I need help convincing my coach to let me do online notebook

So I am posting this because my coach dosent want me to do online notebook because about turning it in at events and also we have to use a regular notebook compared to a actual vex notebook

This is on you buddy… but you should try to convince your coach, by showing them how a digital notebook works, I’ll link some resources for digital notebooks here, both for IQ & V5, as also parts for both IQ/V5

If you had no luck, it’s up to your coach :melting_face:

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Sorry, but a bunch of people online can’t really influence your coach’s decision.
It’s their decision.
Explain why you would like to do it digitally, but also listen to them about why they want you to do it physically.

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I think you can approach the coach with compelling reasons to have online digital notebook:

  • Coach will be able to view it easily any time
  • Team will have access to it from anywhere with internet connection (no more “I left the notebook at home”)
  • All team members can actively contribute to the documentation process, not just the so-called “notebooker” - to be sure, it is a good idea to have a documentation manager in the team to make sure everyone is contributing to the notebook.
  • Judges can more easily navigate digital notebooks during remote notebook reviews (you know that famous “search” function we encourage all VEXforum users to master :slight_smile: )

Downside, you have to print your notebook for events that require hardcopy notebooks. Let your coach know you take responsibility for managing the printing process.

Yes, I can understand a coach can set limits for teams in their club - however, “telling” a team how to document and express their ideas does not seem very student-centered. There may be some constraints the OP is not letting us know, so my remarks are solely at face value of the post.

Highly recommend teams post this in their workshops:
Important Behavior Guidelines for Team Adults

(yes, I know I need a tattoo of the above to remind me outside of the shop)

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I had my teams switch to Docs three years ago.

  • The whole team can collaborate.
  • Actions like brainstorming, design, strategy, or programming can all happen outside of the schedule practice hours so when the team does meet they can focus on building and implementing there ideas.
  • Easier to read as a judge (I have poor handwriting)

Concerns:

  • Make sure that you leave everything in your notebook, including the bad ideas and design flaws. Judges should not be looking for the perfect notebook. They want to see your struggles and scrapped plans, along with your current design.
  • Share the book with your organization leadership so they can monitor progress and make comments.
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The online notebook is super quick actually and my coach only let us do it because she was tired of scanning every page of our notebook in :woman_shrugging:t2:

The number 1 reason I would use is that if you go to worlds it will already need to be a digital notebook and this way you don’t have to re-do it. Up to the mentors though.

Not really - see Student Centered and the link I shared for coaches/mentors/teachers.

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I suppose so, just no matter what RECF says most teams that I know need some form of mentor approval for note booking. But by guidelines it is up to the students

what do you mean by “mentor approval”?

Well, I would assume it means that the “mentor” of the team must give some “approval” to using a digital notebook.
Just my guess though

Iscsap thank you. My coach/mentor dosent want me doing it because of how judging at tournaments is like because we have to print it

Ok - looking at an event you are heading to, it is in-person interviews and physical notebooks. The guide to judging is clear - the notebook does NOT need to be handwritten and it does NOT need to be bound. So suggest a compromise to your coach:

  • your team will share your online notebook with your coach
  • your team will print out the new pages to the notebook every Wednesday, number each page, sign and date the printed pages
  • your team will print updated table of contents by Wednesday before competition
  • your team will provide an updated Innovate Award document by Wednesday before competition
  • all pages will be added chronologically (with exception of update TOC and Innovate Award document which will be placed at front of binder
  • your team will provide the binders needed

This compromise allows your team to take ownership of how you work together documenting, provides regular check ins with your coach, and a buffer before competition to make sure you have everything in order before competition.

Adapt a proposal that fits your needs.

Good luck!

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I just meant most times when teams start trying to change stuff it’s generally frowned upon if you don’t talk it over to the mentors.

I personally notebook on canva then download it to google slides, print it out, and write notes on the paper version as well, this is what I would recommend to you as well!