Using ClassDojo Effectively

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Check out our Tech Thursday page for details on how to link up!

I happen to love ClassDojo! I adore my classroom’s Dojo Mojo, so to speak. I use the website for attendance, picking students for tasks, motivation, management, timing activities, and parent communication. But the uses of ClassDojo are not my focus in this blog. See the links below if you have questions about what ClassDojo is and what the site can do for you.

I have been a ClassDojo mentor for a couple of years now and have seen many teachers jump on the Dojo bandwagon. Most of the time, the teachers implement Dojo seamlessly into classroom routines.  But every once in a while, I see a teacher (or read about a teacher) not using Dojo as effectively as it should be used. Let me explain.  ClassDojo is a classroom management tool.  So for our purposes, let’s compare it to another tool- the hammer.  I could use the hammer handle to attach a nail to a board and it would work…eventually- it is just not as effective as using the head of the hammer. You get the job done but, boy, did you struggle along the way.

Here are my 6 tips for using ClassDojo effectively.

Set Expectations

For Students: Students need to know what behaviors you are targeting. Go through your list of Positive behaviors and Needs Work behaviors in a class meeting. Ask the students what they think each behavior would look like. Get their input on which behaviors need to be added and which should be worth more than 1 point.  This helps give them a “buy in” for the program. It’s their class. It’s their Dojo. But yes, this needs to be a guided process- teachers have a say too.

For Parents: Parents need to know how you are going to use this tool. They need to know how the communication is going to work, and, more importantly, what it means when their students lose a point. I always inform parents (and students) that everyone loses a point here and there; no one is perfect 100 percent of the time. You need to let parents know that if a real behavior issue arises; you will get in contact with them (besides just seeing points disappear).

Be Positive

When I became a teacher, our professors taught us to change the things we said from the negative, “Stop running!” to the positive, “Walk please!”   They also taught us newbie teachers that praising a child that is doing the right thing can be more effective than disciplining the student that is doing the wrong thing. I take this approach with ClassDojo. I have almost double the amount of Positive behaviors as I do Needs Work behaviors. I also give out quadruple the number of positive points than I do taking points away.  It is so much more rewarding for your classroom atmosphere to be positive rather than negative.

Here’s what happens if you only take points away or are overall negative- the students stop caring about Dojo. They can’t win or get ahead, so why try? Who can blame them?  I don’t like things I am unsuccessful at either.

I know what you are thinking…what about (insert name here)? They never are on task! Yes, they are. You just have to look a lot harder to find the Positive behaviors.

Try this: Joe is off task again and is playing in his desk.  I give 3 other students points for doing their work. Joe then starts doing his work.  I give Joe a point for “joining his friends”.

Or this: Catch Joe early in the morning. Joe hung his backpack up. Point. Joe put his folder in the correct place. Point. Joe put his name on his paper. Point.  Great answer to that question, Joe. Point.

Now Joe sees that he can get points; he can succeed. He likes Dojo points. So if I eventually have to take a point away, it is more effective.

Now Joe’s parents like ClassDojo. For the first time in little Joe’s life, they are getting some positive feedback about their child!

Give Points Often

Don’t be stingy! Give out points! Reward those good behaviors! Always be on the lookout for a behavior to give a point to.  I always tell my students that I LOVE giving out points. I also tell them, “I’m in a Dojo givin’ mood today!” I sometimes even relate to the students what behavior I am on the lookout for.

Try to give points to everyone. Spread the wealth! Look at your reports. Are there students you are overlooking?  Is there a particular student that is running away with all the points? Is there a student that you are only taking points away from? Has it been a long time since you rewarded a particular student?

Tip: I never let the kids ask for a point. Dojo begging is not allowed. They can, however, suggest a friend gets a point, but they have to explain to me why.

Let the Students Take Charge

I take the time to actually teach the students how to run ClassDojo. I show the kids how to use the attendance, random picker, the timer, giving (or taking) points, and resetting points. Believe me, this will make your life so much easier. The kiddos love, love, love to give themselves points. They actually love to do anything on the website.

Tip: I leave the website open all day on the computer. You can minimize the window if needed.

Start Each Day Fresh

If some students have dug themselves into a hole of negative Dojo points that never seem to go away, they will stop caring. Dojo becomes irrelevant for these children. They feel that they can’t crawl out of the hole, so why try? We want to avoid this. Reset the negative points at the end of the day. Tell the students that each day is new and you get a fresh start. Don’t leave them hangin’ out in Negative Land. Let them start with a clean slate each day!

