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/