One More Week Until Winter Break!

We are in the home stretch. This Powtoons Video offers some suggestions on how to keep your students engaged and learning this next week!

Featured ideas include:

• Quizlet Live
• GeoGuessr
• New Kahoot! Game Jumble
• Skype in the Classroom
• PowToons

Using Twitter to fight the Winter Blues!

Friday Five 12/9/16

With the rush of the holidays, the reality that arctic air will soon be visiting, and the excitement of the students over the coming break, it can be easy to get into a December funk. I was feeling this way as I was trying to plan this Friday Five. Instead of skipping this week, I decided to search for some inspiration!  

My go-to source for inspiration from edu-rock stars is Twitter. So I sent out the following Tweet:

On Fridays I send out 5 @CanvasLMS tips to my faculty. Need some new ones. Pls share your favorites here! #canvaschat

— Cara Gurysh (@clg311) December 8, 2016

Of course, there are dangers in venturing onto social media. Once you log-in you can quickly find yourself lost in a series of clicks and end up on some inane PopSugar article like this one. Fortunately, I use Twitter only as a Professional Learning Community, so I was safe!  

Low and behold...I got some advice…. I got some inspiration….I was reminded that great reward comes from connecting with inspiring educators from across the globe.

So thank you Twittersphere for helping me get back in the groove!  

Friday Five Tips and the Tweets that Inspired Them!

1. It is all about the Badges

.@MrsTMercer Badges can B awarded 4 many things. Module completion=most common. Ts could submit evidence (inc. Canvas course) #canvas4elem

— Jared Ward (@wardjhs) September 28, 2016

Gamification is a trend being implemented in and outside of the classroom. Those of you who completed the Canvas Beginners and Canvas Intermediate Courses were awarded badges. Consider adding Badges to your courses. Here is an overview article of how you can use badges. I am working on a PD course on how to build badges into your Canvas Courses. More information to follow!


2. You can earn a Microsoft Badge and Act 48!

A3: Microsoft offers free professional development over its products and awards badges for completion. #badgechatk12 pic.twitter.com/Jn4k3uXaa0

— Christopher Tucker (@ChrisTuckerEdu) November 21, 2016

Chris B. sent out an email last Friday alerting all faculty of this opportunity being offered for PSD Teachers. Here is what he wrote: “In order to help teachers satisfy their Act 48 requirements, an internet course through the Microsoft Education Community entitled “Microsoft in Education” has been posted to OTS.  This course reviews the basic operation of Office 365 and how it can be utilized in the classroom.  Following completion of this course 3 hours of Act 48 will be awarded.  Please use this link ,which directs you to the in district OTS system, if you are interested in this opportunity.”

3. More on Discussions!

@clg311 @CanvasLMS See you next week Cara! How about 'focused' vs 'threaded' discussions? https://t.co/qRlU2McCEZ

— Jonathan Kasica (@JonKas82) December 9, 2016

We have explored Discussions in the past. But what does “focused” vs “threaded” mean exactly? Focused discussions ask students to reflect upon a single idea. For example, “Who is to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths?”.  A threaded discussion is used to explore more complex ideas that may naturally break into sub-topics. For example, if the question is “Was the South’s secession justified?”, the discussion could quickly become threaded based upon political, economic, or cultural distinctions. This threaded discussion could be revisited throughout the course of a unit, while the focused example may be used a single assignment.  


4. Video may have killed the radio star, but video enlivens learning!  

We've learned a few things about the use of video that can help you use it for maximum impact. Here are 3 tips: https://t.co/q5nMpmySHX pic.twitter.com/vxQh7yqYAZ

— Canvas LMS (@CanvasLMS) November 3, 2016

Embedding videos into your Canvas Course is easy thanks to the integration of YouTube and the ease to upload your own video creations! But there are some important things to keep in mind. Here are some great tips on incorporating video into your classes.


5. Fast Track Videos 

@clg311 @CanvasLMS Have you checked out the Canvas FastTrack Video Series? Great tips and ready to share right away. https://t.co/wdmfcuxg0W

— Andrew Gooch (@AndrewJGooch) December 8, 2016

Want to learn more about Canvas? Canvas has a series of videos designed to quickly give you key information or skills to utilize some of Canvas’ most popular features. We used a few in our training courses. The complete list of videos can be found here.

11.18.16- Daily Agenda, Calendar, Community, To Do List, Log-ons

1. Daily Agenda-  While we are all using Canvas in our classes and implementing the four goals, we do have great flexibility in how we accomplish these tasks. Staci L is utilizing the Redirect Tool discussed in the 10.14 Friday Five to help her students easily access her Daily Agenda. She created a Course Navigation link to a Canvas Page she created called Daily Agenda. You can see what it looks like here.  Now her students can click on the link in her course navigation and be taken directly to information on each day’s activities. Brilliant idea and one that I will add to the  Ways to Post the Daily Agenda list.

