Software dev here, not a PE teacher. My kid's gym teacher mentioned how much time gets eaten by manually counting laps on a clipboard, so I built something to fix it. Wanted to run it past actual PE teachers before going further.
The basic idea: each student gets a printed QR card. You scan it with your phone as they run past. App tracks laps, distance, time. Generates weekly reports, and parents can see their kid's progress through a share link (no app install on their end).
What it does today:
- QR scanning on iOS + Android, works offline (school WiFi is a coin flip)
- Web dashboard with weekly trends + per-student progress
- CSV roster import + bulk grade promotion
- Print-ready QR card sheets
- Optional AI report cards — one click, generates a paragraph per student
One California middle school just adopted it (we signed the CA-NDPA so districts can piggyback). That's the only real reference I have.
Honest questions I'd love answers to:
- Is lap counting actually the most annoying part of PE class admin, or is there something worse I'm missing?
- What would make you use this 10 weeks in a row, not just try it once?
https://runningkiddos.com/#features — free, no card, takes about 5 minutes to set up.
Roast it. I'd rather hear "this is dumb because X" now than after 6 more months.