Natasha Singer’s article “Privacy Concerns for ClassDojo and Other Tracking Apps for Schoolchildren”, discusses the controversial behavior-tracking applications that are available for teachers to use for free in their classrooms. ClassDojo is the most popular of many applications that award students points for good behavior and subtract points for poor behavior. The app displays each student’s name, an avatar and their behavior score for that week. Singer gives a great overview of the many benefits and drawbacks of using apps of this nature, which really helped me to reflect on this topic and make an informed decision about whether or not I agree that these type of software programs should be used in classrooms.
The primary concern about applications like ClassDojo among parents, teachers and privacy law scholars is how the data being collected is used. Although the app’s terms and conditions state that teachers who are signing up are confirming that their schools have given them authorization, it can easily be used without permission from administrators. Therefore, parents are not giving their explicit consent before teachers begin to log their students’ data, and must ask the teacher or email the company directly in order to remove their child’s data from the app. So where and how is this data being used? Although the co-founder of ClassDojo assures that their company is committed to never selling the data, there is a clause in the privacy policy that indicates that they may show the user advertisements “based in part on [their] identifiable information”. Moving past the privacy concerns, there are several other problems associated with behavior tracking software. They encourage compliance based on bribes and threats, which the author compared to a “carrot and stick” method of classroom discipline and the treatment of children like pets. Publicly displaying behavior scores is also concerning because it shames students in front of their peers. ClassDojo emits an audible, disappointed pong sound to the class when a student is penalized. These types of applications are also critiqued for being too subjective, since teachers are adding or removing points based on arbitrary behaviors such as disrespect or leadership – which could look different for each individual student. Finally, critics argue that behaviour databases promote labelling students as a “problem child”, which could harm their interactions with teachers and students throughout their education.
Despite many drawbacks associate with behavior-tracking applications, they can be an effective classroom management strategy to help regulate students’ conduct in class. Not only could they help reduce undesirable behaviors, but they could also help to promote positive behaviors, such as leadership and teamwork, to create a healthier classroom environment. Beyond the classroom, it is an effective tool for keeping up on communicating directly with parents. Some parents really enjoy the fact that they are able to monitor their child’s progress and receive reports from teachers on a regular basis, without a formal interaction. Teachers say the application encourages them to record classroom conduct, which might otherwise get pushed to the sideline, although it is useful data to have come time for parent-teacher interviews and writing report cards or progress reports. Special education teachers have expressed the functionality of such applications to help them set individualized goals with students and their parents. To counter the criticism about shaming students by displaying their behavior scores to their classmates, the application does allow teachers to select whether points are shown publicly or privately, to accommodate the needs of each individual classroom. One teacher has said that he prefers to display points publicly, and awards many more points for good behavior than he subtracts for bad behavior, in an effort to illustrate that the good outweighs the bad. Keeping students aware of their scores could also promote self-awareness. Some teachers have asked students to award themselves points for teamwork, for example, which encourages them to reflect on their own conduct and contributions.
After much deliberation about my own thoughts regarding behavior tracking applications, I have decided that I would not use them in my own teaching practice. I personally prefer to log data in an analogue fashion, and maintaining students’ dignity is a big priority for me, which is believed is compromised when a student’s peers witness them being awarded, or deducted points. I also do not personally believe in negative punishment as a classroom management strategy, as studies have proven positive reinforcement to be much more effective. Drawing on the SAMR technology integration model, I would consider ClassDojo to be an example of augmentation at best; it is a step above substitution since the information can be transferred to parents. Before I read Singer’s article, I had been exposed to ClassDojo from a classmate who presented it for a “Technology in the Classroom” assignment. My classmate highlighted all of the benefits of using the program, but did not offer any of the concerns that were outlined in the article. I felt a lot more favourably about using ClassDojo in my own classroom as a teacher, before reading the article and getting a well rounded outline of the application. For these reasons, I am opposed to the use of behavior-reward software programs.
I decided to do a stop motion video for my multimedia piece, because I saw it used in another class and I thought it was an engaging way to summarize important information. This is the first time I have ever created something like this, and it did not turn out the way that I had hoped. I created a rough draft for my project before writing the good copy on a Bristol board, but I had not practiced taking photos, which would have helped me realize that it is important to take them from the exact same angle every time. When I went to edit my photos, I was not able to take out some of the edges, because I had not taken the pictures from the exact same position each time. I should have tried editing some photos during the process, instead of waiting until the end because I might have realized how I could improve the quality of the pictures. I also realized during the conception of the project that there was a lot of writing that was moving quickly, which might make it difficult for viewers to read. During the editing process, I felt discouraged and wondered if I should scrap my idea and try something else. I put myself in the shoes of the teacher, and asked myself what I would think if my student submitted the product that I have created. I decided that I would applaud the effort, and recognize that the student tried something new and out of their comfort zone to produce a multimedia artifact that still encompassed all of the requirements of the assignment. In a future assignment, I would definitely give this type of multimedia production another try, now that I have learned more about how to create a better product.