Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/381166
Learning P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N What are the benefi ts? I use it as a way of managing the classroom and keeping track of students' behaviors. I even used it this year to help determine who would receive a music award. Another big use I get out of it is the "pick a random student" button, which is way easier for me than digging through a pile of tongue depressors (which I did try last year, briefl y). ClassDojo allows me to focus more on presenting the con- tent, rather than trying to think, "Hmmm, did I already give that kid a warning today?" It also simplifi es the task of tracking every student's behavior, so I am able to follow up with parents or that student's other teachers. This is very important because I see almost 400 students a week and have a bad memory. Other thoughts? It is fun for the teacher and the students because it turns behavior management into a game. I encourage every teacher to try out the demo. It's fun to play with. Also, it's completely free. What have you got to lose? because they all hear the positive "ding" and look up to see who it was, then get right back to work. Is it diffi cult to use? It is extremely easy to use. At the beginning of the year, I just copy/pasted all the class lists into ClassDojo and set up the behaviors I wanted. I open it up on my desktop, which is projected onto the front of the room, and if I'm moving around I can use the iPad app. After you get it set up, it is super easy to use. You basically point and click. At the end of class, it makes a nice graph that shows you the ratio of good/bad behaviors and what they were. It is really helpful to me with parents, because I have a record I can point to if I need it. JENNIFER TIFFIN BUHAC: I loved it, parents loved it, and most importantly, my students loved it! It can be very unobtrusive while still motivating. Just hearing the little "ding" would refocus my class even though they didn't know who was getting the Dojo point. MICHELLE SCHULTZ: I started using this app about five weeks before the end of the school year. Never had a better end of school year. FAITH HURST: I almost never displayed the points. Hearing the sounds and seeing where I was looking was enough. SUZANNE LARA-SARMIENTO: It motivates the students and promotes positive behavior. It also keeps parents informed on how their child is performing in class. KIM STRAUGHN LAWRENCE: Parents loved the fact that they could log in to see a report in their child's behavior. CHARLES HUSKINS: I have used it for several years. I only use the positive behaviors and I let students view their points individually. A "relative newbie" to the profession, Chris Armstrong says, "ClassDojo allows me to focus more on presenting the content, rather than thinking, 'Hmmm, did I already give that kid a warning today?'" WE ASKED MEMBERS ON CTA'S FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THEIR TAKE ON DOJO. 41 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 2