Technology in the Classroom

Technology in the Classroom
Exclusive – ClassDojo New Feature Reveal Part 2
- August 5, 2015
- 0 comments
- by greatmindsteachalike@gmail.com
Hey Great Minds!

Just when you thought ClassDojo couldn’t get any better, BAM! Class Story is born! Class Story is Dojo’s latest feature to be added to this already amazing tool! If you missed part one of my ClassDojo reveal posts click here to catch up on all things new with ClassDojo!

Communicating with parents is a huge part of being an educator. Being able to quickly connect to parents by sending a message was probably one of the best features to ever be added to ClassDojo. It totally opened up a new window for parent communication. Class Story will definitely take things up a notch by opening the door to your classroom. This addition will help foster that sense of community by bringing your parents a central location to see what’s going on in your classroom.

Think about your wall or news feed from other social networking sites, same idea with Class Story except you are in complete control. We teachers love being in control! LOL You are the only one that can post and only connected parents can see these posts. The posts will appear automatically and you will be able to see what parents actually saw your post with read receipts.

Parents can interact with these posts by showing their support with clicking “like” on the posts. Class Story will not take the place of the messenger component but allow you to share new things with everyone. You can post pictures, announcements, reminders and more. Think about the things you can share from group pictures to projects, to class displays, etc. The possibilities are endless and you don’t have to worry about outsiders, so its completely safe. Since ClassDojo is a tool you are already using to monitor behaviors Class Story will now help encourage parents to check more frequently.

Think about the story you will tell using Class Story. I’d love to hear your ideas on how you plan to use ClassStory in your classroom this year. So share your ideas in the comments below or tweet about it using #classdojostory don’t forget to tag ClassDojo so they can share your excitement too!

Class Story will be live soon. In the meantime sign up to be a beta tester here so that you can help ClassDojo as they put the final touches on developing Class Story! If you want more info on ClassDojo click here to get to their website.

Thank you so much for reading! Please make sure you are following me on all social media sites by clicking the links above so you don’t miss Part 3 of my series on ClassDojo features in weeks to come. Follow me on Periscope @greatmindsteach I’ll be doing a demo of the new features soon and answering any questions on how I use ClassDojo in my classroom!
Technology in the Classroom
Exclusive – ClassDojo New Feature Reveal Part 1
- July 21, 2015
- 62 Comments
- by greatmindsteachalike@gmail.com
Hey Great Minds!

I am super excited to share with you FIRST exclusive details about the new features added to Class Dojo today! That’s right as of today you will be able to do some new things on ClassDojo! If you are unfamiliar with ClassDojo it is a digital point system that teachers can use to monitor student behaviors. It is accessible online and via mobile app! Oh yeah, and its absolutely FREE! This is a must have tool for teachers of all grade levels! It provides real data and an opportunity for collaboration among teachers and parents! If you want more info on ClassDojo click here to get to their website or join me later on periscope for a live demo and Q&A on ClassDojo. Just download the Periscope app and make sure to follow me @greatmindsteach and you will get an alert when I go live!

Groups, Yay!!!! How many times have you had students working in groups and one group really stood out? Then you had to go in and individually select each student and then give them their Dojo point. Well no more! (Unless you want to LOL) Now you can create groups within your classes on ClassDojo! Yes, really groups! This means you can make table groups, reading groups, house teams, project groups or whatever cooperative group your little teacher heart desires and give Dojo Points to them! This new feature will be super useful for me and my colleagues! I share my class with our P.E. teacher and he groups them into teams all the time. Now he can also reinforce teamwork and positive behavior with my students by letting them earn team points also. I can also gather some useful data on how well students are working with each other and hold students accountable when they choose their own groups!

Each group will keep its own running total. This will promote accountability and a sense of accomplishment in students. Group points will still show up on student profiles alongside their individual points. Students and parents will be able to see their progress from home without any extra work. ClassDojo Groups will work and sync across any iOS/Android device and any computer. I am so excited to get started with using the groups feature this school year. Click here to learn more about ClassDojo Groups.

Thank you so much for reading! Please make sure you are following me on all social media sites by clicking the links above. ClassDojo is not done yet they will be rolling out more new features in weeks to come and as a ClassDojo Ambassador I’ve got the inside scoop and will keep you informed on how to use it! Don’t forget to follow me on Periscope I will be doing a live broadcast on Classdojo! I’ll demo their new groups feature as well as answer any questions on how I use ClassDojo in my classroom! You don’t want to miss it so make sure you are following me @greatmindsteach so you get an alert when I go live!

Periscope Broadcast

If you missed it live you can watch my broadcast here! There is a short delay in the beginning with sound and please excuse the alerts from my phone. In order to keep the Periscope comments showing up I have to record it his way… Thanks for watching!

Giveaway Time!

Enter the rafflecoppter below for your chance to win one of 5 ClassDojo swag bags! I’ll also be giving one away during my Periscope broadcast so be sure to tune in!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Reviews, Technology in the Classroom
The Scope on Periscope?
- July 16, 2015
- 0 comments
- by greatmindsteachalike@gmail.com
Hey Great Minds!

So I’m sure you’ve heard all the hype about Periscope or maybe you haven’t heard a thing! Well either way you are in the right place! Periscope is the new big thing in social media! When it comes to interacting with your followers Periscope takes the cake! It allows you to share content with your followers via a live web broadcast. The cool part is you receive immediate feedback during your broadcast in the form of comments and or hearts! Where you can also give an immediate response to your followers!

It’s totally free and brought to us by twitter! It is available for download via mobile app. You can sign up through your twitter account.

Angie from Lucky Little Learners is the reason teachers have been taking it by storm. They began broadcasting from the Teachers Pay Teachers conference and it really took off. I started using it while at ITSE a few weeks ago.

Okay lets get down to business here are a few reasons how and why you should be scoping!
- Share all the great things you are doing and creating for your classroom! So many tips and ideas are being offered by great teachers on Periscope.
- Get quick tutorials on how to do cool things every teachers should know about!
- Connect with all your favorite teacher bloggers and be kept up to date on all things Ed!
- Encouragement and support! This tribe of #periscopingteachers is all about promoting each other and inspiring teachers.
- Bonus celebrity scopes are such a treat! Yes! Several of the stars are joining the fun by doing live broadcasts from their home or other events in Hollywood. They even interact with the followers.
So please join me and several other teachers that have flipped the camera! I’ve done my first broadcast and boy was it exciting and empowering. I plan on doing many more so make sure to follow me! Thanks for reading!