Watch on YouTube
Tool Snapshot
Price
*Always free for teachers; parents can subscribe to a Class Dojo Beyond School version for $7.99/month, with a one week free trial. The Beyond School version allows parents to use the “Dojo Point” behavior management system at home – however, using it as school communication is always free.
ISTE Standards
Class Dojo falls under the following categories of the ISTE standards:
Empowered Learner 1c: Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
- With Class Dojo, students can display their work on digital portfolios to get feedback from teachers and parents, which will allow them to improve on their learning.
Knowledge Constructor 3c: Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
- Students can create a digital portfolio by uploading assigned tasks in a variety of formats including drawings, videos, images, or text.
Global Collaborator 7c: Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.
- Teachers can use Class Dojo to facilitate teamwork by putting students in groups and assigning them group work to earn Dojo points.
Ease of Use
Class Dojo can be used across a variety of platforms. It works on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and on any computer and browser. Tabs are clearly labeled – making navigation throughout the site easy. The website and the mobile app are set up similarly which gives the platform great continuity for ease of use across devices. The translation of 35+ languages also gives it an increased chance of usability by many families, especially families whose native language is not the same as the classroom teachers’ native language. There are a number of tutorials available as well as a detailed Helpdesk on the website for new users.
Privacy
Class Dojo outlines their privacy terms in detail in the Privacy Center section of their website, which states that the website and app are both COPPA and FERPA compliant as well as GDPR compliant in Europe. The privacy statement declares that they obtain minimal information from the users (but users cannot choose which information to opt-in or opt-out from). It also states that they have a one-year deletion policy for inactive accounts. Furthermore, Class Dojo guarantees that it “does not (and will not) sell or rent your (or your child’s) personal information to any third-party for any purpose – including for advertising or marketing purposes” (Class Dojo Privacy Policy, para. 1)
Accessibility
While a specific accessibility statement is missing from Class Dojo’s website, the tool has good usability that allows a larger number of people with varying abilities to access its content (e.g., individuals with visual impairment can navigate the website with a screen reader). The colors and fonts of the website and app are not overwhelming. Video links open in youtube which provides the user with closed captions. A quick check for Class Dojo’s homepage accessibility on WebAccessibility.com yields 80% compliance .
Class Dojo has 80% compliance according to WebAccessibility.com
Impact on Student Learning
Class Dojo is a very impactful tool when it comes to classroom behavior management. With the assortment of ways in which teachers can utilize the Dojo Points system, students can learn a great deal about collaboration, teamwork, responsibility, and more. Along with that, it will help motivate students to put in their best effort when engaging in learning. We give Class Dojo four stars for its impact on student learning.
ClassDojo in 120 Seconds Video
ClassDojo & the SAMR Model
Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR model offers a lens for examining how technology is adopted in a classroom. As you strive to incorporate online tools into your classroom, we encourage you to use this model as an analytic tool.
Here is an example of how ClassDojo might fit within the SAMR model:
- Substitution: Teachers are able to reinforce or highlight desired behaviors and activities within their classroom by giving their students virtual “dojo points” (versus physical “tickets” or other commonly used classroom management reinforcers).
- Augmentation: Teachers and parents who do not speak the same language have an increased chance of direct communication without needing to wait for an interpreter. ClassDojo has text translation for more than 35 languages built into their messaging feature.
- Modification: ClassDojo offers virtual portfolios, where students can directly upload work (done in school or at home) for their teachers and parents to see and comment on. These can be drawings, texts, photos, or videos!
- Redefinition: The ‘Class Story’ tab allows for teachers to post to all parents at once to get group feedback and/or receive comments from the parent community.
ClassDojo can help connect parents and teachers (you can add specialist teachers to your classroom as well) who may have previously had difficulty with day-to-day communication due to a language barrier or life and work schedules. There is also a school story feature where posts and announcements concerning the entire school can be posted by administration and teachers for parents to view and comment on. ClassDojo allows parents to respond quickly and see updates throughout the day. The ClassDojo reward system can also build a classroom community as students will be able to visually see how many points their class is earning as a whole and what their individual contribution is. We encourage you to consider ways the ClassDojo communication and reward system can be integrated positively into your classroom.
Learning Activities
Social and Emotional Learning/Character Building
The Class Dojo website gives access to a series of themed activities that include videos and prompts to fuel thought-provoking, motivating, and self-reflecting discussions. Students can share their ideas on their portfolios to get feedback. Some of the themes are:
- Growth Mindset
- Empathy
- Mindfulness
- Perseverance
English/Language Arts
Students can be asked to record and upload a video book review/character analysis. They can be encouraged to dress up as their favorite character from the book too.
History
Students can be asked to draw a chronological timeline of the history of transportation using the drawing tool.
Math
By making color-coded teams/groups, the teacher can play a mental math quiz with the students. Correct answers will get the entire group a reward – this would encourage students to collaborate with their group members to come up with the correct answer, thus promoting teamwork.
Other
Teachers can create classroom tasks such as clean-up, helping a friend, perfect attendance, lunchtime manners, and making someone laugh or smile, to promote citizenship and a sense of classroom camaraderie.
An example of a Dojo Bonus Points poster for the classroom
Have a classroom behavior system of redeemable rewards, which can be received in exchange for predetermined amounts of Dojo Points.
An example of a Dojo Rewards poster for the classroom
Resources
How to Use ClassDojo
- Go to www.classdojo.com.
- Click “Sign Up” and register for an account as a teacher.
- Create a Class.
- Add students.
- Invite their parents via print outs, text, or email.
- Decide what meaning to give your “Dojo Points.”
- Start giving out points for positive behavior and participation!
- Optional:
- Explore student portfolios, try creating an assignment.
- Explore the toolkit – think about what might be useful in your classroom.
Introduction to ClassDojo Webinar (by ClassDojo)
Watch on YouTube
Research
Cetin, H., & Cetin, I. (2018). Views of Middle School Students about Class Dojo Education Technology. Acta Didactica Napocensia, 11(3–4), 89–96.
Garcia, E., & Hoang, D. (2015). Positive Behavior Supports: Using Class Dojo as a Token Economy Point System to Encourage and Maintain Good Behaviors. In Online Submission. Online Submission
Krach, S. K., McCreery, M. P., & Rimel, H. (2017). Examining Teachers’ Behavioral Management Charts: A Comparison of Class Dojo and Paper-Pencil Methods. Contemporary School Psychology, 21(3), 267–275.
Authors
The page was created by Miranda Jurras & Madiha Noor.