Today we got two of the best documentation apps out there for music therapists and healthcare professionals like you. One option is free, and the other is a nominal fee.
Super Duper Data Tracker
If you haven’t heard of this app, I encourage you to try it out. It’s $9.99. It was originally free, but the app became award-winning soon after it launched. So, the company opted to put it behind a payment gateway. IT’S TOTALLY WORTH IT!
“SDDT” is a great way for you to track simple goals in individual and group sessions. You can list as many goals per person as necessary. For example:
“B will identify her name in a field of 2 or more, in 3 out of 4 trials, over 3 consecutive sessions, by the end of the IEP period.” You can literally pull the goal straight from the IEP. You can also write them in code. (If the goal is #1.4, then you could replace the text with “1.4.”)
Stay compliant with your client’s policies regarding privacy.
The app allows for approximations documentation, so your goals do not have to be black & white. You can tap the results of each trial, and take free-hand notes along the way.
It automatically calculates the percentage of success for each session. Then you can email the data to yourself or your client’s parent.
Teacher’s Assistant: Classroom Management Notes (Lite version)
The free app option is Teacher’s Assistant. The pro version is paid, but it’s free for up to 5 students. It offers check marks as “yes they did it” or “no they did not do it.”
This is an app built for teachers, but it’s also great for music therapists who do group work in schools.
If you’d like to REALLY dig in to the most effective apps for your practice, then check out Bonnie Hayhurst’s There’s An App For That course. It features 145 apps, organized into goal domains such as fine motor functioning, sensory input and stimulation, relaxation, and procedural support. Whether you work in a medical, wellness, or educational setting, this course is great for you!
I’m a music therapist in a public school district, and I’m using a data-keeping app for the first time this school year. It’s called Percentally. Does anyone know how SDDT compares to it?
Good question Cathy! I do not off-hand… Maybe someone else can chime in. You might want to pose this question in our Professional Success forum here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StaircaseToSuccess/ You might get a better response over there –
Ok. Thanks for the response.
Hi! I’m not finding SSDT in the Apple App Store at all. I found Super Duper Data Tracker which looks similar, if not the same. It is $9.99
We had a typo, and intended to call it “Super Duper Data Tracker.” You’re right! AND they increased the price since this post was published. We updated it. Thanks for bringing it to our attention Emily =)
Try Evernote; almost all of the applied instrument instructors and MT’s at my former job use this valuable tool to communicate with students on the other 6/7s of the week including videos, notation of exercises, etc.