Being a first year teacher I am always looking for ways to better manage my class. I have found two great ones that my class and I are currently obsessed with!
Too Noisy -
Too Noisy is an amazing app that monitors the level of noise in your classroom. It takes a bit of finessing to get the levels right (you just go into the settings and adjust the sensitivity and dampening.) Once you do however, it is a wonderful visual for the class as to what is an acceptable volume!
I use the lite version of this app, the pro comes with an alarm and keeps track of how many times it gets too loud. My class doesn't need this feature, so the lite is perfect for us!
Here's a peek at the stages and how we use them:
My class knows this is where the meter should be during tests and independent work.
During group activities they aim to keep the meter around the top of the hill on the left. If they enter the blue it is getting too loud!
This only happened in the beginning, but they know that the yellow sky and worried face are a sign it is becoming uncomfortably loud.
Lastly we have the maxed out smiley. Fortunately we have never truly hit this in my class. There may have been one or two students who coughed loudly into the speaker the first few days, just to make it do this!!
When I found this I wasn't sure how my 5th graders would react, but they love it! If I ever forget to put it on, one of them will always remind me. It really keeps the volume of our room under control.
Class Dojo
Class Dojo is free too! It really is an amazing management tool. Here's how we use it in our classroom:
I blogged about
Dojo back in October, but we have since evolved the ways in which we use it. Back then my students purchased seating and tech devices, but now we use it a bit differently.
My class was one of those pencil problem classes - no matter how often I put them out, there were none to be found! Then when I would grab a new pack we would have to wait for the endless sharpening line!
I decided to try out mechanical pencils, but I wanted a way to make them responsible for them at the same time. I hoped that if they had to buy them, it would help them to keep a better eye on it. So far it is working out really well!
With that in mind, I added in a few new trade in options! Now every Monday morning we pop the class list up on the wall and assess who would like to make a trade!
For 10 Dojo points you can purchase either a mechanical pencil, eraser, dry erase marker or a pen.
For 15 Dojo's you can purchase a mini water bottle.
For 25 points you can purchase a Kindle or be the line leader for the week.
50 Dojo's gets you access to the desktop, laptops or ipads for the week. The only rule is that you must finish your assignments first, then you may go on anything that relates to that subject area.
Finally, 100 points gets you a free homework pass!
The only time that I project Class Dojo instead of Too Noisy is when I am taking my Guided Reading and Guided Writing groups. It is so much easier to keep the rest of the class on task when I can positively reward them for working hard. Or in some cases, send a quick reminder to a student who is off task.
What do you use to manage your behaviors?
