In this tutorial we’ll go through the processes of adding and editing observations on the app version of Tapestry.
Please note, these steps will be exactly the same across iOS and Android devices.
Accessing Observations on the app
Observations can be accessed on the app through the Observations option on the navigation menu at the bottom of the screen.
Alternatively, you can access the Observations page by going to the burger menu in the top left-hand corner of the screen and then selecting Observations from the next menu.
Adding a new observation
Once on the Observations page, to add a new observation, tap on Add Observation at the top of the page.
Alternatively, if you are on another screen within the app, you can tap on the + button from the bottom of the screen and from there, select to add a new observation.
You’ll then see a form that looks like the below screens.
You can click on the icons in each image to find out about that specific section.
Adding a Title and Children
At the top of the add observation form, you will see a Title field, where you can give your observation a name, and an Add children button.
Clicking on the Add children button will bring up a new screen where you can select a child, or children, to include in your observation.
If you have any key children assigned, you will see them at the top of the list. You can also filter the children you see using the Groups or Cohorts tabs, or find specific children using the search bar at the top.
Uploading and managing media
Using the Add media button, you can upload any photos, videos, audio files, or documents to your observation, as well as take photos and videos directly through the app.
Clicking on this will bring up a menu where you can select to either take a photo, video, or audio recording, or upload media or documents from your device.
Once you’ve selected any media and they finish uploading, you will see those items appear in the Uploaded media section.
To make any edits to the media, you can tap on an individual media item or you can select Manage media.
From Manage Media, you can change the order the items appear via the Re-order tab and you can select items to be deleted from the Delete tab.
If you tap on an individual photo you then have the options to Edit or Delete it.
If you select to edit an image you then choose from a range of editing options from the menu underneath including rotating and cropping the image, as well as blurring specific parts of it.
Notes and Additional Information
In the Notes section you can write up what you’ve observed the child(ren) doing.
A manager on the account can choose whether to have the Additional Information section enabled and if so, whether it’s visible to relatives. You may want to use this field to add things such as next steps for children.
Assessments, Flags and Links
Underneath the Notes and Additional Information fields, you can then add any Assessments, Flags or Page Links to your observation.
If you click Add Assessments it will bring up a list of the frameworks you have enabled on your account; tap one in order to select assessments from that particular framework.
You will then be able to drill further down into the framework and assess any elements within, and add any refinements if applicable.
When you’re finished, click Done in the top right-hand corner.
If you choose Add Flags, this will bring up a list of enabled flag sets on your account.
To select a whole flag set you can use the tick-box on the left-hand side of the flag set. If you want to select specific flags within a set, you can use the arrow on the right.
If you have the EYFS 2021 flag set enabled, you will also see the option to view Reference Material.
When you’re finished, click Done in the top right-hand corner.
Lastly, clicking Add Links will show the option to either link your observation to another observation or to a planned activity.
You can also use the filters at the top to help narrow this down.
Once you’re happy, click Done.
Status, Date & Author
The last section in the add observation form is where you can view the Status, Date and Author.
Managers (and staff with permission to approve observations) will be able to change the status of the observation. By default this will be set as Not in Journal, meaning the observation will be saved but won’t be visible to any relatives linked to the child/ren included. You can learn more about the observation statuses on Tapestry here. Staff without permission to approve observations will not be able to change this option.
Underneath is the author of the observation. Only managers are able to change the author from themselves to another member of staff.
The final two fields can you be used to edit the date and time of the observation.
If you have set the status of the observation to be scheduled, you’ll need to select a date/time in the future and this is when the observation will be published.
Save Options
At the top of the screen you will see the options for saving your observation.
You can cancel your observation at any point if you no longer want to proceed.
If you are not ready for your observation to be viewed by other staff members, you have the option to Save as draft. Draft observations are tied to individual users, so only they are able to go back to edit the draft to save it as a full observation. Managers are able to view and delete drafts created by other members of staff.
If you are happy for your observation to be saved, and visible to other staff and parents (depending on the status), hit Save.
Once you’ve saved an observation, you can go back and edit it any point. There are two different ways you can do this.
Locating the edit option for an observation
If you know a specific observation needs to be edited, find it on your Observations list and click the three-dots menu next to its title.
This will then bring up all the options for that particular observation. If you want to update the status you can quickly do so from here, otherwise click on the Edit button to proceed with editing.
To edit any draft observations, tap Your Drafts above Add Observation, and follow the same steps.
Alternatively, you may want to view a whole observation first before editing it. To do this select the observation from the list by clicking on it.
Once you are viewing that observation, click on the Edit button at the top of the page to make any changes.
Editing your observation
While editing, you can cancel at any point if you no longer want to proceed.
If you want to finalise any edits you’ve made, select Save at the top of the page.
