ClassDojo
This week I'm talking about an app that does it all...behavior management, photo/video sharing, and parent communication. Class Dojo is a great way to motivate students, as well as keep parents in the loop.
I originally stated using Classdojo for behavior management. With Dojo, teachers can assign each student their own avatar to which they are assigned points. Teachers can use both positive and "needs work" points for student behavior. One of the features I like most is that you can create your own skills for awarding or deducting points. This makes the point system more relevant to your students and can allow for differentiated skills based on your students needs.
Here are some examples from my own classroom:
Not only does Dojo keep track of students points, it also generates pie charts based on students behavior feedback and can be emailed and shared with parents daily, weekly, monthly, or by using set dates.
Another way you can use Dojo is by using the toolkit. My students love using the different features like random student chooser and group maker. They are easy to use and quick tools for any time during the day.
The last feature I want to talk about is the Big Idea tab. The stories provided focus on ideas like growth mindset, perseverance, empathy, gratitude, and mindfulness. Each idea is broken down into two or three short video segments followed by discussion questions or an activity. This is a great tool for teaching social skills.
There are several other features that I have yet to explore. Hopefully this is something you can use in your own classroom!
I tried to use ClassDojo my first year teaching, but I was not aware of the other features you discussed. They sound like great features! I really like the random student and group making features. With my kiddos, if I ask them to get into groups it takes them forever to choose who they want to be with. This would solve that problem! Also, it would eliminate the issue of any kiddos being inadvertently left out. Lastly, I really like the stories that are related to Growth Mindset and other important characteristics. Often teaching the qualities of a good person are put on the back burner, but I believe it's very important. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteA lot of the features have been added in the past 2 years. I also tried to use it when I first started teaching but didn't care for it. It has really improved in the past few years!
DeleteKalya,
ReplyDeleteLike Megan, I too used ClassDojo during my first year of teaching. I ended up not using it as much as I had hoped because I was unaware of all the amazing features it has and I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants. I have been looking for an app that can randomize my kiddos into groups! I think this would be a great useful took to have because my science class is mainly project-based within groups. I also like how you touched on how this app can help build growth mindset in your classroom. I think my class is in dire need of social skills, so this would also help strengthen my class community! Thanks for sharing!
Barrett
I hope it's helpful! Like I said to Megan, a lot of the features have been added more recently but I have found them very useful!
DeleteWhen I was student teaching we used Class Dojo but I didn't know of all the great features it had to offer. I had honestly forgotten about it and haven't tried it in my own classroom. Thank you for sharing about all the features. I am going to look into it again and maybe try it out in my own class now. I love the Big Idea tab that ties in mindfulness. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete