Behavior Management Made Easy(-ier) with Class Dojo

Lately, I have been hearing a lot about Class Dojo from teachers of all levels, so I thought it might make a great article for Tech Tidbits.

Class Dojo is a web-based program or a tablet app designed to track both desired and undesired classroom behaviors.  It is currently free for teachers who sign up for this beta version. However, since Class Dojo had ready receives 47,000 results in a Google search, my guess is that it won’t be free for much longer.  I’d suggest you create an account now, just to be on the safe side.

Teachers:  Teachers create their classes and customize the behaviors they wish to track.  During class, they can award points for desired behaviors (i.e, completed homework, prepared for class) and deduct points for undesired behaviors (i.e., shouting out, talking to others) right into their computer/tablet/smartphone, providing immediate feedback to students in real time.  Comments can be included with the points.  Some teachers keep the Class Dojo site/app visible throughout class for students to see.  That would definitely be a teacher choice to do so or not.

Students: Teachers can provide students with access to Class Dojo so they can view their own behaviors on their own time.  They can customize their avatar as well.

Parents: Teachers can provide parents with access to Class Dojo so they can view their own child’s classroom behaviors daily (if desired).

By instantly reinforcing desired behaviors in real-time, student behavior improves, they become more engaged, and intrinsic motivation can be enhanced. Teachers can print reports to use for report cards, parent-teacher conferences, and to share with other site specialists (SPED teachers, psychologists, counselors, etc.)

It can run on an interactive whiteboard or any internet connected device. Only one device is needed – for the teacher.

While I don’t currently have classes, I created an account to see how easy it was to add students, add/subtract points, and customize behaviors and I have to say, it was pretty easy.

If you’d like a reference from a teacher actually using it with students, feel free to contact Danielle Ryan, a Carlsbad High School English teacher using it with her sophomores and even her seniors (who think it’s “cool”).

I’d love to hear about your experiences with Class Dojo.  And if you need assistance, please let me know and I’ll do what I can to help you.

More information available here: http://prezi.com/padb8nzkw-yq/sharing-classdojo-with-other-educators/

 

"It's Not about Technology - It's about Teaching and Learning with Technology"

I had an interesting meeting with three administrators the other day. We were discussing instruction and engagement and how technology fits in.  We agreed that technology integration has to become a part of the culture of the school, not just something that a few “techies” can do.  I came back to my desk and did a Google search on “culture technology integration” and found an amazing research article called Preparing Teachers for Technology Integration: Creating a Culture of Inquiry in the Context of Use.  It was written by three Canadian college professors about how they changed their preservice teacher curriculum to truly integrate technology. 

Now, I’m not like a friend of mine who reads quantum physics books just for fun, so it was a stretch for me to read a 26 page research article.  But I did. So many things resonated with me, like:

•  The quote used for title of this article: it’s not about technology – it’s about teaching and thinking with technology. 
•  Learning and teaching with technology is hard, it can be overwhelming, and the field is always changing. 
•  …everyone has exactly the same starting place—where they are, at the moment. 
• We concentrated on just-in-time, not just-in-case, instruction with technology applications. 
• …teachers need to think and plan carefully about how to infuse technology in teaching and learning.
•  Jamie McKenzie (2000) uses the felicitous phrase “Power Pointlessness” to describe the careless adoption of an otherwise effective presentation tool as if it were the be-all and end-all of technology use in the classroom.
• …no mere mortal can keep up with the innovations. 
•  Another unspoken, but harsh reality of teaching is the deep and pervasive assumption that somehow, as a teacher, I always have to know more than my students.
•  It is entirely possible to do foolish things with powerful tools just because they are there.

What does all this mean? Well, to me, it means that teaching and learning come first – technology is simply another tool in a good teacher’s arsenal.  It takes time and effort to keep instruction about the learning, not the technology.   

Why is technology integration important? Well, to borrow a friend’s mantra – we have to get buy in from our kids.  And our kids like technology.  What better way to engage them than to use things they like to teach them?

How can we begin to develop a technology infused culture at our schools? Start by stopping - stop thinking about technology as a separate entity.  Begin to think about it as an integral part of your teaching day.  Bring it into every conversation at every meeting. Share what you have learned and ask others to share as well.  Change takes time and effort.  And remember, I’m happy to assist in any way I can.

To Friend or Not to Friend

Boy, that seems to be the question these days.  A Google search in the fall of 2010 for the terms “facebook, teachers, students” garnered close to 9 million hits.  Today, that same search receives over 90 million hits! Should we friend our students on Facebook is a question that all educators should be asking.

There are strong opinions both ways. One school of thought views Facebook as a great tool for home/school collaboration.  Teachers, classrooms, grade levels, entire schools, and even entire school districts can create pages to provide information to the community. Some teachers create pages for projects and “friend” the students assigned to the projects.

These are great educational uses for Facebook.  But what about the social aspect of this site?

Currently, my home district, like many other school districts, does not have a policy in place to provide guidance to employees regarding this issue.  Friending our students can cause sticky situations. For example, what should be done if it is discovered that a student is engaging in risky behaviors, like drinking? Are we obligated to inform parents? And if we do, are they going to welcome our knowledge or will they wonder why an adult has a “social” relationship with their child? On the flip side, what if someone else posts a photo of you, questionable in nature.  Do you really want your students to see that or to know about your social interactions with other adults?

So, compromise by having two separate profiles, a professional one for interactions with past and present students, and a personal one for yourself to enjoy without worrying about that picture of you from high school that you would prefer never again saw the light of day, or the pages of Facebook.

 I would love to hear what others are doing about this.  Send me an email at sharonastclair@gmail.com.