Set a Limit to Points

I set a limit to the amount of points students can receive and let them go to the treasure box when they reach that goal. I, then, reset their points to 0, and they start the cycle all over again. Why? Well, if Sally has 230 points and I only have 56, I will never catch up. 

I asked my students about this one. I asked them how they would feel if someone had a lot more points than them. Here are some things they said:

• I would be disappointed because I wouldn’t have points.
• If everybody else has more points, they might make fun of me.
• I’m trying to get there, but he’s always ahead of me.
• I would be sad because I am working hard and not getting points.
• They also said they would be happy for their friend with lots of points. AWWWWHHHH!

I usually start out with an easy goal of 10 points. I am trying to get everyone to LOVE ClassDojo. I want them to love going to the treasure box. I need my students to WANT points. I do this for about a week, which is just enough time for everyone to experience the success of going to the treasure box. Then I raise the goal to 15 points, and then, ultimately, to 20 points for my 3^rd graders.  

A good thing happens with this system of resetting points. My Joe (from above) will have more points than the best behaved kids in the class on some days because those well-behaved kiddos just reset their points back to 0. They have 0 and he has 8. Rock on, Joe! On any given day, the gap for student points can be 0-20- which is an entirely attainable goal. There is not a signaling out of kids this way, and all students appear to be just as successful as the others.

Tip: You can still see how many points each student has for the week, month, or year in your reports.

Tip: I use certificates for treasure: chew gum in class, sit in the teacher’s chair, bring a furry friend, 

wear a hat…etc.

Tip: Use only your students' first names, initials, or class numbers to keep anonymity.

There you have it…my tips for being a successful Dojoer.  You are now ready to get started Dojoing! Let us know if you have any questions!

If you need more information about ClassDojo, check out our other Dojo blog posts.

                

Link up below with your own Website or App recommendations, Tech Tips, Tutorials, or anything else tech-related! We can't wait to learn from you!

An InLinkz Link-up

Growing a Healthy Classroom Mindset

You know how you browse the internet while mindlessly watching something on T.V. Well one day I happened upon a video. That video really caught my interest. I just couldn't shake some of the things the lady said. That video led me on an extensive internet search. I just had to find out more. That video then led me to a book. And eventually led me to a change in my thinking about my students, my teaching, and myself.

The woman speaking was Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. And the title of the video was "The Power of Yet". She was teaching on mindsets - the fixed mindset versus the growth mindset. And what she was saying shook me to the roots of my being. No joke. It was like a classic AHAAAAA! moment. To summarize: fixed mindsets lead to failure and growth mindsets lead to success. Even briefer (use your best caveman voice)- fixed mindset "bad" and growth mindset "good". When I reflected upon myself, I realized I had a mixture of both mindsets. In some areas of my life, the growth mindset is absolutely embedded in my way of thinking. But in other areas, the fixed mindset ruled.

Here is a graph to help give you the basics of each mindset.

I couldn't help but connect what I was learning about mindsets with my Christian beliefs. It actually fits right in with God's way of thinking. The word is filled with people that were chosen to become more than what was expected of them. Examples are David, Gideon, Joseph, Esther, Ruth, Peter, and Paul. God helped each of them rise above their circumstances of birth. One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  My question is, "Why have I not been applying this to every area of my life?"

I also started thinking about my students and their mindsets. I see so many students that fall into that fixed mindset category. They give up so easily. They don't try new things. They back away from challenges. How can I help them?

I came up with a plan- start the year off training my students in the growth mindset. I plan to teach my class about each mindset and why we need to have the growth mindset. I also want to instruct them in what I feel are the "tenets" of a growth mindset.

Of course I created a product to help!

Growing a Healthy Classroom Mindset is designed to cover at least 20 days of instruction. Teachers introduce the basic knowledge concerning mindsets and brain research. They then present a growth mindset statement each day. Discuss the statement and what it means. As each statement is covered, add the accompanying poster to a bulletin board to create an inspiring display that can be referred to throughout the year. Introduce concepts with a PowerPoint, posters, and student handouts.

Growing a Healthy Classroom Mindset!

 Here is Dweck's video that started my journey.

If you would like to know more, here are a couple of links to articles about Dweck's research and book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

Educational Leadership: The Perils and promises of Praise
Scientific American: The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

What mindset are you?

Tech Thursday: 3 Websites I can't Teach Without!

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Share reviews of websites or apps you've tried, tech tips that make your {teaching or personal} life easier, and helpful tutorials. Our hope is that this linky provides a place for teachers to share and learn new ways to use technology and engage students!

