LessonNote

LessonNote

Classroom lesson observation

10 ratings
23 reviews
Free
In-App Purchases

Details

Released
March 16, 2012
Updated
October 30, 2026

Features

LessonNote screenshot #1 for iPhone
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LessonNote screenshot #7 for iPhone
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About

This tool facilitates classroom lesson observation by allowing educators to document lesson flow and student engagement. It enables tracking of interactions, capturing notes, taking photos of student work, and analyzing time spent in different learning modalities. The app helps create a factual record to improve teaching and learning.

✓Track student interactions
✓Record time-stamped notes
✓Photograph student work
✓Analyze time in learning modalities
✓Create seating charts
✓Review data for student-focused conversations
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What's New in LessonNote

6.2

October 30, 2026

Bug fix: • Export to archive (and maybe also browser?) would fail if the lesson name contained a '/'. New: • Handles multiple seating charts per lesson – for example, if students go to lab tables. Lessons now require a name for the initial seating chart. • The seating chart name at the top of the recorder is now a control for switching to a different seating chart or creating an additional one (if there is only one). • New button in the classroom editor to rotate the seating chart 180º. • Tag button added (restored?) to note headers in review. • "Correct" and "incorrect" included in the default tag list. • Help sheet for review includes an item (and image) about deleting a note. • Manual accounts server moved to LSAlliance.org/LessonNote/. Server pro.lessonnote.com is discontinued. This should be invisible except the download button is gone.

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Subscriptions & In-App Purchases

3 Months of Pro

Pro observations, backup, and tools

$29.993 Months
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User reviews

Invaluable for Teacher Feedback

I am an education consultant and author that works with schools on personalized learning through learning labs. This app is invaluable for observation and feedback in learning labs. It is absolutely worth the investment, even if you’re not doing Lesson Study or Learning Labs. You can keep track of lesson observations and link student work with them directly. Do not hesitate—try it out and you will be hooked.
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No typing function

Please could this be added? I won’t be using it without this function.

nothing touches it

I have seen nothing else like this for classroom observation. Instead of a bunch of checkboxes, sliders, and the like, this app invites you to focus on what is most important: the students and how the lesson is impacting them. Based on a seating chart (which you can set up really fast), you take handwritten notes about what students (and the teacher) are saying and doing. You can insert photos of student work. You notate changes in modality (e.g. whole-group vs small-group or individual work). After the lesson, the app makes it easy to talk about what happened and when – every note is time-stamped and linked to the seating chart so you know whom it is about. And yes, there are some statistics if you want those: how long each segment of the lesson was, how many notes you have for each person, and the total duration of those notes. Some things could make it better: "undo" is so slow as to be unusable, and there is no eraser. But this app has really improved the quality of my post-lesson conversations with teachers. This free (FREE!) app blows everything else away. Thank you!
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Even better if...

A clever app but seems to be missing an obvious feature...add in the option to type notes with the keyboard. This would make it a full observation tool!

Innovative, but poor quality writing

I was really excited about this app because I've been looking for a free (or at least non-subscription based) app for observations within classrooms. I love the concept of the app, and the structure of capturing information tied to a student, teacher, etc.

Tapping on a student and entering individual notes is a great idea and prevents the issues I've had running out of space to write notes near a student's name.

That being said, the responsiveness of the app to input leaves a LOT to be desired. Writing with an Apple Pencil results in blocky and largely unreadable text - the app just doesn't track the stylus with enough (or much of any) precision, which renders it basically unusable.

Hoping for an improvement - would love to use the app, but can't currently!
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Response from developer

Hi danlang, I know it's been quite a while since you wrote this review, but we've just released LessonNote 4 which makes serious improvements to the note taking and writing system. Particular to your comments, LessonNote now officially supports Apple Pencil®! We'd love for you to give LessonNote another try if it still fits into your needs. Thank you! The LessonNote Team

FAQ

What is LessonNote used for?

LessonNote is an innovative tool designed for classroom observation. It helps educators document the flow of a lesson and its impact on students by capturing quantitative and qualitative data, such as interactions, notes, and time spent in different learning modalities.

How does LessonNote help improve teaching?

By providing a fact-based, non-judgemental record of lessons and their impact on students, LessonNote facilitates student-focused conversations. This detailed analysis helps educators identify areas for improvement in their teaching methods and enhance learning outcomes.

Can I use LessonNote without knowing student names?

Yes, LessonNote is designed to work without requiring you to know student names. A small seating chart visually represents students and groups, allowing you to link notes and observations directly to them, making it easy to track interactions and work.

What kind of data can be captured with LessonNote?

LessonNote allows you to capture who is talking to whom and for how long, jot down handwritten, time-stamped notes, take photos of student work, and record the time spent in various learning environments like whole-class, individual, or group work.

Is LessonNote suitable for administrators?

Yes, LessonNote is ideal for administrators. It goes beyond simple checklists by helping document how lessons affect students, providing a deeper understanding of teaching effectiveness and student engagement.

What devices does LessonNote support?

LessonNote is available for iPhone and iPad, making it a versatile tool for educators on the go.

How often is LessonNote updated?

The latest version of LessonNote is 6.2, and it was last updated on October 30, 2026. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvement.

Does LessonNote have ads?

No, LessonNote does not contain advertisements. Its focus is on providing an uninterrupted observation experience for educators.