Portfolios

ClassDojo Launches Parental Engagement Tool

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 07/20/16

ClassDojo has launched Student Stories, a new tool that allows students to easily add images and videos to their portfolios and share them with their families.

"Parents will be able to follow along with their child's learning," according to a news release, "whether it's a photo of a poem they wrote, a video of a science experiment or a reflection on finally solving a tough math problem, students can easily record and share their learning with parents."

Students can add material to their stories without remembering any login credentials or having their own individual device. They simply scan a class QR code, then add the material they're interested in along with comments or tags for classmates they worked with. Teachers must approve all additions to stories  before they're sent home and teachers can also post material to individual student stories.

"I'm really excited about students having their own Stories," said Stephanie Smith, a fourth grade teacher in Tennessee, in a prepared statement. "All teachers dream of having a student-centric classroom, where students have a voice, and take ownership over their own learning. With Student Stories, this coming year I'll be able to make that a reality — and I'm hoping it will create some great discussions at home as well!"

"Like everything we do, the idea for Student Stories came about from speaking with teachers and parents," said Liam Don, co-founder and chief product officer at ClassDojo, in a prepared statement. "Parents already loved seeing photos and videos from class on 'Class Story,' but wanted to see even more about their own child's projects and accomplishments. And teachers wanted to give students more ownership over their work. Student Stories does both: gives students more of a voice, and involves parents in learning moments they might otherwise never know about."