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ClassDojo.
ClassDojo was designed as a website and app with the intention to improve communication between home and school. It has changed and developed to be more of a complete classroom tool which can be used to help encourage good behaviour. While ClassDojo has many uses inside the classroom in this blog I am going to focus on how it can be used by schools and childcare services as a form of communication between teachers and parents.
But first a quick introduction to ClassDojo.
Every student is assigned a ClassDojo avatar or monster. The teacher can then award points to the student's monster for a range of positive behaviours, such as being kind to a classmate, working hard or being on task. These points can then be "cashed in" for rewards (see photo below for ideas). Points can also be taken away for misbehaviour like talking or not doing their work. Although not all teachers choose to use this function and prefer to give only positive feedback.
"Big Ideas" are a series of animated videos about Mojo a ClassDojo Monster. They are educational social stories with moral messages about not giving up when things get hard and the importance of trying your best.
How can it be used as a form of communication?
ClassDojo is run through a relatively simple downloadable app which is available on both Android and Apple smartphones. Each parent is given a unique code to use when they download the app, this then connects them to their child's class. You can print out these codes with handy instructions for parents from ClassDojo (take a look at the photo posted below!). This code is an important feature of ClassDojo which means that only parents with a child in that class can see what's being posted.
ClassDojo has a Class Story aspect which is similar to Facebook's timeline, it allows the teacher to post videos, photos and short written posts about what's happening in the class which parents can view and comment on. This is a great way to encourage parents to talk to their children about what they're doing in class. However, some parents may not be comfortable with their child’s photo being taken and that can cause issues with this aspect of the app. Good practice would be to get the parents written permission before taking any photos and especially before you upload them to the app.
Messaging
ClassDojo has a messaging service which is similar to WhatsApp. Messages can be sent via the app to individual parents or to the whole class group. One of the main benefits of ClassDojo over WhatsApp for teachers is that you don't have to give out your personal phone number to parents. This helps to protect privacy and maintain professional boundaries. It is also possible to set "quiet hours" so that you won't receive notifications during certain hours, again keeping professional boundaries and being able to enjoy evenings and weekends without worrying about having to respond to messages.
Another advantage of using ClassDojo as a form of communication is that the messages being sent can be translated into 35 languages. This can be very useful for parents whose first language isn't English but still need to be informed about what's going on in the class.
Like all technology the main disadvantage is that you're presuming that all parents have smartphones and will be able to download and use the app. If a parent doesn’t have access to the app they may miss out on important information or conversations.
When compared to Old Skool methods of printing out notes and sending them home ClassDojo is more environmentally friendly and time efficient. There's also a better chance of the notes being read by the parents instead of getting lost at the bottom of a school bag. However if there is something important that needs to be discussed it is probably best to do it in person instead of through messages.
Can it work for your class?
Even if you don't want to use the points feature of ClassDojo it is still a very beneficial way of contacting parents as a whole group and at an individual level. ClassDojo is particularly useful for parents who may not drop off and pick up their children themselves and don't have an opportunity to talk to the teacher regularly. It helps parents see more of what their child is doing in class and allowing for easier and more frequent communication while still maintaining professional boundaries.
www.classdojo.com - for if you want more information or to try it yourself!
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A handy print out for each child with their own unique code to send home!
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