In an age where kids, parents, and teachers widely use smartphones and laptops for communication, ClassDojo has proven to be a major necessity. ClassDojo is a communication app used by teachers, students, and parents. It’s a great way to communicate consistently about student’s activities, social, academic and general conduct development at school.
The students take on the appearance of googly-eyed monsters but can still customize their avatars which they love. When the students portray remarkable attributes, they earn dojo points. In this new world we live in, ClassDojo acts as the equivalent of the class reward jar. This article aims at pointing out the reasons why parents and teachers have made ClassDojo their classroom management tool.
1. Time saving
Teachers love the ClassDojo app as it is the perfect way to save time in classrooms. By recording the accomplishments and conduct of the students in just a click, the teacher saves a lot of time. The traditional method of putting checkmarks on the board to keep tabs on students was pretty ineffective. I don’t know about you, but I vividly recollect how my teacher usually ran out of space trying to keep tabs on students on the board.
The app is straightforward in its use. The teacher leaves it on the Smartboard all day. Whether the teacher is greeting students at the door or working with small groups, with their phones in their hands, they can dish out negatives or positives without entering the classroom or leaving their seats.
2. Data Sharing
Both parents and teachers love the ClassDojo app as it is great in sharing data. The app automatically keeps the track records of the actions in a classroom by recording the behaviors that were clicked on by the users. Teachers can use it to set reports of behaviors of the children which are later emailed to the parents. Once the parents are connected to the app, they can directly receive an email every Friday reminding them to take a look at their children’s reports. This keeps the parents in the loop. These reports are easy to read as you can prescribe the range of what you want to view whether daily, weekly or monthly. The information presented resembles a donut with percentages of clicked behaviors.
The app is an easy way for the teacher to track the general trends in a student’s behavior. With the app, the teacher can quickly note what is working and what is not in the classroom. With this information, the teacher knows what strategies to employ to improve the situation in the classroom.
3. Improving the organization and behavior of the student
The ClassDojo app comes in handy when it comes to organizing and setting up classes. In the app, each class has different avatars assigned to the students. After arranging the class in the app, the teacher can award either a positive or negative points to either an individual or a group of students. The app has a list of behaviors, but a teacher can customize their list of behaviors. The app is easily compatible with laptops, desktops, smartphones and interactive whiteboards. The app is very efficient as students get immediate feedback once their avatar is clicked on. Teachers are pretty much a creative bunch and have found different ways to use the accumulated dojo points to reward their students. A teacher can choose what is best for the students. Standard practice shows that students enjoy gaining dojo points.
4. Increasing parental involvement
Parents use the app to keep tabs on their children at school as communication is consistent throughout the school day. The parents are updated on the experiences the kids are facing at school and are not shocked by the unusual incidents that are discussed in the regular parent-teacher meetings. The major idea behind the app is to assist the parents’ guide the conversations with their kids at home and partake in improving their learning and development in school. Parents use the app to connect to their children’s activities throughout the day. Teachers make known the activities of children to their parents through photos or videos.
5. Instant Messaging
Our world today is encompassed in a beehive of activities. Teachers may have the need to communicate very urgent messages to the parents. Notably, parents may also need to communicate important messages to the teacher. A casing point is where a parent may run late to pick their kid and needs to talk to the teacher immediately. The parents can call the main office in school but have a better sense of comfort when communicating instantly from their cellphones. ClassDojo has made communication so seamless!!!
6. Calming children’s concerns
Parents have a particularly hard time when it comes to calming the concerns of their kids. Some children struggle with anxiety when they have to work as a group, and this proves hard for the parent to calm the kid’s concerns. The ClassDojo app has made this very easy for parents. Posting videos of the students in Class Stories go a long way in boosting the confidence of the students: something that no written note can accomplish. It makes the students happy and proud and more likely to cooperate with their peers.
7. Conversation starters between parents and children
As a parent, you know that the regular conversation starter, “How has your day been?” reeks of monotony. A parent can only pick up bits of information from their kid whereas the actual exciting part of the day is lost in between class and home. The parents can see the real things that teachers and children do every day. Parents get the opportunity to view their kids in action, and this gives them something exciting to discuss with their children. ClassDojo is the best ice breaker as parents already have had a look at all the share-worthy pictures and videos of their kids.
All parents would want their children’s teachers to have all the necessary tools to make teaching as efficient as possible. ClassDojo used in carefully and sensitively encourages learning both at a social and emotional level.
It’s no secret! Teachers, parents and students alike love ClassDojo. The app saves time, is useful and convenient. This app establishes meaningful connections between parents, teachers, and students and that’s why folks are jumping board spreading the word about the app. Remember the ancient saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words?” That’s what the Class Story pictures and videos do.
Dil Bole Oberoi
http://www.belanwalibahu.com