2. To Turn In or To Complete, That is the Question-  Canvas is constantly improving and responding to user feedback. Beginning this Saturday, students’ To Do lists will be changing slightly. Now assignments that are “No Points” or “No Submission”  will be preceded with the word “Complete” and assignments that need to be submitted will be preceded with the words “Turn In”. This will make it clearer to students what type of action they need to take on an assignment created by a teacher. You can see what this looks like here.

3. Calendars- While the universal calendar for courses is extremely helpful there is a word of caution that needs to be shared with teachers and students alike.  Only 10 calendars can display on the calendar grid at one time. Many students may be managing more than 10 calendars as more and more clubs are utilizing Canvas Courses. Please remind students to make sure that they are mindful of which calendars are “clicked” on. Here is more information on how to filter calendars.

4. Canvas Community Groups- Are you interested in connected with other educators who are utilizing Canvas in their classrooms? There are hundreds of user groups that you can join to learn more about how teachers in your content area or with your interests are implementing Canvas and 21st century learning in their classrooms. Click here for information about these groups.

5. Student Log-in Directions-  Many students are forgetting how to log-in to Canvas when they have a loaner laptop. Please remind students that student log-in directions can be found under the Students Tab on the High School Homepage. I have included them here for your convenience. Teachers can find student login credentials on PowerSchool. Click on the Backpack icon for the period the student is in. Next select the student and finally select Logins from the drop down menu. Canvas credentials are the student’s computer username followed by the same @tag as your Canvas Credential. The password is their network password.

11.4.16 Grading Periods, Numbers to Brag About

Friday Five(ish)-

1. Working with Grading Periods: The attached and linked PDF has a list of 5 bits of info regarding switching between quarters in Canvas. Please check it out!
2. Data Worth Celebrating: We made it through the first quarter and everyone is working hard to learn how to implement Canvas in their classrooms. So, for the last 4 items I am including some amazing stats that demonstrate all of your hard work!

Since the start of the school year:

• 2,744 Assignments have been created in Canvas
• 1,285 Discussion topics have been created (note: this is not a year one goal!!!)
• 8,618 Files have been uploaded
• 110 Media recordings have been added to courses

10.28.16- CK-12, Nearpod, OpenEd, Graph Builder, and More

EduApps Edition-

What is EduAppsCenter.com?  EduApps is a collection of educational applications that can be integrated into learning management systems. Some are free and some require subscriptions or licenses. Feel free to browse the Apps and let me know if there are any you would like to have added to your course or to a test course (I recommend doing that first so you can test the value of the integration).

Why Embed or Integrate Apps?  Embedding Apps helps to keep your students in one location and discourage wandering behaviors! If an app is built into your Canvas course students are not having to go elsewhere to complete assignments or find resources which further reinforces Canvas as the central hub of their learning.

Below is a partial list of Apps that have been installed or, in the case of Nearpod, could be installed on our instance. Like all products, there are some great resources included in these integrations and there are some that are less than great. Make sure to thoroughly vet any resource that you decide to use with a class.  

1. CK-12- I know this tool is used by some science and math teacher. You can know add “high quality, free, teacher created and vetted STEM content without ever leaving” Canvas. Here are CK-12 created instructions on how to embed a CK-12 resource into a Canvas assignment.
2. Nearpod- If you have a Gold membership to Nearpod you can embed your Nearpod lessons directly into a Canvas assignment. Some of the benefits of this include: fewer clicks for students and the ability to maintain Canvas as your central classroom hub. If you have a Gold membership and would like me to install the integration in your courses let me know. The second part of this resource explains how to embed a Nearpod lesson into Canvas.
3. OpenEd- OpenEd has “the largest FREE K-12 resource library with videos, assessments, games and homework assignments, all built from quality publishers and sorted by effectiveness.”  Many of these resources can be assigned directly into Canvas.
4. Graph Builder- This app has been added to the list of external tools available within the Rich Content Editor. To access it, select Graph Builder from  the “V” drop down menu found in the Rich Content Editor within all aspects of Canvas- Pages, Quizzes, Assignments, Discussions. It can be used by teachers or students to “define graphs based on simple or complex equations and chart them dynamically.”
5. Can any tools that aren’t apps be integrated? Yes, look at last week’s Friday Five to see how to include links in course navigation. You can also check to see if a resource has a built in ability to share to an LMS. For example, one of my favorites, EdPuzzle, provides HTML code that can be added to a page or assignment in Canvas. I will place an example in the Friday Five Module in the Professional Learning Course as an example.

