To be reluctant to set up a ClassDojo account?

[rockshandy]

They are trialling this app in DD2's class and we have been asked to set up an account. I really don't know much about it and I am looking into it now. But there is just something about it that unsettles me that I can't quite put my finger on.

Has anyone any experience of using this app?

If progress is shared via an app Allington, and you choose not to use the app, you’re demonstrating that you’re not interested.

The app we use is harmless. It shares snippets of a day, the odd photo, and some school notices. It doesn’t require anything from me other than to open it and read it now and again.

I find parents who have a wobbler because some schools have the audacity to try to make communicating with parents easier very childish.

I also dislike it due to the high value it places on extrinsic rewards. This points, prizes, stickers type system seems to be a totally accepted method in schools through, because it appears to work in the short term. There's a wealth of scientific evidence that shows us that extrinsic motivation not only means that children do not continue with the behaviours unless a reward is present, but they actually perform LESS well in the future.

Just don’t be pissed off if your child is sad that you’re not interested in their progress.

Yes, that is exactly it. Why can't the school just take the little buggers off my hands and do their job while I go out on the razz and ignore their progress.

Or maybe I just don't need constant and instant access to my child's teacher? The woman is a superhero in my eyes, I don't know how she does it. I don't take up her time unless it is absolutely necessary. There are 29 other children that she is also charged with, some may have additional needs, whether behavioural or otherwise. So I am quite happy to attend parents evening twice a year, write a couple of sentences on DD's homework if necessary (as I did this week for the first time) and leave it at that.

I can see that for children with additional needs this may be an excellent way of keeping in touch, and if it works that is great. I appreciate all the opinions and I am glad that it seems to mostly be a positive thing. But my reluctance has nothing to do with my interest in my child's progress and to suggest so makes you sound quite ridiculous Incy.

Not all systems use points. Marvellous Me is just a way for messages and pictures to be shared with parents, and there’s benthreat of being harangued by parents on it either, as the message system is one way. Parents can tap a high-five button to say they’ve read the message if they wish to.

Exactly and given it was emphasised to us a no no, it's so frustrating that it is now the widespread go-to.

I find that it has really improved communication with my kids teachers.

DCs teachers add photos of stuff the class has been doing and post up homework and reminders. It is super useful

I hate the "points" system for behaviours - like star charts I think they are a bit counterproductive - you want good behaviour and effort to be its own reward - BUT every school uses some version of them and its better than your 6 year old having their name on the "sad cloud" all week and other forms of humiliation

So yeah, YABU, just get on with it

My comment was in response to moana.

I’m not ridiculous, I’m just not scared of a piece of technology that lets people share.

It’s handyntonhave reminders at times. It’s great to see pictures of stuff that I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to see. I don’t mind having to take thirty seconds out of my day to find out that the year group is currently trying to do something excellent.

The hysteria behind these apps is ridiculous. The app we use means teachers chuck out a few messages a week, takes a few minutes tops. There’s no feedback so it’s not a time-eater.

interesting reading. My DD2 has been talking about this, the gain x points and then get house points in turn

So intrusive, divisive, and time consuming.

It took me more time to scribble out the name than it did to find, screenshot, chuck into here, and type this.

Anyway, I’m off to hide in the kitchen. I’m done with parental interaction for the week. I’ve high-fived a message, I’m done!

There is no fear or hysteria on this thread so I think you are being ridiculous.

Thinking that technology has its place is not the same as being scared of it. I have a smart phone, I have apps. I do my shopping online. I use technology to make my life easier day in day out.

My five year old shouldn't be motivated by me logging on to an app. It is her school life, her school work, her success or failure is her own to learn from and I am not about to start micro managing that. When she gets pupil of the week a fuss is made. When she draws a nice picture it goes on the wall in the kitchen. When we do work at home she gets a high five and words of praise.

That is enough. She is 5. Her success doesn't need a pie chart and a number yet.

I love Dojo for the ease of communication with Ds teacher and information from school, which they use as their main source of communication, encouraged all parents to sign up.

I don’t like the big brother ‘feel’ to it and also the way it must demotivate some of those kids who always seem to collect red dojos (not Ds, he’s pretty well behaved but has had the odd one or two) but can you imagine, sitting at work and having your name and Dojo score for all to see, Day in, day out. How would that motivate those children who get lots of red dojos?

I understand schools work differently and some don’t use the red dojos but still, it does seem like good behaviour can get rewarded by ‘giving the dog a bone’ which links to this great article I read when I was having my doubts about it.

joe-bower.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/6-reasons-to-reject-classdojo.html?m=1

See that message just seems pointless to me. What are you learning from an impersonal pleasantry?

What if it wasn't positive most of the time?

One step closer to robot teachers perhaps?

Thanks for the link Orange. Some good points there.

My DD's school uses dojo and I really like it. They send the newsletter through it and reminders about things coming up which I find really helpful.

I would ask where the information, photos and messages are stored? Presumably this app is owned by a company trying to money our of it somehow? I don't like the way that many things in schools, the NHS etc are now "outsorced" to commercial companies who then get information that is meant to be confidential.

Also, is it really a good idea to get children used to having photos taken of them, updates sent frequently etc. If we're struggling to keep children off social media and encouraging them not to share personal information then I think we're giving them conflicting messages when their teacher is doing just that, during lesson time as well!

We don't remove dojo points, nor do we use red dojos, nor are the points visible to the class, nor have our parents turned into competitive whining whatnots!
We were asked by parents to introduce something that followed on from Tapestry, used widely in Reception classrooms to record and keep parents up to date with their child's activities in the classroom. It works for us, the vast majority of our parents have joined in and appreciate it, our teachers find it convenient. Some schools/parents might not but each to their own!

Spaniel, is that your whole school approach to not use red dojos?

The points are visible in Ds class, they’re also kept there when parents come in for class workshop afternoons, so then every parent can compare.

It’s a great article Rockshandy. Made sense to the uneasy way I was feeling about it all.

So potentially could be used to exclude children from class birthday parties etc?
Rather than little Johnny/Polly coming home with stories about little Lee/dee parents can see well they haven’t got as many points so it must be true.

Another question - so parent doesn’t sign up is their child’s details still added?

Oh and how does the app work along side esafety policies and other policies with regards to sharing info if all parents within the class can see everything about other people’s children?

My kids’ school use it, but only for points. I wasn’t even aware it could be used for messaging so can’t comment on that. I personally am not a massive fan - but it’s probably more to how their school uses it than the system itself. My DS can get quite anxious and when he is on a negative points because of the class as whole being deducted points it makes it worse. One day he was asked to represent the School at a sports competition and the kids left behind were awarded points in his absence, which he didn’t get. So now he doesn’t want to represent the school again in case he misses out on points. It’s becoming an end to itself - he’ll be happy and have had a ‘good’ day at school if at the end of the day he is on positive points and vice-Verda. It’s becoming an end to itself. There is lots of evidence now to suggest reward based systems are not particularly effective - because the focus is on the reward rather than anything else. So I’m not convinced personally.

Oh overrun, that would drive me mental, that's terrible :(