you oughta know about planning tools!

Hey there!
I'm excited to be a part of Jasmine's You Oughta Know blog hop!
I thought it was a great idea!
Be sure to check out the link up at the bottom to see all our ideas!

No matter what you think, you need to plan!

sounds silly, I know. 

But even as I finish up my 11th year, I still have days I don't plan

and you know what?

those are the days that I'm most irritated with behavior

those are the days when I come home in a bad mood

Maybe you never have days like this

maybe you are a hard core planner 

maybe you have to turn in your plans 

fyi-I'd quit!

but I am not

never have been

So this past year I made a pact with myself because who better to make a promise to, right?!

to plan every single day

I do not mean to plan every single minute

I don't run like that

I don't teach like that

I just wanted to write down what I would be doing during each block of time

Now don't get me wrong, I always have a plan, it's just not always written down!

I know what I'm teaching, but when I do write it down, I tend to stick to it!

so how do I plan?

two ways actually!

I used to have a spreadsheet, all laid out beautifully with clipart and cool fonts, but after a couple of years, that got old. I love technology, but I'm still a fan of paper and pencils!

then a few years ago, our district purchased a license for an online planbook that we were required to use

it was a pain in the butt, but we could share it with whomever we wanted (and our admin) so my teammate and I had a great setup. She would plan math for a month or so, I'd plan ELA; then we'd switch. Loved it! Never planned better

then the site license was not renewed by our district, nor was it replaced

So for the real reason I am here...to share some different planners I have used!

I began using planbook.com after our district did not reinvest in the other site

the setup is one of the things I loved about planbook.com-color coding! I'm a sucker for it! This is a week before any plans were added (I wasn't using the site yet on this date). Planbook.com is easy to navigate, easy to add standards taught which it keeps a record of, and easy to add links to videos and pdfs. This is the best feature for online planning for me, the eternal last minute copy maker! I rarely print anything til it's the day of!

 this is a weekly view and below is a specific activity with links! yippe!

PROS: accessibility-I can't leave it at school! only $12 per year, links are right there, prints in an easy to read layout

CONS: Now, I loved it! but sharing was a pain, I had to send the link to my teammate who had to have a code to view them, whereas before we could go right into each other's plans and copy and paste

Now last summer I bought my EC teacher planner-yes, I have both online and paper ones! I need them!

and here's why

I like to say I am flexible! that's a positive spin on I rarely get to what I need to get to!

PROS: dang it's pretty! I feel all grown up carrying it! Lots of note keeping and data all in one place, sturdy-I never had any problems with anything coming apart, great customer service

CONS: it is more pricy, I buy it during teacher appreciation month! I do not keep up with plans as well

and the coolest new thing out there are teachers making planners! editable and customizable...

there are lots of options on TpT

when I search on TpT alone, there are over 1800 options!

then I was contacted by sweet Kelsey at Paper and Oats about her new teacher planning kit

Motherload!

She makes the most clean looking products I've ever seen!

not only does she have this planner, but also a back-to-school kit that coordinates with it! Now that's every teacher's dream!

I love clean and simple!

and her short and sweet page titles are right up my alley! 

check it out!

it includes a banner kit in each color option, a classroom decor kit, plus the planner!

this planner is most like the EC planner I have seen

very simple, yet includes about anything I can imagine!

I used the venture out page to plan our last field trip this year.

We have to have a plan turned in a week before leaving

I love this page!

every page is fillable in adobe, too!

so these may be the best of both worlds, print and online!

what do you think?

What are your favorite ways to plan!?

Like what you see?

Use the code TATTOOEDTEACHER at paper and oats to save 15%!

valid in her etsy shop and paperandoats.com (not valid on prints)

Enjoy!

and check out these other you oughta know tips!

An InLinkz Link-up