Most teachers have probably moved to Web based solutions by now and they do have their advantages, but if you like me, prefer to have control over your own data and aren't constrained by school policy to use their mandated Web solution, then perhaps PC based software might still work for you.
I compared both packages exhaustively for usability, but omitted testing Planbook's PlanbookConnect which is some kind of Web based synchronisation service, since PocketClassmaker can already do that using Google Drive and I didn't want to sign up to PlanbookConnect.
If you can't be bothered to look through my comparison table below here's the Executive Summary:
Both packages cover similar territory, but from different angles which results in a different user experience:
- Planbook is optimised for rotating lesson plans (create a rotating schedule by subject first and then fill in the detail later) for a single user and cannot be used as a normal calendar. It is relatively painless to get going, but has a number of features which I found very frustrating. These include entering lesson times which is fiddly at best, the startup screen position cannot be saved and perhaps the biggest frustration, to save your work you must use the Ctrl S key combination constantly or risk losing your planning. There is also a bug that crashes the program when trying to access the Lesson Library. To allow the software to be used on several machines Planbook has a synchronisation function called PlanbookConnect which I didn't test.
- PocketClassmaker is optimised for ad hoc planning (plan as you go by copying existing lessons forward and amending them to suit) with multiple users and thus can be used for any task that is calendar related, but, the learning curve for installing and using it is steeper than for Planbook. PocketClassmaker is a portable app and is designed to be installed on a USB stick.
| PlanBook | PocketClassmaker | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website | www.hellmansoft.com | www.creditscore.co.nz | |
| Windows | 64 bit Windows 10 Home | 64 bit Windows 10 Home | PlanBook versions exist for Mac, Windows XP and Ipad. Classmaker only works on Windows XP and up. |
| Screen size | 1366 * 768 on 14 inch screen | 1366 * 768 on 14 inch screen | |
| Version | 4.0.51 | 2.0.6 | Date downloaded 07 May 2016 |
| Cost | USD30 for one user | Free for one user | |
| Installation | Windows MSI. Only allows installation to C:\Program Files (x86)\Hellmansoft\PlanBook |
Extract Zip archive to any location | Classmaker is a portable app. |
| Google Drive | No | Yes | Only one instance can be active at any time for Google Drive replication to work. |
| Invoking | Normal menu item | Two batch files located in the Scripts directory. | |
| Multiple users | No | Yes | |
| First invocation | Wizard | Blank screen | Classmaker comes with an example database. |
| Remembers window positions | No | Yes | |
| Default dates | September 2013 to June 2014 | Have to create a new user and a default non-contact lesson plan before the screen displays. Defaults to today’s date. | |
| Subjects | Created using Wizard | Defined at Syndicate Leader level | |
| Time entry | Fiddly input fields that require am/pm | Uses 24 hour clock | PlanBook's approach of using option boxes is disastrous from an inputting perspective. The a.m / p.m selection often fails to take correctly and the time reverts to the initial setting. |
| Date entry | A lesson can only belong to one day | Lessons can cross multiple days using the same start and end times | It is almost impossible to use PlanBook for add hoc planning as white space is not allowed |
| Fast Date Entry | Not needed because lessons are always prepopulated using some kind of rotating schedule | Just enter the day for the current month | PlanBook only works with rotating schedules |
| Database type | Individual files for user defined periods | One database file for all users and forever | |
| Autosave to Database | No | Yes, but required to explicitly add, edit or delete a record | Losing your work after some time doing data entry in PlanBook is VERY frustrating. |
| Long Term Plan | No. Month display shows Subject name only. | Yes. Term display shows Subject and Unit Name. | |
| Unit Plan | Optional. Used for printing and exporting / importing lessons. | Mandatory. | |
| Permanent Lesson Storage | No. PlanBook crashes! | Yes | PlanBook developer’s main focus appears to be on Apple Mac’s. |
| Weekly Report | Attempts to include detail | Just prints lesson names | |
| Daily Report | Ugly cross page splits. Includes empty lessons. | Nice table display | |
| Future and Past Lessons | Can’t tell if you’ve created future lessons | Long term display tells you immediately if you have done future planning | |
| Attachments | Attached to Lesson Plans using a link | Attached to Unit Plans and stored in database file | |
| Website links in lesson plans | Yes | No | In Classmaker would have to use HTML tags eg. <a href=http://www.stuff.co.nz>http://www.stuff.co.nz</a> and print to HTML |
| Report Types | Daily, Weekly, Unit | Daily, Weekly, Term, Unit | |
| Report Formats | Print only | Print, Postscript, HTML | In Classmaker HTML reports are similar to CSV files and can be imported into MS Word or formatted using CSS for display in a Web Browser |
| Database Export | Yes, but empty days are exported too. Assumed that database will be published to a web site between dates. | Yes. All date and time relationships have been removed. Just the data and file attachments are exported. Assumed data will be globally searched including file attachments. | |
| Search | All fields in database, but not attachments. | Only lesson titles. | Both packages require database export to search attachments. |
| Lesson Types | Unit | Unit, Routine and Non-Contact | |
| Schedule Types | Same subjects repeated daily, same subjects repeated weekly, rotating schedules up to 14 days | Ad hoc, subjects repeat daily, subjects repeat weekly, rotating schedules up to 30 days | |
| Lesson Movements | Bump, Yank, Lock | +Day, +Week, Bump, Shove, Up, Down | |
| Unit Export | Attachments aren't exported only links | Multiple units can be exported as a batch including attachments | |
| Rotating Lessons | Set up lessons beforehand and then use directly | Use a placeholder unit that must be copied forward again and again | |
| Field Input | On failure reverts to initial figure | On failure input figure retained but not written to database |
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