App Tutorial - Class Dojo
This week I learned about the Class Dojo app and created a tutorial so other teachers who are curious about the resource can views its key features. Class Dojo is free to download from the Apple App Store and its creators, Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don, recommend this app for anyone wanting to better manage student behavior in the classroom and to connect with parents. Sam and Liam were chosen as one of the "30 under 30" recipients by Forbes magazine in the category of education, so these young entrepreneurs have certainly found success through the creation of this classroom resource. Class Dojo can track students "positive" points on an individual, group, or class basis and provides incentives for students to work hard and be mindful of their behavior throughout the school day. Teachers can also send notes to students about what still "needs work" and will deduct from their overall score because it is not appropriate for a learning environment. Students and teachers can also take pictures and videos to add to their "stories" that they can send directly to their parents within the app. I think the highlight of the app for me is the "teacher toolkit" section because it provides additional resources like the timer, the think pair share generator, and the today page. Teachers can use the timer to notify students of how long they have left to complete their current task, which will inspire the students to focus and be more productive. On the toolkit page their are also "big idea" videos that would be great to play for elementary classrooms, discussing the benefits of growth mindset, perseverance, empathy, and mindfulness.