Getting Started with On Task!

If you need more help than this manual provides, please feel free to contact us at support@ontaskapp.com for a prompt response to your query!

Reading the Data Screen

The data screen shows both the overall on task percentage, as well as the on task percentage for any specific tags, if they are used. Note that only the tags that are used will be displayed. In addition, the "untagged" label will only be present if other tags were used, as it's irrelevant otherwise.

Other Information on the Data Screen

Observed By

This should be your name, as taken by either the splash screen the first time you launched the app, or as edited under the Options menu.

Consistency Percentage

This percentage is a measure of how consistent you, the observer, was in taking observations. You may miss some data points here and there, but it's important to have a generally high consistency percentage. A low consistency percentage could indicate the data isn't an accurate sample. For example, perhaps the student got rowdy, so the observer jumped in to help, missing a whole series of off task data entries. 

Session Length

This will be the actual length of the session, NOT the intended length that was designated before the session. This is relevent when a session is ended prematurely.

Total Data Points Collected

This will be the total number of data points taken for the observe student only.

Understanding the Timeline

The timeline is a technology exclusive to On Task. It presents data from left to right, displaying the beginning of the session to the end. If the student was on task, the timeline will be above the center line, and if the student was off task, the timeline will be underneath it.

If no tag is used, the line will simply be a gray color. If a tag is used, the relevent color will be used instead, with a legend at the top to help you easily reference which color represents which tag.

Teacher redirects will be displayed via a white bar extending upwards from the timeline. To keep the timeline easy to read, if multiple redirects are used during a single observation window, only one redirect will actually be displayed on the timeline, as multiple redirects within a tiny amount of time realistically equates to the same redirect.

To reach the Options menu, select the Options button from the main menu. From there, you will be able to edit the following preferences:

Observer

This should be your name. If you didn't enter it in the splash screen the first time you launched the app, you can edit it here.

Control Student

On Task provides the ability to observe just one student, or observe a peer as well. It's important to use a control student so your observe student has a reference, but if you'd rather not use a control student, you can turn that off here, or from the setup screen when beginning an observation.

Default Session Length

This will edit the default amount of time a session will run. Note that you have the option of changing this session-by-session from the setup screen when beginning an observation. However, if you find yourself consistently running a longer or shorter session than the default, you can save yourself some time by changing the default time here.

Default Time Interval

This edits the default time interval. As with the session length, you have the option of changing this session-by-session from the observation setup screen. It's also important to remember that if you are using a control student, the control student's observation will be due halfway through the time interval. For example, if you use a 20 second time interval, you'll need to take a data point every 10 seconds, so each student has a 20 second time interval between data points.

Random Interval

Instead of using a set time interval, you can elect to use a random interval, which will set a time interval randomly between 10 seconds and 60 seconds. Each session will have a new random time interval applied. 

Vibration

If you'd like your phone to vibrate when an observation point is ready, enable this option. Important Note: Due to limits in the iOS software, vibration will only work if you have Vibrate on Ring and/or Vibrate on Silent enabled in your iPhone settings, under Sounds.

Labels

You can edit the label names here. By tapping Color to the right of each label, you can select a different color to represent each label.

Lock Enabled

If you want to ensure confidentiality from prying eyes, you can enable this feature. This will prevent anyone from viewing the data without using a four digit PIN that you select. Important Note: If you forget your PIN, we cannot reset it. The only way to use On Task at that point is to delete and re-install the app, which will delete all your existing data. It's important to write your PIN down in a safe place!

Data Pages

When you have multiple entries for the same student, you can swipe between them in the data screen. iOS's default mechanism is to display white dots at the bottom of the screen to indicate which page you are on. If however, you'd rather see page numbers instead, switch this to Numbers.

Do you offer discounts to schools?

Yes! Educational institutions that wish to buy On Task in volume can do so for 50% off per license.

I have an iPhone and an iPad. Can I use On Task on both?

Yes you can. On Task is a universal app, which means you don't have to buy a separate version for your iPad. Presuming all of your devices use the same Apple ID, you can purchase On Task one time, and use it across the board on all of your devices.

Help! I locked my data and I can't remember my PIN!

Unfortunately, for liability reasons, we can't recover your PIN. You can reset On Task to its factory settings (which will remove the data lock) by deleting the app and re-installing from the App Store. The download will be free; you won't have to purchase On Task again to do this.

Why so expensive? I only paid 99 cents for my favorite game.

Games profit from other revenue streams than the initial app purchase, for example in-app purchases and banner ads. Productivity apps generally don't engage in this behavior, which is why these kind of apps are more expensive than games, across the board. Our pricing is competitive with other similar apps, particularly considering the featureset On Task provides in comparison.

If you have any questions or concerns, or if you'd like to submit a feature request or submit a bug report, please email us at support@ontaskapp.com!

We read and respond to every email we sent. We take bug reports seriously. If you find something that shouldn't be, let us know and we will fix it promptly! Also, we love your feedback with regard to adding additional features, so let us know if you have an idea that will make On Task better.