Why Class DoJo is a Must part 2

Why Class Dojo Is a Must! Part 2

By: Robbert Perrine Class DoJo Ambassador, Innovative Educator,

4^th Grade Teacher, Life Long Learner

Greetings!  This is Part 2 of my series on why DoJo is a must in today’s classroom.  Part one covered getting your kids set up, and using the random picker feature and the points system.   If you have any questions about Part 1 (or anything else Dojo)  please drop me a line at rperrine@wusd.k12.ca.us. 

Today’s segment will discuss GETTING YOUR PARENTS SIGNED UP AND INVOLVED.  Class DoJo’s best feature is the fact that it brings parents right into your classroom in real time!  Class DoJo makes it easy to get your parents set up, especially using parent emails.  I click on “Get Parent Invites.”  This allows you to print out parent invitations, and send them home with your students.  Each parent and student gets a code to use in the app to get signed up. 

Students are also allowed/encouraged to build their avatar [they LOVE this] and parents will be connected to your class.  Once the parents are signed in, Class DoJo connects with them at home through their phones or devices in real time.  When you use the app, the parent can see entries right when they happen, so as you give points, the student’s parent is notified just like a text is delivered. 

The first year I used Dojo I was having issues with a student who was having a bad day.  By the third demerit entry [and message home] the mom was on the phone requesting to talk to her student.  Wow!  I thought, this tool brings parents right into the classroom.  Over the years I have found that is exactly what it does. This year I have a student who refused to make eye contact or speak in class.  With the random picker and mom watching at home, he has been answering questions to get the points and is growing in confidence every day.  Class DoJo builds bridges!

Now that you have your parents connected, you can take advantage of DoJo Messaging - another excellent tool.  It provides a safe, secure place to send and receive texts from your parents.  Getting parents connected may take some effort, but it is worth it.  I have had 100% parent participation the last two years.  I use Class Messenger for important news, quick questions, clarifications of what I am being told, and even to send pictures, significantly improving communication issues through our school year.  Because Class DoJo connects you to your parents, it also helps you get to know the families and their feelings and how issues are handled at home.  Busy parents can easily become distracted from their kids.  This app allows them to stay both busy and connected.  Many times a quick text to a parent has solved an issue on the spot, and I have found that I send more positive texts home, just because it is so simple to do so.  [I love sending these positive texts with a picture of their smiling student.  The power of positive has never been easier to harness, and cut loose on your kiddos!]

One last thing I overlooked in Part 1 is what to do with the Points students earn.  There are many different ways to use the points.  I have seen teachers create homework tickets, special perks, and class dollars to give for each point.  I reward my students by making every 5 points worth a class ticket.  Tickets can then be used for pencils, bathroom breaks, drinks of water, highlighters, sticky notes etc.  Students also have the option of putting their tickets in the class lottery where we will draw 5 tickets every Friday for school supplies, stickers, and fabulous prizes.  Whatever you decide make it fun and worthwhile.  You will get a tremendous buy-in from your students and parents.

The more you make Dojo exciting for students, the more they talk about it with their parents.  Getting your parents connected and involved using Class Messenger, and a meaningful Reward System will solve and prevent many of the small issues before they become major problems. 

Next week I will use Part 3 to talk about Class Story, which is essentially a private Facebook for your class, and it takes Messenger to the next level.  We will also look at the Mind Growth Videos and the awesome support staff on the Class DoJo Team. 

See you all next week!

Why Class DoJo Is a Must! Part 1

Why Class Dojo is a Must!

                                                

 

It all started with a search of the App store for educational apps.  I saw the Class Dojo, read the description and promptly downloaded.  This is now my fourth year using the app, and it has become a vital part of my classroom and pedagogy.  I will publish a series of weekly blogs explaining why I love DoJo, the features,  the many ways it helps in my classroom and the awesome team of developers.

This week we will look at random picker and class management.

The first feature I fell in love with was the random picker, for many reasons.  No more numbered sticks!  I’ll never forget the time I realized one student was never getting picked from the sticks.  It turned out the student had stolen the stick!  With the Dojo random picker there are no more arguments about who is being picked for what.  The students are able to accept the pick and move on.   The Dojo often nabs students who are not paying attention, and we have a mantra “Dojo always knows!”  The system also tends to steer the teacher from those “go to” students who you know will give a quick, correct answer.  It cycles through the kids as long as you keep the app running.  Alternatively, it will re-randomize the students every time you start the app. 

Another excellent feature which can be used right away is positive and negative points.  No more color cards, magnets on the whiteboard, or clothes pins for management systems.  How many times have you said to yourself that the only time those systems are used is for negative situations?  Plus, taking the time to have a kid get up and move the token is just not a good use of valuable class time.  I have seen students distract and disrupt as they slowly walk across the room.  With DoJo, a simple tap on my phone generates a rewarding sound or a recognizable negative sound.  There is a neutral sound option if you want to give a warning or do not want to hand out negative points.  You can have as many rewards and negatives as you want, all customizable by you.  I have positive points set up for class answer, shaky point, one for each of our school rules and special ones with added point value, like Crushed It +3, Super-Duper +4, Wild Reader +5, and “It was a great day to be a Lion” +5. 

With the class management feature, you can use the Groups section to tailor groups, or set up teacher class points.  I use Kagan strategies in my class.  Each Kagan group is a group or team to promote conversation, and teamwork.  The group points have promoted listening and speaking in my classroom.  In the past I used negative points, but this year I have decided to make all individual negatives as zero points.  The only negative I use is class talking -1.  This has proven to be very effective when recess continues into the classroom.  Whatever you decide, you can make it worthwhile and be flexible.  Give students input and ownership, and make it fun!

Next week we will look at getting parents on board and the messenger feature. 

If you have any questions please e-mail me at rperrine@wusd.k12.ca.us.  I would love to hear your comments, answer questions, or just to collaborate with you.

Until next week happy DoJoing!