Exporting Data to a PDA

1. Preparing a PDA for Observational Assessment
2. Preparing a PDA for Gradebook Assessment

Using Learner Profile to Go 3.0 for your Palm-based personal digital assistant (PDA) in conjunction with Learner Profile 3.0 adds a new level of flexibility to observing and collecting assessment information. Using your Learner Profile to Go 3.0, it is possible to record observations, score assignments and take attendance in any environment—without relying on access to your desktop computer.

You will, however, need Learner Profile 3.0 to move assessment information to the PDA, and you will want to use Learner Profile 3.0 to generate reports from the data collected on the PDA. This section explains how to export information to the PDA. You can export three types of items to the PDA:

• Groups
• Observable Sets
• Gradebooks
  

1. Preparing a PDA for Observational Assessment

In order to record observations on the PDA, you must choose the observable set(s) that contain the observables with which you will be assessing, and the group(s) that contain the students you will be observing. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click on the GROUPS tab and click on the GROUPS radio button.
2. Select the group you will be observing from the drop-down menu in the Modify Groups column.
3. Click the checkbox labeled "Export this group to the PDA."
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all the groups you plan to observe.
5. Click on the OBSERVATION tab and click the SET UP OBSERVABLES radio button.
6. Select the observable set you plan on using to record observations on your PDA from the Observable Sets column on the left of the screen.
7. Click the checkbox labeled "Export this set to the PDA."
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for all observable sets you plan on using.
9. Choose PDA MAINTENANCE… from the File menu. Click on the GROUPS radio button and review the groups displayed. They should reflect the groups you selected to export. If there are extraneous groups displayed here, select them and click the REMOVE button.
10. Click on the OBSERVABLE SETS radio button and review the observable sets displayed. They should reflect the observable sets you selected to export. If there are extraneous sets displayed here, select them and click the REMOVE button.
11. If, after reviewing the selected observable sets and groups, you need to make more selections, just follow steps 1 through 10.
12. To move this information to the PDA, set your PDA in its cradle and HotSync. Consult the Learner Profile to Go 3.0 User Guide if you need more help with this step.
    

NOTE: Observable sets selected for export include only the observables within that set. If the observable set contains other observable sets, those sets will not be marked for export—you will need to select those sets separately if you wish to export them.

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2.Preparing a PDA for Gradebook Assessment

You can use your PDA to score the assignments in a gradebook and take attendance. To export the information necessary to do this, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Gradebook tab.
2. Select the gradebook you’d like to use in conjunction with your PDA from the Gradebook drop-down menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.
3. Click the checkbox labeled "Export this Gradebook to the PDA."
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all the Gradebooks you wish to export.
5. Choose PDA MAINTENANCE… from the File menu. Click on the GRADEBOOKS radio button and review the gradebooks displayed. They should reflect the
   gradebooks you selected to export. If there are extraneous gradebooks displayed here, select them and click the REMOVE button.
6. If, after reviewing the selected gradebooks, you need to make more selections, just follow steps 1 through 5.
7. To move this information to the PDA, set you PDA in its cradle and HotSync. Consult the Learner Profile to Go 3.0 User Guide for more help with this step.

NOTE: When you export a gradebook to the PDA, Learner Profile 3.0 automatically collects all of the data relevant to the current term of the gradebook-- including its group, grade scales, assignments, observable sets that may be associated with assignments, and attendance data--and prepares it for exporting. If the previous or next term falls within two weeks of the current date, it exports information for that term as well.

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