There are several websites that I can’t live without in my academic coaching practice, and one of them is … drum roll, please…
www.ohdontforget.com
On this website students can schedule a text message to be sent to them at a specific time.
Here are a few things I love about using Oh Don’t Forget to remind teens to follow through on tasks:
- Natural Strengths. Teens don’t pay attention to email or calendar, but they do pay attention to text messages.
- The Intrigue Factor. Most of my clients are intrigued by this website, and are usually curious and willing to try it at least once.
- Planning Ahead. One of the biggest hurdles in my work is getting kids to think ahead! But with ohdontforget, kids are required to think through the following questions: a) what task do I need a reminder for? b) when do I need to do the task? c) how far in advance do I need to remind myself?
- The Back Up Plan. I usually ask my clients to brainstorm three different reminder systems, so that they’re not putting all their eggs in one basket. The student usually suggests writing in his planner, emailing himself a reminder, or putting a sign up on the door of his room. I add Oh Dont Forget, and recommend that the student schedule multiple reminders.
- Independence & Self Reliance. Because they can program the texts themselves, teens don’t have to rely on adults for reminders. Similarly, I love it because, when a teenager says to me, “Will you just remind me next week?” I can answer, “No. However, I’d be happy to help you remind yourself!”
P.S. If you look closely at the screen capture above, you’ll see that I’m sending a text to myself (with a fake number) to remember to bring Oreo cookies to the Learning Center. I have a student who will remember to follow through ONLY when there’s sugar involved. Although I’m not usually a fan of external rewards, especially ones that encourage unhealthy habits, in the case of this student I’ve adopted the motto “whatever it takes!”.