Class Dojo real-time behavior feedback platform Apps get updates

ClassDojo is a free online system that helps teachers promote positive behavior in their classroom by letting them track and share student progress and positive behaviors and areas of concern. It's easy to use and many teachers who use it have seen positive outcomes from using it with their students.

They had launched an iOS app this past September, and an Android app after that, to help teachers be able to use their tool while moving around the room, and even access it when not in the classroom. They have just announced an update to their iOS and Android apps to make them even better and more useful for teachers and students.


The full press release is below:

ClassDojo Mobilizes More Teachers to Build Students’ Character Anywhere with Version 2.0 of its Popular iOS and Android Apps

ClassDojo 2.0 now lets teacher manage, edit, share and sync up their students’ behavior reports from their mobile devices

SAN FRANCISCO – August 15th, 2013 - Today, ClassDojo, the free behavior development platform for teachers, students , and parents, is launching a major update - version 2.0 of its mobile apps for iOS and Android. ClassDojo, already used by over 15 million teachers and students in over 80 countries worldwide, will now offer teachers the full suite of ClassDojo’s web functionality on mobile devices, including setting up and customizing their classes, taking attendance, viewing progress reports, and inviting other teachers.

Download the iOS app here: www.classdojo.com/ios and the Android app here: www.classdojo.com/android

The original ClassDojo app was intended to be a lightweight ‘remote control’ for the website, making it easy for teachers to give students positive feedback on their behavior in real-time within their classroom. There were significant limitations, including the inability to customize classes, view reports or even set up a class. In effect, the app made teachers somewhat dependent on the web application to fully manage their classrooms. ClassDojo’s new iOS and Android apps will offer the full set of ClassDojo’s experience.

Now that roughly two in three teachers have a personal smart device, more teachers can access ClassDojo’s full set of experiences without using a laptop or desktop computer. For many teachers working at underfunded schools with limited school technology resources, this means for the first time they can use ClassDojo with their students to reinforce positive behaviors like persistence, curiosity, and teamwork - and indicates great promise for ClassDojo’s continued ubiquity.

The new version also allows teachers to give behavior feedback without needing to have a Wi-Fi connection (although they still need network coverage). This new feature meets one of teachers’ biggest needs: to be able to use ClassDojo in settings outside of the classroom - for example, in lunchrooms, the playground, on field trips, and even just in classrooms with poor Wi-Fi connections.

Today’s news reflects the company’s continued learnings about the ed-tech market. Classroom adoption of mobile devices is growing quickly, as is evident with the recent news that Apple partnered with the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide students 640,000 iPads. Accordingly, the company has built out its mobile capabilities to allow its mobile development to parallel its web efforts.

“For many teachers and in particular for students, education is now a ‘mobile first’ environment, and we’re excited that ClassDojo is leading the charge,” says Sam Chaudhary, co-founder of ClassDojo. “Our new mobile apps build upon our mission of helping teachers, parents, and students develop the behaviors and character strengths that are essential for lifetime success. Real-time reinforcement of positive behavior, especially when provided consistently across contexts, helps build the character strengths that influence students’ academic and lifetime success.”  

ClassDojo’s mission is to address the ‘other half of education’ that goes beyond just building good test scores, to actually helping students develop the character strengths that are essential for lifetime success. The company is a graduate of the ‘Y-combinator for education’, ImagineK12.

About ClassDojo:

ClassDojo is a real-time behavior feedback platform used by millions of teachers, students and parents to build specific positive behaviors like persistence, curiosity and teamwork at school. It helps teachers solve the most painful problem they face teachers: improving student behavior. It enables teachers to easily conduct their lesson and improve student behavior by providing students with visual and audio feedback triggered using a smartphone, tablet, or computer; it engages parents and students to effect changes in behavior outside of the classroom as well.

About the founders:

Sam Chaudhary worked as a high school teacher and McKinsey & Co education analyst, and has a degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge. Liam Don was an MMO game developer at Runescape (Jagex), and was doing a computer science PhD in Education Technology, which he left to start ClassDojo. ClassDojo was early-stage seed funded by the incubator ImagineK12.

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5 Recent Advances in Educational Technology - guest post

5 Recent Advances in Educational Technology 

Imagine going to school without getting out of bed. According to an article at washingtonpost.com, its actually not that uncommon - "70,000 school-age children wake up each morning for class and walk as far as the nearest Web-enabled gadget…" which is sometimes sitting at the side of their bed in the form of a laptop or tablet. It’s amazing to think about how 20 years ago, personal computers were only just beginning and now, it’s within arm’s reach of the majority of the youth in America. Educational technology seems to be progressing at warp speed, with new advances emerging every single day.

Classroom Management Software

Course management systems (CMS) are designed to provide a platform for teachers to reach thousands of students all at one time in one course. They allow for quizzes to be given through its platform along with the ability to create interactive forums with information provided from a myriad of different resources. They can be used to save time for both students and educators while accomplishing the feel of a one-on-one learning environment. Learning how to reach masses all at once is educational innovation at its best.

Learning Management Systems

Teachers and professors alike are always looking for ways to engage students and expand learning opportunities. Especially in higher education, where the need to offer classes outside of the classroom as well as offset campus overcrowding is more concerning, Learning Management Systems (LMS) have really improved upon opportunities to reach more students. These tools allow for more collaborative class settings on or off-line. For example, if you have an overly large group of students where it is difficult to have personal one on one time with each, LMS makes it possible to create lesson plans via video or wiki as well as track content through blogs and other easily accessible tools. This allows for more of an exclusive interaction. With LMS the internet keeps you connected in or outside the classroom. For more on LMS, click here.

