To start creating a new Observation Set, select File, New. A Save As dialog box will open, asking you to name your new database (observation set) right away. After the new observation set is created, the main window will look like the figure below. The first four tabs are quite straightforward. (See the Controls topic for a discussion of using the data grids and controls to enter data.)
The Areas of Observation tab deserves a little more explanation. Please refer to the figure below.
Areas of Observation
Enter the general areas or categories that you will observe.
Observation Items
Enter items that fit under the selected Area of Observation. For example, in the figure, Teaching Strategies includes items for Hunter's elements of an effective lesson, Bloom's Taxonomy, and Marzano's Strategies. Notice that the Data Type for each of the three items is holder for subitems. This allows each Observation Item to be further organized into sub-items. In the example, the sub-items are used to list the levels, strategies, elements, etc. of the Observation Items.
A Rule for Data Types
All entries in the Observation Items grid or in the Observation Sub-Items grid must be of the same Data Type. If you mix data types, Observer will attempt to correct it.
Using Observation Items Directly
In addition to using Observation Items as holders for subitems, they can be used to directly hold elements to be observed. For example, in the figure below, items related to Planning & Preparation are entered directly in the Observation Items grid. The Sub-Items section isn't used.
Observation Item Types
In addition to the holder for subitems type that Observation items can use, Observation Items and Sub-Items can be of three different types. Examples of the three types are shown below, as they are used when recording an observation. See Recording an Observation in the handheld section to compare the PC and handheld controls.
No/Yes
No/Yes choices indicate that observation items were evident or not. No/Yes items are best suited for areas that you want to be mandatory. (The Palm OS uses no/yes buttons because the Palm Operating System doesn't have a radio group control type.)
Checklist
A check list is used to show which items within a set were evident. This type of display is best suited to indicate multiple choices within a set of items, where not all items are mandatory.
Single Choice
A radio group is used to select a single item from a list of choices. (The Palm uses a drop-down list because the Palm Operating System doesn't have a radio group control type.)
