#UWinDig

I chose to read “Privacy Concerns for ClassDojo and Other Tracking Apps for Schoolchildren” by Natasha Singer and was very excited to share my reflection via Twitter. I thought Twitter would be the best way to not only engage my classmates in an engaging conversation, but I also hope to grab the attention of others around the world. Twitter offers a nice template while also allowing me to express my creativity with GIFs and images.

While going through the article it allowed me to reflect on different behavioral systems that I was exposed to as a student at the elementary and high school levels. I was exposed to the same systems that I am experiencing now as a student teacher where technology isn’t being used to record this information. My past teachers and current teacher associate uses a tally system in the a notebook where a student receives a tally for a negative behavior. If you get three in a week, you receive a detention. The tally’s reset at the end of the week. This system differs from Classdojo because usually students don’t get a point taken off for positive behavior. It also allowed me to think about the behavioral systems that I may use in my classroom in the future as an Educator and the privacy concerns that may come up as technology keeps advancing.

ClassDojo is a behavior-tracking app that awards students points or subtract them based on their conduct. Many teachers say the app helps them automate the task of recording classroom conduct, as well as allowing them to communicate directly with parents. There’s a big divide when it comes to this app. Some like being able to use the app to follow their child’s progress and receive reports from teachers. Others are asking the teacher to remove his/her child from ClassDojo because they are unsure how the information is being stored/used and feel that it can create labels that are unwanted. Co-founder Mr. Chaudhary says he and his team have studied ClassDojo’s effectiveness by visiting classrooms and conversing with many teachers that have used it.

The idea that makes me react to this issue the way I do is because some people think that just because we are incorporating technology into our class, that we are doing our students a great service. That isn’t always the case though. If technology isn’t used properly and well thought out, it shouldn’t be used. Before I engaged with the text, I thought it was a great idea that technology was being used in order to communicate with parents on their child”s behavior. Parents always want to be involved in their child’s life, even at school and it is important as teachers to make sure they are aware! In some cases we may actually be with their child more than they are so it is important to work together for the better of the student. The part of the text that gave me new ideas is the privacy aspect and how Classdojo is storing it and using it. I never even thought of that part before I begun reading and it is so important. When I am a parent, I want to know that my child’s information is safe and not out there for anyone to be able to see. I also don’t want him/her open to any bullying that could come from the whole class seeing. The classroom should be a safe environment for everyone and that is so so important. As an educator I am going to focus on creating a safe environment for MY students, in the classroom and online.

Below are just a few screenshots from my Twitter thread. Please click the link below to read the rest of my thread:

https://twitter.com/mrpopel/status/1055884445406896130