EdTech tools have altered the way we think about teaching and learning in the classroom, but sometimes these powerful devices are distracting for students during the school day. The folks at Dyknow reached out to me this year, and I was excited to learn more about their classroom management software for schools. They’ve designed a tool that teachers, coaches, and administrators are sure to love!
Hundreds of schools use Dyknow’s classroom management software, it’s great for any subject area or grade level, and works across platforms on Chromebook, PC and MacBook devices. In this blog post, I’ll go into more detail on how Dyknow supports classroom management and formative assessment, too!
Classroom Management Software
How does classroom management software work? With Dyknow, you can monitor student device usage in real-time. On your dashboard, you can view thumbnails of what each student has up on their screen, along with URLs that update in real-time. This way, you can check in on students and provide support when needed.
If you like, you can decide which sites and applications students have access to during class. . By implementing a blocking plan, you can control what you want students to access. Dyknow provides the option for you to use a blocking plan for the entire class or only a select group of students.
As I mentioned above, Dyknow allows you to actively monitor students’ screens in real-time, but some teachers choose to just let it run in the background. If you prefer to monitor this way, Dyknow collects activity data from students even while running in the background during class. You can revisit the data after a class period or anytime after the lesson, allowing you to see what a single student or the whole class was doing on their devices This data collection can help you identify trends over time. You can even reference information collected at different times in the school year.
In the video above, you can hear one teacher’s story of trying out Dyknow in her classroom. . As a middle school teacher, she saw the benefits of keeping students on task during the class period. With Dyknow, she could also make the most of the technology her class had access to each day.
Formative Assessment
Additional Dyknow features allow teachers to send messages and pose questions to students. These features make it easy to check for understanding. You can use it throughout a lesson or class period, and teachers have the option to interact with the entire class or a few students. So Dyknow also allows you to easily integrate formative assessment routines.
Regular readers of the blog — sign up for the newsletter here — know I love tools that make formative assessment easier. I even wrote a book all about using technology to check for understanding. It’s so great to see that Dyknow has taken this to heart as well by including formative assessment options.
EdTech for Everyone
Some EdTech tools are geared toward just one group of educators. Dyknow has resources for teachers, technology coaches, and administrators. I’ve linked to pages below that tell you a little bit more about how they support each group of educators.
How Dyknow Supports Teachers
With Dyknow, teachers can monitor online actions in their classrooms. Teachers will find that this EdTech tool can help limit distractions. It keeps students on task throughout the school day. Even if this isn’t your number one reason for using Dyknow, the formative assessment component can be a game-changer! You can communicate with students quickly, and at the same time, you can gather helpful information to drive future instruction.
Click here for —> more information for teachers
Reasons Technology Coaches are Using Dyknow
For technology coaches, having a classroom management software may make it easier to promote buy-in from a school community for other EdTech tools. You can show off how to minimize distractions with digital tools. This way, teachers of any tech-confidence level feel empowered using technology in their classrooms. Since Dyknow has an easy set up for teachers, it doesn’t require substantial support from coaches either.
Click here for —> more information for technology coaches
Why Dyknow is Grabbing the Attention of School Leaders
Purchasing a device for every student in a school, or numerous carts full of a class set is a significant investment. Investing in technology tools to make instruction with these devices effective is a large commitment. Dyknow can help schools make the most of technology by providing tools for teachers. From formative assessment to everyday classroom management, the features are enticing for administrators.
Click here for —> more information for school administrators
Ready to get started with Dyknow this school year? You can request a free trial for your school or classroom on their website. Their team will answer all of your questions and help you get started defeating distractions right away!
