Class Dojo as a Social-emotional support
On this page, you will find:
A Class Dojo set-up YouTube tutorial video
An evidence-based Rationale for using Class-Dojo as a social-emotional support
An introduction to Class Dojo PDF file
Class Dojo is a free APP that is extremely helpful for classroom teachers! I have used this resource in both primary (2nd) and intermediate (4th) level classrooms. The APP can be a daily resource for teachers, students, and parents. Here you will find how Class Dojo uses mindfulness video's to teach students important character traits such as perserverance, growth mindset, and Empathy. Class Dojo understands that emotions are powerful: they can either overwhelm you, or become your best friend. Class Dojo allows you to take your students on a journey to understand how they can manage their powerful emotions through mindfulness. There is a set of social-emotional learning supports presented as whole-group activities which were created in partnership with Yale University's Center for Emotional Intelligence. I use Class Dojo daily to help me make groups, randomly choose students to answer questions, communicate with parents, and to record and store behavior data.
Evidence-based Rationale:
Although some teachers worry that Gen Z students have become too reliant on technology, we must remember and respect that they were born and raised in a world that is easily and readily connected; literally having access to the whole world! The most significant differences of the Gen Z and millennial generations is that most members of Gen-Z don't remember a time before social media. As a result of this, they tend to live much more of their entire lives through social media. This helped me to reflect on how frequent use of technology is truly the norm for this generation!
Gracey, (2017), reminds us that the Gen Z generation live in a world of continuously updated information - which makes them dislike out-of-date text books. As an educator, this means that I have to be willing to present information in a different way in order to engage Gen Z students. Programs like Adobe Spark allows students to take content and create their own versions of it. Spark allows them to create social graphics, web stories, and animated video's quickly and beautifully! Since many Gen Z students describe themselves as creative problem-solvers, teachers can capitalize on this by giving students more opportunities to present what they know in creative, non-traditional ways.
Before learning more about the generation I am servicing everyday, I was guilty of thinking that the Gen Z generation just want the easy way out, and can't do anything without technology. This is why I was surprised to learn that Gen Z students are highly educated! In fact, according to the center for generational kinetics, it is likely that a larger percentage of Gen Z students will attend and graduate from college than any previous generation. Knowing the Gen Z generation are the most influential group of technology trendsetters, and that they offer the best preview of future trends, helps me to think differently about the Gen Z generation. This will be the information that could change an educator's outlook on this generation, allowing for relationship building between students and teachers. Knowing more about their generation will empower my teaching through having a deeper understanding of their generation. Gen Z are more driven and focused than many give them credit for. Since many are unfamiliar with their new, and in some cases, more efficient way of doing and learning, we think there is something wrong with the way they find, process, and present information. The way Gen Z students do things are not wrong, just different.
We must meet the learning needs of Gen Z students by providing social-emotional supports through technology.
References
Gracey, L. (2017). Generation Z is here: Are you ready? ICEA Technotes. Retrieved from
https://www.tcea.org/blog/generation-z/
Generational Breakdown: Info about All of the Generations. The Center for Generational Kinetics, 2016. Retrieved from
genhq.com/FAQ-info-about-generations
