Existing users, 
 Making the Grade X - 1.1fgradebook system for teachers |
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Feedback Summary:
| Version 1.1f: | |||||
| Overall Rating: |  (5.0) |
Features: | (5.0) |
Support: | (5.0) |
| Ease of Use: | (5.0) |
Quality / Stability: | (5.0) |
Price: | (5.0) |
Key to Types of Feedback:
Reviews 
Troubleshooting 
Usage Tips 
Developer Notes 
Commentary 
Featured Reviews
MTG doesn't appear Mac-like because it predates the Mac - Version: 1.2v, 3/24/2007 04:35PM PST
(1 of 1 users found this comment useful)
d_link
Newbie Thoughts 
- Version: 1.1k, 9/3/2005 08:23AM PST
(1 of 2 users found this comment useful)
Frank Canzolino
I have just begun using this application after having taking a position in a new school district. I find the MTG to be a decent app, doing everything I have thus far asked of it. Jay Klein product support is very good, you get a human being on the phone, and email questions are answered almost immediately.
My biggest beef with this app is that it seems somehow non-Maclike in its implementation. Similar functions are spread across several menus, and the whole thing seems like something out of the 1980's. When I showed the app to my wife, she said it reminded her of the Windows-based applications she uses for billing at the hospital at which she works. This app would benefit enormously if a Mac developer, familiar with the Mac human interface guidelines scrubbed this program, it would then be top drawer.
As it is, I would still highly recommend this application to anyone who does not have a school-wide grading system run on the back-end of the computing chain. As already indicated, documentation is nonexistent, but being so straightforward, and with good customer support that is not much of an issue. One small issue is that if your school already has a license for Windows, you must either purchase a one seat license for you Mac OS X computer (You do have one of the three Macs in the Windows-based school, don't you?), or a $500 unlimited seat for your district. I hope I will be reimbursed for my purchase, after all, teachers love freebies.
I am waiting for some feedback from those people using the newly released 1.2 beta version, after all, with something as important as my gradebook, I am hesitant to use beta versions of software until some water has passed beneath the bridge.
For personal use, and its ability to pretty much do anything you ask of it, I give this app 4 brightly polished Apples up, at least that's what I hope shows up after my individual ratings are averaged..
My biggest beef with this app is that it seems somehow non-Maclike in its implementation. Similar functions are spread across several menus, and the whole thing seems like something out of the 1980's. When I showed the app to my wife, she said it reminded her of the Windows-based applications she uses for billing at the hospital at which she works. This app would benefit enormously if a Mac developer, familiar with the Mac human interface guidelines scrubbed this program, it would then be top drawer.
As it is, I would still highly recommend this application to anyone who does not have a school-wide grading system run on the back-end of the computing chain. As already indicated, documentation is nonexistent, but being so straightforward, and with good customer support that is not much of an issue. One small issue is that if your school already has a license for Windows, you must either purchase a one seat license for you Mac OS X computer (You do have one of the three Macs in the Windows-based school, don't you?), or a $500 unlimited seat for your district. I hope I will be reimbursed for my purchase, after all, teachers love freebies.
I am waiting for some feedback from those people using the newly released 1.2 beta version, after all, with something as important as my gradebook, I am hesitant to use beta versions of software until some water has passed beneath the bridge.
For personal use, and its ability to pretty much do anything you ask of it, I give this app 4 brightly polished Apples up, at least that's what I hope shows up after my individual ratings are averaged..
documentation and website - Version: 1.1k, 6/9/2005 03:56AM PST
(2 of 3 users found this comment useful)
rahja
no screenshots? no features list? as a teacher, I'm always looking for ways to make grading easier, but your website doesn't help me at all. I'm not likely to just download the demo, without seeing something about the program first.
Yes, I would love a more Mac-like experience (including being able to use the scroll on my mighty mouse), but I won't give up this program just for that reason (I am a Mac Addict, but will put up with some limitations when an outstanding program makes my school recordkeeping so much easier).
MTG is the fastest calculating grade program available for Mac or Windows that I have seen. My district tried to switch us to another gradebook which was glacially slow, but that decision was reversed relatively quickly.
If I have all my grades updated, it takes me no more than a couple minutes to export each class and upload it for progress reports or final grades. Very simple and reliable.
I regularly print pdf versions of individual student reports to email to parents. We have not taken advantage of the capability to post our grades online, but that is also available.
This is only a short review of my take on the features of MTG, but since I have used it in various forms for nearly 20 years, I think that my opinions have some merit.