apps

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Class Dojo

Year: Lower to upper primary

What is this? Class Dojo is a app that aids with behaviour management, as it helps monitor and guide student behaviour. It can be used by both the teacher and the students. It enables students to become responsible for their own actions, reactions and behaviours and can also help develop students’ ability to self regulate. This app can help create a sense of belonging in the classroom as students are shown as a whole class and can even be broken down into groups. This app can be used for more than just behaviour management however, as it can be used as a timer, as an attendance record, track homework and it has an instant messaging system to be used to keep in contact with parents. Parents can ask queries and seek responses from the teacher, and they can even be updated through the class blog. All students have the ability to post on the class blog but posts require teacher approval. In this way students are able to have access to their dojo from home, and the site even provides custom QR codes for students to scan in order to reach their dojo. As of last year, teachers are now able to use the site to send other teachers resources, which keeps the resources in one easily accessible account. The site also provides an introduction video for students and a letter to parents explaining how the app works. Not only is this a wonderful app that is beginning to be used in many schools, but it is also 100% free, making it easy for whole schools to adapt due to the lack of cost.

Here are some praise and examples for how other teachers use this app:
https://www.classdojo.com/en-gb/wall-of-love/?redirect=true 

Image result for class dojo avatars girlsHow this app aids with behaviour management: In this app, the teacher enters their class list into the app. Each student is represented with a customise-able monster avatar. The teacher can give individual or groups of students points and select a specific reason why from a list of observable behaviours (eg. listening, participation). Points can also be deducted from students. The app can either be displayed on an interactive whiteboard so that all students can view it, or can be operated from a computer, iPad or iPhone. This makes the app portable and provides access from where ever the teacher may take the students within the school. To make the app most effective, teachers should negotiate with their students a list of desirable behaviours that they can achieve points for. This way all students are aware of what behaviours they should demonstrate and creates a sense of accountability. Students can also be broken up into groups (either as desk groups or even spelling/maths groups, etc.) and can give group points. The points can be reset whenever the teacher chooses, for example at the end of each day or week. What the teacher chooses to do with the points is completely up to them. They can provide students with individual rewards or can even decide to give out whole class rewards. Reward systems and needed points can be tweaked to suit the year level.

Image result for class dojo rewards whole class

 

 

Application in classrooms via the use of the curriculum: I have seen this app effectively implemented in a range year levels, such as year 2/3 split class and even a year 5 class. However I will relate this to the year 4 curriculum.

Year 4 curriculum (SCASA)

Subject: Technologies

Strand: Digital Technologies

Sub-Strand: Knowledge and Understanding/Digital Systems

Content Descriptor: Digital systems and peripheral devices are used for different purposes and can store and transmit different types of data (ACTDIK007)

This content descriptor was chosen because aspects of the app directly relate to this. The app enables teachers to track, mark and keep record of student homework. Students each have their own individual accounts, which students can use to upload their homework and assessment pieces. The uploaded work is presented as a portfolio, and allows parent and peer access.

References

Class dojo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.classdojo.com/en-gb/?redirect=true#LearnMore

School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/p-10-curriculum/curriculum-browser/technologies/digital-technologies2

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Hopscotch

Hopscotch.

Subject: Technologies.

Year Level: 5-6

Strand: Digital Technologies.

Sub strand:

Process and production skills.

Knowledge and Understanding.

Link to the resource

https://www.gethopscotch.com/

 

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities

Critical and creative thinking (CCT), Literacy (LIT), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Numeracy (NUM).

Links to other learning areas

Literacy. Numeracy.

About this resource

Hopscotch is a fun way to teach your class about coding. Hopscotch has used popular games such as Geometry Dash to build a foundation in core coding concepts including; sequencing, loops, abstraction, variables, conditionals and more. In order to introduce these concepts to students, an introductory lesson on creating their own ‘Crossy Roads’ game would help create a solid understanding of coding to be built on. Students begin the lesson using iPads and accessing the Hopscotch App. Students will be required to login, or create an account. To make a new project, they will need to select the highlighted + at the bottom of the screen and create a blank project, then can then begin to create their own game. Students will need to think about putting together all of the components of a game (character, background, buttons) but also think about creating codes, or rules, which tell the computer what to do and when to do it.

How to use this resource

  • Open the Hopscotch App
  • Select the highlighted + button at the bottom of the page,
  • Select ‘create blank project’
  • Generate the control pad to control the character.
  • Create rules, or codes (i.e when the ‘up’ button is tapped, then the character will move forward).
  • Add a hero object to the project
  • Add and name buttons for the control pad,
  • Write code to move hero forward
  • Complete buttons to move hero left and right
  • Add obstacle
  • Generate obstacle movement sequence and add a loop
  • Create a code for when the hero bumps an obstacle.

 

More

There are a variety of different activities or game styles that can be generated through different codes within the Hopscotch App, along with accompanying Youtube tutorials. To see what else is available that may suit different learning needs, please see the Hopscotch website or for video examples and demonstrations see the Hopscotch Youtube Channel

 

Lanna Sutherland

 

Brain Dots
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Brain Dots

bd3

Resource: ‘Brain Dots’

Availability: A free application available on both Apple and Android products (via app stores).

Curriculum Links: Technologies- Digital Technologies – Processes and Production Skills – Digital Implementation and Creating Solutions

Year Levels: 3-5

Content Descriptors: (ACTDIP011), (ACTDIP020)

General Capabilities: Numeracy, ICT Capability, Critical and Creative Thinking

About this resource: Designed as a brain training game, this app requires the user to make the blue and red balls ‘bump’. They do so by drawing lines and shapes, freely, to move and roll the balls. The game progresses in levels which become increasingly difficult. There are no limits as to how many times you can attempt a level, and hints are available after 3 failed attempts.

Computational Thinking: This game requires the user to create solutions to solve various problems. Using digital technology, the user breaks down the problems into parts and uses simple lines and shapes to produce an outcome (the blue and red balls bumping). Users are required to predict the outcome of the simulation before it is put in place. Users are required to use abstract thinking to come up with solutions.

Preview: 

Snapshots:

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Links:

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/brain-dots-draw-solve!-brain/id1004227662?mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.translimit.braindots&hl=en

 

How machines work: App

Machines picture

Using the How Machines Work app

Subject: Design and Technologies

Year level: Year 3 – 4

Strand:
Engineering principles and systems

Sub strand:
3.4 They develop and expand design ideas and communicate these using models and drawings including annotations and symbols.

Link to resource:
http://www.teachingappz.co.uk/listing/how-it-works-machines/

Cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities:
Literacy, personal and social capability and critical and creative thinking

Links to other learning areas:
Science, History and English

Classroom activity with using the app:
This application is a great assistance for teachers to use in a classroom activity. The app helps reinforce students learning on how machines ‘actually work’. It helps students to discover the different type of machines that surround students in everyday situations and the ones that are rare. Students are also able to assemble several different types of vehicles and machines such as a rocket, lawn mover, pump and a hair dryer.

As the app has a massive range of examples it helps the students be able to see how many machines are used in their own lives and how many machines are only able to be worked on as a profession such as engineers and mechanics.

Students are able to learn across a few learning areas such as;  the history of machines; how they are built, who builds them and the maintenance.

This application is perfect for teachers to help assist students in grasping the concept of machines through activity engaging with a visual aid. The use of this app is not only educating the students but they are able to enjoy learning about the machines around them.

How to use the resource 

  • Purchase and download the application
  • Open the app. This will enable directions on how the students navigate through the machines