Messaging + ClassDojo = Genius

What a week in room 18!  While we dove headfirst into the SBAC and swam among the new forces of measurement and Performance Tasks, something arose out of the dark and murky waters that brightened up the week and helped us (me) stay afloat.

+ClassDojo, a free, online classroom tool that assists teachers improve student behavior, released a brand new feature in the iOS and Android app called "Messaging."  This allows parents and teachers to build a stronger line of communication regarding each individual student.  Essentially, this feature makes it possible for teachers and parents to text message back and forth, via the ClassDojo app, without exchanging contact details.  Messaging allows teachers to message either individually to parents or via broadcast to where the message is sent out to all parents with a ClassDojo account linked to their specific child.  Both are incredible options when I need to let parents know about a behavior immediately (positive or negative), or anything else for that matter.

So as I dove in headfirst with the SBAC, I eagerly dove in with a triple back flip with ClassDojo messaging and sent out my first broadcast message.  I was able to see immediately who it was sent out to and when my parents received the message with "read receipts."  As a huge ClassDojo user and advocate, I am encouraged to see this incredible resource grow and become even better for the use of teachers.

#ETC14

Wow!  What an incredible year at the ETC! Conference this year in Modesto!  Being this was my 9th year attending this tech conference, I was very encouraged to see the number of attendees reach 800+. Unbelievable turnout for this conference that I consider my tech baby as this is the event that really started to change and alter the way I integrate technology into my classroom.  Marianne Pack, +luke hibbard and the ETC! crew really were on it this year with making this experience one that everyone wouldn't forget!  It was also a bonus that the conference was powered by +Edmodo and this really helped make ETC! what it was by offering a place to backchannel during the sessions and after the conference was over.  

The ETC! experience was a little different for me this year as I presented during all four session slots.  Two of which were on my staple preso, Edmodo: Learn Anywhere with Social Media, and the other two were on +ClassDojo with my buddy and co-presenter, +Chad King.  We titled it ClassDojo: Manage Your Class Like a Ninja and apparently they were such a hit that the Modesto Bee caught notice and snapped a picture or two and featured it in the paper the next day!  Take a look at the article here: 

Reflection on Edmodo: Learn Anyway with Social Media

So I designed this session as a two-parter as I wanted to have more time for my participants to really get a chance to have a hands-on approach as they create and design their own Edmodo groups for their class.  The first hour included my normal demo of what Edmodo is, how to sign up, features, etc...And I feel that I got most of my attendees appetites ready for what I was hoping to accomplish in the second hour.  This was creating a more interactive, sandbox session that allowed everyone to dive into what Edmodo was really going to look like in their own environment.  I was really happy I did this after all was said and done because people went away with something constructed and ready to implement as they walked into their classrooms on Monday morning.   If there is something that I appreciate at conferences, it is when presenters allow for takeaway time and give an opportunity to actually do something with the resource or ideas they are presenting about.  This was what I really desired to provide in my second session.  Overall, this double session on Edmodo really allowed me to dive deeper into not only how I use Edmodo with my students, but it also gave me a better grasp on what teachers want to initially start up with when designing their groups.  

ClassDojo: Manage Your Class Like a Ninja

So the highlight of the day was presenting with Chad on ClassDojo.  ClassDojo is an interactive classroom management site that allows teachers to reward positive and negative behaviors in a fun and techie way during class.  Chad and I decided to use the name and design our presentation around the theme of a ninja. So what would anyone do with a presentation themed around ninjas?  Dress up like one of course So that is what we did.  And yes, Karate Kid, Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee clips and sound bytes were extensively used throughout to entertain.  Above all the fluff, Chad and I really wanted to show and demonstrate the power of this site to our attendees in a way that they were going want to start it immediately in their class come Monday morning.  So again, just like I did in my Edmodo session, we made sure that our ClassDojo session allowed time for teachers to begin creating their ClassDojo account and start collaborating on how best to use the Dojo within their classes.  I felt that Chad and I gave them enough info to start up and take the plunge in using something so powerful to not only manage their classrooms, but have some ninja fun doing so!