Be a rule follower!
Rule #1: Include the image above and a link to our blog somewhere in your post.
Rule #2: Be a good blog reader...visit the two blogs who link up before you and leave some love on their pages!
Rule #3: This linky is not intended for product promotion. You may include products you've created in your posts, but they should not be the sole focus of the post.

 ClassDojo!  

I seriously have this site up all day on my computer and SMARTboard.  My kiddos can run it as well as I can already!  Attendance, rewards, and of course, those pesky behaviors that cause students to lose a Dojo point are all recorded in one place. This is classroom management at its best.  I love giving Dojo points out to those students who have earned them.  I also like the flexibility to make my own categories for rewards and the needs improvements.  I sometimes add a reward category on the fly right in front of the kids; it truly only takes a minute.

What did I do before Dojo?  Hummmmmmm.....oh, yeah... I had stickers, or stamps, and a fuzz ball (pom pom) reward system.  None of those systems emailed parents behavior reports or kept track of what rewards (or not) each student was receiving!

 Planbook!

I must say that handwritten lesson plans have never been my style.  I have never handwritten lesson plans in a plan book in my entire career.  I am more of a computer type of gal.  I love Excel and spreadsheets and computer printed pages.  I like neat rows and lovely columns.  I abhor writing the same thing over and over and over, week after week after week and.....well, you get the idea.  I would make a spreadsheet in Excel for the year and amend it as needed.  Often.

Well, good-bye, Excel and hello, Planbook.com!  What is funny, is that I was actually attending an Excel workshop a couple of years ago when the thought occurred to me that there had to be an easier way, and maybe, just maybe, somebody had a program out there for teachers like me- teachers who liked planning on the computer.  I went home and researched all of the plan book websites I could find (only a few) and signed up for the trial for each.

Planbook.com won my heart and loyalty hands-down.  They have consistently improved and always been helpful.  I have columns, headings, fonts, colors, rows, templates, and all the bells and whistles my little OCD teacher heart could desire.  I also have last year's lesson plans as a starting place for this year!




 Schoology!

Just like the other 2 sites, I use Schoology daily.  My 3rd graders love this site.  It has so many options that I have just begun to scrape the tip of the shavings off the iceberg.  But what I have discovered is exciting!  I have a safe place to communicate with students and their parents.  Think about a private Facebook site for your classroom..... but better.

Students can comment, ask questions, and actually help each other in this forum.  They can also message the teacher directly.  I can post homework assignments and documents.  Student Jenny says she lost her paper?  No excuse now!  It's on Schoology!  I can post videos and websites and links and documents.  You can make rubrics, tests, and polls!  It also has a grade book.  I can organize all of my documents into files and then share them with my team!  No double the work!

You may be thinking that Schoology sounds a lot like Edmodo.  The 2 sites are similar.  I have used both sites and each has positives and negatives.  The best advice I can tell you is to use the site that more of the teachers you know are using.  This will give you a support system.  It also teaches your students the site they will most likely encounter in your school.  Some school districts are very pro one site or the other.  Either way, have fun exploring!

Check out the other blogs we did on ClassDojo and Planbook!

         

What are the websites you can't live without?  Link up below and share with us!

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Made It- Where are My Students?

We are linking up with 4th Grade Frolics and Monday Made It!

One week back at school and I am already revising my schedule again! And not for the first time!  I have come to think of my schedule as a "flowing document".  At least it sounds pretty and keeps me from groaning each time I open it on my computer.

I need to accommodate and change my regular schedule to fit in reading, guidance, occupational therapy, and special education times for certain students. The speech and ESL teachers haven't even contacted me yet! I will also need to make room for my kiddos that need deployment groups since they have a parent serving overseas.  I feel another schedule revision coming on.  Good thing it is a "flowing" document!

Today's classroom  has a diverse mix of learners with a slew of various needs!  Although we, as classroom teachers, try to meet as many needs as we can in within the walls of our classrooms, sometimes students need to go beyond our scope (and sequence) to receive the help that they need. It can be frustrating to schedule time for EACH child to receive the independent AND classroom time that they need and even harder to keep track of it all.

Of course, keeping track of where our students are should be easy, right? WRONG!  With all of the special service students receive plus add library, nurse, errands,  and doctor's appointments, it has become a time consuming and elaborate job!

Sometimes it seems as if my classroom door is a revolving door!  It never stops turning!

I definitely needed a way to keep track of where my students were at a glance.  I also needed it to be more student controlled than teacher controlled- I couldn't stop teaching all the time to record which student was leaving and to where.

