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ClassDojo
We have been using ClassDojo at my Elementary school for the last three years or so and I use it for both my homeroom classes and after school classes. Here are my thoughts on its use as a behavior management tool:
Advantages:
ClassDojo allows me to easily contact parents about behavioral issues and share student work, student points and so on in real time. It also lets me add updates about important classroom matters, related to behavior management or otherwise, and share them with the class.
The ClassDojo app also includes a toolkit with:
A timer
A random student selector
A group maker
A noise meter (thus making other tools such as Too Noisy Pro redundant)
Directions
Think Pair Share
Daily classroom updates
Music
Furthermore it has Learning materials related to a growth mindset, perseverance, empathy and mindfulness. Each of these has a contribution to behavior management and they are all supplemented by classroom posters and other materials too.
Additional PBIS solutions:
ClassDojo can be used to contact parents directly when a problem arises and to prevent misinformation. The noise meter is also helpful for reducing the likelihood of disruptions from disruptive students and the music function can also be used to encourage good behavior.
Disadvantages/Gripes:
I found the point system tricky to use and it lacked the flexibility of having a written score. There was no way for me to specify the number of points on a case by case basis. For instance, being helpful is something that I might like to reward, but somethings are more helpful than others and as a result, I may wish to give the student*s) somewhere between 1-10 helpful points for any given behavior. ClassDojo does not give me the freedom to do this. When you set up a skill, you need to set up how many points are attached to it from the get go. Thus I would need to hit helpful 10 times if I only had one "helpful skill" and the process of adding each point takes several clicks and several seconds. It is very inefficient. Also if I wanted to give the highest scoring team 6 points and the lowest scoring team 1 point for each class, I would have to have separate skills set up. I generally found that using the ClassDojo point system was slower and less effective than using traditional methods.
Classcraft
https://d1e2bohyu2u2w9.cloudfront.net/education/sites/default/files/experience-media-file/customize_criteria_for_rewards_and_consequences_by_class.jpg
After looking through all the suggested apps, I couldn't help but feel most the functions were covered by ClassDojo's toolkit (timers, noise meters, seat arrangements, etc.). I went to commonsense.org and found their list of recommended Classroom Management apps. This one stood out.
Classcraft looks like a student's dream come true, especially for students between grades 4-12. It is an engagement Management System that looks more like popular fantasy video games like League of Legends (a game popular among both sixth grade boys and girls). It touts benefits such as improved academic performance, classroom behavior, social and emotional learning, school climate, attendance and suspension rates, and student motivation. It also has Google Classroom integration.
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The app can be used to create classes, customize rules, allow students to 'level up' and gain privileges that motivated them in class, hold students accountable for their behavior and involve parents and teachers.
Much like ClassDojo, it offers a random picker, a timer, and a volume meter for behavior management, but it also offers a grade converter that converts academic scores into points, analytics, boss battles that foster classroom collaboration to solve problems and random events.
The app is rated 4/5 by Common Sense, 4/5 by teachers (43 reviews).
One of the main disadvantages cited in reviews is that it can be difficult to set up. I could also see this taking away from classtime that could be spent doing something else. Furthermore, it really requires students to have devices themselves, which is something that is not really an option in my school and I would prefer to avoid in my homeroom classes (I would consider using it for my afterschool Computer Art Club and Coding Club).
https://d1e2bohyu2u2w9.cloudfront.net/education/sites/default/files/experience-media-file/classcraft4.jpg
https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/classcraft
https://www.classcraft.com/teachers/"> https://www.classcraft.com/teachers/
Additional PBIS impact:
Classcraft reduces issues such as failure to turn in work, lack of responsibility, tardiness, stealing, lack of participation, lack of motivation and basically any problem that stems from disinterest or motivational issues. It gamifies the class and creates what some students consider to be more meaningful consequences. It also makes feedback instantaneous. Similar to ClassDojo, it also works to reduce unwanted levels of classroom noise.
Credly - A digital badge tool
Again, I decided to find an alternative tool as I felt that most of the listed tools were made redundant by ClassDojo's toolkit.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/credly
https://info.credly.com/"> https://info.credly.com/
Credly is a site that allows teachers to acknowledge students the efforts of their students by helping teachers customize and award badges to students. Teachers create a badge, give it a description. It is among the most widely used badge-issuing platforms and its has lots of features in its free tier and fantastic how-to content.
Badges are a great way of recognizing and rewarding learning that doesn't otherwise receive recognition. In particularly, this can be useful for behavior management. It can allow teachers to reward positive behavior and the absence of negative behavior. For higher grades, students could also use these badges as microcredentials when looking for employment or towards higher education. I believe the badges can also be verified online by interested parties, and as such they can act as verifiable certificates.
Credly is not a magic pill however, it can add a lot to your classroom, but it is the teacher's ideas and inspiration that make it great. It is something that could require a bit of inspiration during the setup stage and also it would need to be introduced to the students in a way that motivates them to want to attain the badges.
Additional PBIS impact:
Again, this site works as a reward system, but this could be used to minimize any problematic behavior. Potentially, you could give badges for things like maintaining self control and staying calm rather than throwing a tantrum in a situation that usually elicits one (for instance, I have a student who throws tantrums almost every art class, soccer class, difficult quiz, or time that he has to be woken up after nap time). You could also reward using more appropriate language or de-escalating a conflict without the teacher having to get overly involved. Positive behaviors related to helping out could also be rewarded with badges. Students could also be given printed version of their badges and glue them into their school journal. Badges could even be 3D printed if your school has a 3D printer.
I have posted 4-5 replies to other cohort members on the apps that they used.