Web Summaries

TL;DR

This is a web-only release to allow summary information to be added via the web app and for the lesson to be completed as well. A by-product of this is the ability to add planning notes before the lesson.

Diary

Previously, clicking a lesson in the diary would show the 'Edit Lesson' screen and allow you to change the 'details' of the lesson such as start and end times, location etc. This new release allows you to add planning notes for future lessons and summary notes for past lessons and it also allows you to complete past lessons.

When you click a future lesson in the diary, you will be presented with the following screen:-

You still have the ability to edit the lesson, which has not changed. However, in addition, you can add planning notes for the lesson. These get carried forward to the summary at the end of the lesson at which point you can enhance or delete them.

When you click on a past lesson in the diary, you will be presented with the following screen:

You still have the ability to edit the lesson, which has not changed. However, in addition, you can now add a summary for the lesson and if the lesson is complete, you can mark it as such.

When you opt to add a lesson summary, if there is a journey tracked against that lesson, the map will appear alongside the summary box.

An Instructor's View

As someone who enjoys Cadbury's Creme Eggs at any time of the year, I am always amused by their advertising campaign 'How do you eat yours?" Now, to be honest, it makes absolutely no difference to me whatsoever as long as it's a Creme Egg!

So I want to ask you a question? Lesson Summaries - How do you use yours?

I've always considered the lesson summary to be for my benefit more than for the student, not least because they are unlikely to read it, even if it is for them, whereas I definitely will; not least because my memory is shocking and I cannot remember what I do from one week to the next.

My lesson summaries tend to be quite short and not have a particular structure other than generally what we did and what I need to pick up next time. I might, very occasionally, put a hint or tip in there for the student.

I know that some instructors don't use it at all and others write a veritable essay; some stick to a rigid format and some are more freeform. Some instructors use lots of emojis and some, like me, never even consider doing that.

In addition, some instructors write the summary at the end of the lesson or immediately afterwards. Others, like me, leave it until you are at home with a glass of wine, listening to the latest musical offering from Ed Sheeran or, in my case, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. To be fair, he hasn't done much in the last couple of centuries.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter how you use the lesson summaries but I believe it is important that you do use them. The DVSA like to think in a very regimented way in almost all aspects of driving. They rely on statistics to draw (often flawed) conclusions and revel in procedures which might be good 90% of the time but are insufficient the rest. Life is not like that; it's totally freeform and whilst there may be guidelines which loosely define how we should behave, what we do and how we do it, within those guidelines, is largely up to us.

MDT2 has its rigid processes e.g., the lesson structure, lesson themes and syllabuses, but also provides freeform features where you can detail things that don't fit within the structure e.g., lesson summaries and reflective logs. This is where aspects of driving that don't fit within the syllabus or lesson themes can be recorded by you so they don't get forgotten.

If you don't currently use lesson summaries, I would strongly urge you to do so, for 3 reasons:

1. It helps you to remember not only what you did on today's lesson but also whether there were specific issues that you want to deal with on the next lesson.
2. It provides continuity between lessons. Although you have lesson themes, this is a less formal way of picking up on specific things, maybe a particular roundabout or junction, for example.
3. It reinforces to your student that you have a professional approach to their learning. We want them to be as good as they can be on the roads; shouldn't we be as good as we can be as instructors?

However, above all, I would urge you to use lesson summaries because it makes your life easier and doing it on the PC makes it easier still. Anything that makes life easier has to be a good thing, doesn't it?

... and finally

This is the latest addition to the web app which we will continue to enhance over the coming months.

For technical support, to report problems with the app or if you have any questions about this release, please email support@mydrivetime.co.uk.