I posted 2 silver magnetic boards on my door since wall space is limited in my room.  You can also use a long magnetic white board.  I just liked the silver.  The boards came with sticky stuff (very technical term) that stands up to any kind of walls.

        

I made a couple of products for Where are My Students? for TPT.  I chose to use the Superhero ones for my classroom.  My 3rd graders love them!

       

I then printed out, cut out (Okay my teenagers cut out- free teen labor rocks!), and laminated each piece.

I bought a long spiral magnet strip that has sticky stuff (another real technical term) on the back of it. I cut the magnet into little squares or strips.  On the back of each laminated piece, I placed a magnet.

 

I placed all of the pieces on the magnetic board.  

 

Students move their numbers whenever they leave the room.  When they come back into the classroom, they move their number back into the middle of the chart.  Students LOVE to move their number.  They also love to remind others that they forgot to move theirs!

 

Last tips:

1. Make sure to place the magnetic chart where students can reach and easily move their numbers.
2. Make sure to place the magnetic board where you can see it!
3. You have to teach the students how to do this with your other procedures and practice.
4. Only display the titles you need.  Leave down the extras.
5. Your teenagers aren't always the best at cutting out Mom's laminating!  Ha!  Lesson learned!

Happy Classroom Managing!

Five for Friday: Beginning of School

It's FRIDAY! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for their weekly linky Five for Friday!

5 Things I Forgot About the Beginning of School

I know. . .  it’s shocking to me too that I could still forget things about the beginning of the school year when I have been teaching for well over a decade, but I did.  Some things seem to have slipped my mind.  It seems that I have had that, “Oh yeah….”moment quite a few times this week as my school year has gotten into full swing.

How Physically Exhausting The Beginning of School Is

Wow!  I am tired…more like exhausted and weary.  That is no joke, my friends.  Worn out.  Kaput.  I expire these days at 9:30 pm or maybe, if I have a little sugar in my blood stream, 10:00 pm.  Don’t bother texting or calling or looking for me on Facebook.  I will be surfing the sleeping waves not the internet.  Not only am I drained, but my feet ache, my head hurts, and my back literally cries at night.  It’s sad folks, and I am not that old. 

How Mentally Exhausting The Beginning of School Is

Teaching is mentally hard.  We have to think quickly and solve problems on the fly.  We have to be able to juggle about 100 things in the air at a time.  We have to know that Jimmy has asthma. Suzy has an IEP for reading but does great in math if you give her manipulatives and extra time.  John walks home with Jimmy only on Mondays when it doesn't rain because if it rains he is a car rider and his car rider number is 189.  And so on for each kiddo.  Some articles I have read say that teachers make around 1,500 decisions a day.  I think this is a low number on average and during the beginning of school, I think this number is WAY off.  When you have 22-25 little lovelies that you don’t know, you have to make a whole lot of decisions right quick.  My teacher friend put it this way: imagine inviting 22 eight year olds (you don't know) into your living room for 7 hours and only have 1 adult for supervision- YOU.  Yikes!  When you put it that way…..The first day of school gives “thinking on your feet” a whole new level of meaning.

How Much I Have to Do That Has Nothing to Do with Teaching My Students

Trainings, security briefings, more trainings, maybe some politics.  It is different for every district so I will leave it at that.  Enough said.

How Much I Have to Teach My Students Before I Can Really Teach My Students

I ended last year with such a great class of highly trained students that knew all of my rules and likes and dislikes.  And I knew them.  I knew their strengths and weakness, what we needed to work on and improve.  It was all smiles.  In comes August; a new batch of kiddos.  These students don’t know me, and I don’t know them.  I have no idea what they know or don’t know- what their strengths are or weaknesses are.  And guess what….they don’t know my RULES.  Being a good Harry Wong follower, I have to teach procedures.  Being a good Whole Brain teacher, I have to teach the rules and ways of the classroom.  Why does it surprise me every year when it takes sooooo long and is soooo laborious? It is time intensive work.  You have to go over it again and again.  Why do I forget that?

How Much I Missed the Kids

I work over the summer.  No, no, no, I don't get paid- not that kind of work.  I research, read, learn, blog, browse.  I never really give up teaching.  Ahh… but is a teacher really a teacher if there are no students?  There is just something about opening that classroom door and greeting those smiling faces at the beginning of school.  A world of possibilities, of hope.   Now how could I forget that?  This one thing that I forgot, the students, is what makes the other 4 things that I forgot worth bearing!