Classroom Management

As educators, one of the most important skills we need to posses is good classroom management. When teachers practice good classroom management, they are able to create a conductive class environment that is efficient, engaging and effective. Teachers can use technology in their classrooms to help them create better ways to manage their classrooms. Technology enhances the teacher's directions and student learning when used in the classroom. Some of my favorite pieces of technology to use for classroom management are:

1. Class Dojo
2. Kahoot
3. Nearpod

These different apps and websites allow teachers to engage with their students and use effective classroom management.

ClassDojo:
ClassDojo is a great app to use in the classroom! It is a way that teachers can create a community in their classroom with both their students and their parents. ClassDojo is also a way that teachers can monitor their students behaviors and encourage them to follow school values throughout the day. ClassDojo's set up is very simple and easy for teachers to use. All they have to do is create a classroom on the app that has all their students and for each student invite their parents to join the classroom.

 Teachers can give their students ClassDojo points throughout the day for good behavior such as: staying on task during writers workshop or participating during class. Teachers can also take away ClassDojo points when students are acting poorly. Through the app, parents can track their students behavior throughout the day and communicate with the teacher through the messaging feature. One of my favorite features of ClassDojo is its ability for students to have their own portfolios. The portfolios allow students to take pictures of their work and share them on the app which allows for parents to see their child's work as well. ClassDojo is a great way to enrich and manage your classroom. Check out the video below to learn more about the benefits of ClassDojo portfolios.

Kahoot!
Kahoot is one of my favorite tools to use in the classroom! This is a fun interactive way for teachers to assess how well their students are comprehending the material that is being taught. Teachers can go on the website and create short quizzes for their students to take during class.

This is a great tool to use in a 1:1 classroom or if this is not an option, students can work in groups to complete the test on a shared device. Students have a certain amount of time to answer the questions that the teacher prepares and the students with the fastest response, get the most points. I have used this when teaching and it is such a fun tool to use that gets students excited to learn. It is a great way to manage your students understanding and for the teacher to understand what concepts they need to go over again. It is also a great way for teachers to keep their students focused during a quiz because it is timed and fast paced. Check out this review of Kahoot! by a teacher who teaches about Ancient Greek History here.

 

Here is a great video of Kahoot being used all around the world!

NearPod:
The last app I am going to share about classroom management is NearPod.  This is a great presentation tool that I have used during lessons for all different grade levels. NearPod is a presentation tool that allows teachers to create something similar to a PowerPoint presentation. However, students are given a class code that allows for the teacher to control their screen/presentation through the app.

This is a great way for teachers to make sure that their students are staying on task during lessons. It is also helpful that students have the tool right in front of them. NearPod also offers great interactive activities that teachers can add to their presentations like questions that they have to answer and submit, drawing tools and even quizzes. This gives teachers the ability to evaluate how their students are doing with the material and make sure that they are staying engaged throughout the lesson. This is a great tool for teachers to use in managing their classroom and creating an interactive environment.

Nearpod - Education Tools for the Most Important Job in the World from Nearpod on Vimeo.


Technology tools are becoming more and more apart of our everyday classroom environment so we as teachers may as well use them to our advantage! With the tools I have shared, teachers can develop their class management skills and enhance their classrooms. I myself, look forward to using these tools to aid me in my future classroom management.