It is crazy to think that we only have 13 days of classes left. Yesterday we were talking in class and Dr. Parker said "remember at the beginning of the semester when I said this semester will fly by, and here we are with 2 classes left." It feels like we were just sitting in class for the first time and somehow the semester is almost over with. We have one more semester left of classes and then student teaching, which is also crazy to think about.
Last week I was able to teach my flipped lesson plan and it was the first flipped lesson that I have taught. I really enjoyed it because I felt like I could get more done in class because of the video that the students watched before. This week I watched myself teaching and reflected on my teaching. This is NCPTS standard 5, Teachers reflect on their learning under "teachers analyze student learning." I was able to see what my students learned and had artifacts of work that they had completed and could compare their success to the way that I taught. If a student did not understand a concept then I would have to go back and look at the way that I taught and come up with a different way to teach it more effectively so the students could understand. I have completed my traditional lesson plan and will also teach that this week and have to go through the same reflection process as I did for the flipped lesson plan. This is the best way to grow as a teacher because you can fix your mistakes and grow as a teacher each time you teach a lesson.
Today in Dr. Wesson's class, her son Cooper came in and talked to the class about different technology sources that he uses in his class and outside of class. Dr. Parker was not joking when he said that 2nd graders live for technology because this kid knew more about technology and different websites than I do and he is 7 years old. Crazy!!!! One of the technology sources that he shared was a website and an app called class dojo. This is an app that teachers can use for their entire class. They have their list of students and can add plus or minuses to each of their names based on if they had good behavior or if they did something wrong to lose a point. At the end of the 9 weeks, the students will be rewarded if they have a certain amount of points. If they do not, they don't get to participate in the fun activity. This is positive enforcement for good behavior and is a motivator for the students to behave well. Each parent also has a username and password so they can check whenever their child gets a plus or minus and what they did correctly and what they got in trouble for. I think this is a great way for parents to stay connected and involved in their child's education. It may also make the kids want to be even more well behaved so they don't get in trouble with their parents at home since they can see everything they got in trouble for at school that day.
https://www.classdojo.com This is the website and it is free to use!
Hi Lindsey, I wish I could have seen Cooper teach. I bet he had a wealth of information. Students need motivational guides and sometimes correction which is why classdojo is so effective. I was looking at the website and the homepage says that ninety percent of schools K-8 use the website in classes. Thank you for introducing me to the tool. I have never heard of it before. At my school, students use the clipped chart for good or bad behavior. They get to clip up when they are good and clip down when they exhibit bad behavior. Part of a successful classroom is for students to be motivated to learn in their environment.
ReplyDeleteLindsey,
ReplyDeleteIt absolutely is crazy that we only have 13 days left. It doesn't even seem possible. Thank you for sharing about class dojo. Class dojo is a great way to manage your classroom as well as keep in touch with parents. Cooper is so cute.
Lindsey, 13 days.... WOW! Seems unreal that that is all that is left. Reflection is such a vital process for teachers and students, it's how we grow! Even though I hate watching myself on video, the process really teaches me a lot about my teaching style and myself. I also really enjoyed having Cooper in class and seeing class dojo through his perspective, it truly showed how effective it is with students. Hope you have a great rest of the semester!
ReplyDeleteLindsey - just remember, Class Dojo is only a way to track behavior - Class Dojo is not a classroom management plan.
ReplyDeleteLindsey,
ReplyDeleteThis semester has flown by! I can't believe we are already at the end but then again I am so ready for a break! I think we all need it very badly! That is so neat that Cooper came in and talked to you all from a second graders perspective! We use Class Dojo in my Kindergarten class! I think it is a great tool and I love that parents have immediate access to their child's report each day so this eliminates folders going home that have to be signed which can be a huge challenge for teachers. However, just as Parker stated above, I have found that you really have to have something else in addition to Class Dojo. Although it keeps track of the students behavior and their points according to how they have acted, it is not really a system that manages the classroom and gives positive reinforcement. I think this is a great tool to use as a base but I want to use something in my classroom in addition that motivates students to apply themselves and also that they can see first hand. That has been one of my biggest things with Class Dojo is that the students don't really see it first hand so sometimes I wonder if it is as effective as a system where students are pulling stars or something like that where they can see where they stand each day and they are having to take away their own object which is like a "point" in Class Dojo. It is neat to see that other people are using this though and to hear a student talking about it! Thanks for sharing!
Caroline
I loved that Cooper came in and shared about class Dojo with us! It was really nice to hear about the idea of tracking students' behavior using that tool from a student. I am excited to see those 13 days begin to wind down! This week is a busy one for all education majors so I am sure these last days will fly by even more than the previous ones!
ReplyDelete