Classroom Management and Technology

Great news!  :-)

I just found ANOTHER really cool Web 2.0 tool.  I'm so excited about it, I'm definitely using it next year, and I just have to share.  It's called Class Dojo.  As always, I'm getting nothing but my own satisfaction by mentioning this resource. 

It's not the best picture, but please look beyond that (I got it from Google Images) and check out this resource.  Of course, like all truly fantastic teacher tools, this is a FREE resource.  It is very easy to use.  You simply create an account, create a class, and add your students.  You can give each of them a cute little monster avatar, or you can upload your own.  I think it would work great with student pictures (with appropriate permission, of course).  You can create your own positive and negative behaviors (or choose from theirs).  After you have done all of that, you are ready to go!  You can leave this up on your interactive whiteboard and award and deduct points very easily all day long.  I know that I will use this resource next year (because, let's face it, it's SO FUN for both teachers and students).  Of course, I think for it to work, it needs to be tied to something tangible.  I plan to revamp my incentives this year (especially now that I know about Class Dojo!!!  I also really like the name of this resource, by the way.), so right now I'm thinking of giving a student a job of distributing tickets that correspond with student points at the end of each day.  The students can then redeem their tickets each Friday for small prizes or other rewards (sit by a friend at lunch, eat with the teacher, etc.). 

This will also work in conjunction with the rules that all of my teammates use.  We create a behavior calendar and as we observe any second grader not following one of the four rules, we simply note the number and write our initials to record which teacher noticed the infraction.  For those of you that are wondering, our rules are: 

1. Follow directions.
2. Respect all people and their property
3. Use self-control
4. Use time wisely.

As I notice one of my students (or if another teacher does) not following a rule, I will deduct one point from Class Dojo.  I anticipate this being highly motivating for my students. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this cool Web 2.0 tool as much as I know I will!  :-)  Will you try out this resource next year?  What does your classroom management currently look like?