What do you like best about Hāpara?
I have been using Hāpara since 2015 when our school division started using it. I can honestly say that I access the Hāpara Dashboard and/or Workspace daily. It has been a game changer in keeping me organized on class material and assignments.
Hāpara Workspace has made it possible for me to organize my courses, units, or projects in one location. The ability to create groups that are unique to my own students/class allow me to scaffold tasks based on how much work they have completed, ability level, interests, etc. Students know where they can go to find the material and when the assignments are due.
As well as organizing the material, I can also choose when to have cards (tasks, subject material, assessments) automatically become available. Allowing students to see what happens next at their pace helps students to feel they are in control of what they need to do next instead of feeling anxious and overwhelmed by what is left to do. As students finish assignments, they can "submit" their work. I am then able to see who has and has not completed assignments. When I am marking their work, I can provide feedback directly in Hāpara, as well as a mark, followed by choosing to either send the assignment back for editing, or return the assignment with a final mark.
Hāpara Dashboard is a one-stop space to access students Google Drives, control what students are able to view while in class (guided and focused browsing, scheduled sessions with access to specific sites), send messages to as many students as I need to, and "handout" documents as class shared, class view, class editing, or individual student editing.
The ability to close browser windows help students stay focused on their tasks and avoiding the issue of "policing". Sending links to students chromebooks automatically opens the site for them which saves time for me. I do not have to go from student to student to enter the url.
There is a lot that Hāpara can help teachers do in order to manage their class material and reduce the behaviour management of a class. When I am away, substitute teachers do not have to jump in and figure out how to use another program. With the ability to schedule sessions and send out assignments, Ican develop sub plans that allow students to get right on task without having to worry about my substitute having difficulty accessing specific sites or figuring out another program.
Hāpara is continuously seeking feedback from their users. Over time there have been many changes based on what the needs of teachers are. Every teacher has a process they like to follow when it comes to distributing assignments and marking them. It does take some people time to get the hang of what works best for them when using Hāpara, but training session are provided asynchronously, synchronously, or blended. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.