free):  Another soothing and relaxing sounds app!

Do you have any other free relaxation apps?  Please share!

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Easily Store and Organize Your Bulletin Boards

At the start of this school year, I went out on a whim and put up my 1st bulletin board.  As I shared in my previous post, coming from a high school setting, I wasn't much of a fan of doing bulletin boards but since I started this year I'm hooked!   In fact I've changed out bulletin boards quite a bit this year.  So what shall I do to store all my bulletin boards for the year?  Well I've found an easy way that has helped me organize and store them.  Here's what I did:

-I bought zip file bags at the teacher supply store ($1.99 each).  I like these because they are large and have handles (that are in different colors).

Zip file bags

-I store pieces of my bulletin boards in each bag.  In some cases you could store more than one bulletin board in a bag.

Bulletin board materials stored in the zip file bag.

-If the bulletin board has several items, I store them separately in plastic baggies to place in the zip file bag.  

-I also add a picture of the completed bulletin board to the front of the zip bag.  I took/printed a picture of each bulletin board with my iPad.  I do this just in case I need to remember how I set up the bulletin board/border, background color, etc. for the next time I decide to put it up.

Picture to remind me what bulletin board is in the bag

2 bulletin boards can fit in one bag

I store the zip file bags in my storage closet, you could also hang them on hooks (I don't have a lot of space so it's option #1, for me.)

How do you store your bulletin boards?

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(Paperless) tracking of students seen

Each year I have full intentions of keeping great notes on the students I've seen each day.  I even made a special form to include in my counselor notebook to keep track of notes, parent calls, to-do lists, etc.  Well I started out strong with keeping daily notes for a couple of weeks and it went downhill (at a record speed).  So I thought to myself, "there's got to be a better way for me to keep up with who I've seen that doesn't require me to keep up with a bunch of paper". So I thought and thought....Hmmm what do I usually have with me that I can keep student notes on...you guessed right my iPad!

So I decided to create something a little similar to my previous post on Min Mtgs with a tech spin and made use of the fantastic features of Google Docs.  Here's what I did:

-I created a survey in Google Docs with the following questions:
Student Name- First Name, Last Initial (text question)
Grade-K-5 (multiple choice question)
Teacher- I listed all the teachers by grade level (drop down list)
Reason for visit- Just visiting, Friendship/Peer Issues, Sadness, Anxiety, Lunch, Group, Anger, Other (multiple choice question)
Notes-  Where I type in quick notes, if I need to follow up, call a parent, etc (paragraph text)

Setting up survey questions using Google Docs

-After all my questions were typed, I added a theme to my survey for a personal touch (currently there are 97 different themes to choose from).

Samples of themes

Here's my finished survey:

-I emailed the link (from Google) to myself and of course added it to my home screen of my iPad so it's easier for me to locate.

Click to add to home screen.  If your browser doesn't look like this on your iPad, you will need to update your iPad software (go to settings, general, software update).

-As I input my notes, everything uploads into a spreadsheet.  I can easily see who I've seen.  I have the link private to only me, meaning that I'm the only one that can view the information, so it's safe just in case you're wondering.  Being in spreadsheet view allows me to easily sort and filter data (this is an awesome feature!)

Using this format to take notes has improved my note taking dramatically and most importantly it's completely paperless (I don't care to keep up with lots of paper, especially when there are other paperless alternatives).  I liked this format so much, that I plan to create a 2nd (paperless) survey for parent communication.

I will admit that I am still keeping daily paper notes on parent calls, to do list and just general notes for myself (hey, I can't let my counselor created notebook go to waste just yet).  I'm brainstorming a way to ease this into paperless too.  Stay tuned, I'll be sure to share!

Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to keep (paperless) daily student notes?  I'd love to hear them.











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Counselor Tech Shout Out: Fluid app

This month's tech shout out is...

Fluid, which is a (free) app that I just LOVE!!!  Have a student that needs to calm down or need to calm down yourself?  This is certainly the app for you.  It's very simple, just some rocks, water and calming music.  The cool factor is that you can move your fingers across the screen as if you were running your hands through the water.  The best part is it looks and feels as if you are touching a liquid surface (minus the potential mess of water splashing all over your office).  I found this app to be very beneficial as a school counselor and I'm sure you will too.  Take a few minutes to relax and enjoy this app.

Screen shot of rocks & water.  Simple yet extremely practical!

Do you have any other calming apps to suggest, please share.

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