Classroom Audio Systems

Studies have shown that one of the main issues students have with learning in a classroom is that they often cannot hear the instruction as well as is needed. Classroom audio systems provide the ability for teachers to project their voices loud and clear to all who are intended to hear. Teachers use this innovation to reach students at a level that they otherwise would not be able to do. This fairly recent development in the classroom has led to an unprecedented rise in test scores for all who experienced the effects before and after.

Field Trip App

New applications for computers, smart phones and iPads are surfacing every day. There are learning apps for just about every subject there is. The field trip app, for instance, helps to educate students on their surrounding areas. It provides historical significance, useful fun facts, and other educational information for practically any field trip destination.

Using Cloud Computing for Educational Technology

Another relatively new advancement in the field of education technology is the use of cloud computing to store documents. Google Docs, for instance, recently transitioned to Google Drive – a place to store Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents for retrieval anywhere that has access to an internet connection. No longer is forgetting a homework assignment even possible with this relatively new cloud computing technology.

Adaptive Learning

Adaptive learning is not necessarily a new concept; however, the realization of this concept is in fact relatively new. Innovative teachers use this technology to help them cater to personalized learning for students in need of more help than average. This means the development of tests and skill instruction is created specifically to cater to each individual’s exact learning needs. It is available for all ages, in all levels of learning and appears to be a fast-growing capability for innovative educators seeking technology to increase the effects of their teaching.

Author Bio

David Malmborg works with Dell. When he isn’t working he enjoys hiking, spending time with family and researching new technology. He is currently learning more about cloud computing and recommends visiting the dell.com for more information.

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ClassDojo - free classroom behavior system - announces iOS apps.

ClassDojo is a free online system that helps teachers promote positive behavior in their classroom by letting them track and share student progress and positive behaviors and areas of concern. It's easy to use and many teachers who use it have seen positive outcomes from using it with their students. 

The only issue was that it was online, so teachers had to go to their computers to update things. Today, they have announced the launch of an iOS app to help teachers be able to use their tool while moving around the room, and even access it when not in the classroom.

The full press release is below:

ClassDojo Launches First Smartphone App Empowering Teachers to Build Positive Behavior in the ClassroomWorld’s fastest growing education startup makes it easier than ever for teachers and students to build positive learning behaviors with new iOS app available for free download
SAN FRANCISCO – September 10, 2012 - Today ClassDojo, the digital character building and behavior management service for teachers, is launching the first-ever mobile app designed to help teachers build specific positive behaviors and character strengths in the classroom. The iOS app designed for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices is an extension of the ClassDojo platform that leverages innovative and easy-to-adopt tools for teachers to create a comprehensive learning environment and reinforce character strengths – the same strengths that have been shown to be the best predictors of future success, happiness and health.

The ClassDojo iOS app will make it easier than ever for teachers to monitor and track behaviors in real time. The free app allows teachers to register for an account on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, set up and view all of their classes, and assign personalized avatars to each of their students. Teachers can then walk around the classroom and reinforce positive behavior by awarding students with feedback in real-time. These feedback points are instantly displayed in the classroom with audio-visual cues allowing students to see how they are progressing individually and as a class.

ClassDojo for iOS also has a number of handy settings for teachers, including randomly selecting a student to call on, assigning points to one or multiple students, choosing the student display order, and synchronizing the student list for the day based on attendance. ClassDojo automatically compiles all the data collected from each class into analytics reports, allowing teachers to monitor progress, track trends and share information with parents. In addition, students can reflect on their own behavior and track their progress.

“Real-time feedback like this, especially when used to provide consistent, positive reinforcement, has the power to influence future behavior,” says Sam Chaudhary, co-founder of ClassDojo. “This instant feedback loop helps students build the kinds of positive behaviors that promote learning. In the process, we’re taking on a frustrating pain point for teachers and turning it into a positive experience that benefits all”.

The free service also operates on the Web, allowing teachers to alternatively use a laptop, desktop computer, or any smartphone or tablet via Web browser. To date, over 3.5 million teachers and students have used the service and over 50 million feedback points have been awarded. The platform has seen incredible viral growth with 20 thousand new teachers adopting the platform each month, as teachers spread ClassDojo by word-of-mouth and through social media channels.

Co-founders Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don, seed-funded by the education technology incubator ImagineK12, created the service after interviewing hundreds of teachers who reported behavior as their biggest problem in the classroom; forty percent of U.S. teachers said they spend more than half of their time managing behavior rather than teaching. Teachers also reported they were unhappy that behavior management had become about discipline, obedience and punishment, rather than positive reinforcement and encouragement.

ClassDojo’s mission is to bridge this gap and address the “other half” of education that goes beyond building good test scores to building character strengths essential for lifetime success like creativity, leadership and perseverance. The service has been embraced by teachers around the world, as well as high-profile technology and innovation investors like Ron Conway of SV Angel, Jeff Clavier of SoftTech, and Paul Graham, co-founder of Y-Combinator, who see ClassDojo filling a critical need that has been completely unaddressed by education technology.

ClassDojo is free for teachers, and the company is dedicated to keeping it that way.

To download the ClassDojo app, visit: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/classdojo/id552602056?ls=1&mt=8

To start learn more about ClassDojo, visit: http://www.classdojo.com

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