10.14.16 Redirect tool, Collaborations, Discussions, Home Page, Video upload

Five Cool Things Teachers at Pennridge are Doing with Canvas…

1. Using the Redirect Tool to Customize Course Navigation-  Alex S. has used the redirect tool to add IXL, PollEv, and Kahoot student access to his course navigation. This can be done with nearly any Web 2.0 tool. The advantage is that your students get quick access to these tools without having to leave Canvas. Here is a quick video using Socrative as an example that shows you how to add links of frequently used tools to your course navigation.
2. Using Conferences and Discussions for Synchronous Collaboration-  Charlie L. used the Conference feature on Canvas to create a real-time viewing party for the first Presidential Debate. Gifted students, under the direction of Keith V , have used the Discussion board feature for a similar debate screening. Here is an overview of Conferences and here is an overview of Discussions.
3. Allowing Cross-Period Collaboration with Discussions-  While the examples shared in number 2 were utilizing synchronous collaboration, Discussions can also be used to allow asynchronous collaboration. Julia G is utilizing the Discussion feature to allow all students reading a particular novel in her multiple periods of American Literature to collaborate. This way students who aren’t in the same class, but are reading the same work, can share insights, resources, and questions.
4. Creating an Explanation of Terms Page- Amy C realized that her students were confused about where to find things in her course so she created a home page that serves as a cheat sheet of where to look for specific course features. Here is a screenshot of her Chemistry Home Page.
5. Performance Tasks: JoJean G had her orchestra students use their webcams to record a video of themselves performing a work of music. They then uploaded the file to an assignment in Canvas so JoJean could watch, evaluate, and provide feedback within Canvas.  Here are directions that students could use to upload a video file to an assignment.

9.30.16- Turnitin, Bookmarks, Student Log-In, Parent Access, Grades

This week’s quick Canvas tips and updates!

1. turnitin.com- Turnitin.com has been activated system wide. You can now collect assignments through Canvas but have them run through Turnitin.com’s plagiarism checker. You can grade the assignment via Turnitin or Canvas’ Speedgrader. The grade can then be pushed to PowerSchool from Canvas. Here are  some basic instructions. I would be happy to help anyone who wants to test out this great integration. If you do not have a Turnitin.com account contact Hilary C.

2. Grades- We all Learn!- On the Beginning of the Year Checklist I suggested hiding grades in your course navigation. Since them I have been able to disable grade totals from that feature. This means students cannot see their current average grade in a course within Canvas- they must do so in PowerSchool, the gradebook of record. What they do get to see, if you give them access, is a clear list of all assignments with due dates, whether they have submitted or not, and any feedback given by the teacher. So in short, it is a good idea to have Grades available in your course navigation!

3. Bookmarks- I have had several students come to me not being able to log-in. The problem has been their bookmarks. It is vital that a Canvas bookmark be made for pennridge.instrucuture.com only. If a student bookmarks with any additional characters after the .com the bookmark will eventually go bad. If a student can’t log in, have them close Chrome, reopen and then type in the address (or use the link on the HS homepage). If they still have problems, send them my way!

4. Canvas Log-in Info for Students- This information has been added to the Student section on the high school website.

5. Parent Access: We are ready to provide parents with directions on how to create observer accounts. By as early as the end of next week your students’ parents will be able to view your course materials, calendars, and announcements. Remember parents have view only status and cannot see Quiz questions, Discussions, or any Student Replies. For a complete list of what observers can and cannot do look  Teachers will be told when the directions are sent to parents.

9.23.16-Apps, Speedgrader, Groups, Course Images

Five tips of the week…

1. Did you know there is a Canvas App? Here are directions for iOS and for Android. Once downloaded use pennridge.instructure.com to search for the school.

2. Did you also know that there is a Canvas SpeedGrader App?  Here is a document with information on the iOS and Android versions.

3. Speaking of SpeedGrader, have you tried it out yet?  Checkout this introduction to this time saving feature of Canvas. You may never grade by hand again!

4. FAQ- How do I use Groups in my courses? Groups are smaller versions of your course which students can use to collaborate on a group project or assignment. They are great to use for projects, especially when you are collecting one assignment from the whole group. Here is a document that includes introductory info on how to use Groups in your course.
5. Finally, under the category of not important, but fun….Look at the Professional Learning Course on your Dashboard. Notice anything different? You can now add images to your course tiles. Students still have the ability to control the color overlay so they can differentiate between your course and other courses on their calendar. Here are directions on how to add a picture to your course tiles.

9.9.16- PS Gradebook, Outlook, Mute Assignments, Notifications, Projectors

Five tips of the week…

1. PowerSchool GradeBook: You can download the PowerSchool Gradebook Launcher onto your laptop for faster access to GradeBook. Click here for directions.

2. Outlook:  In order to have the full functionality of Outlook you should use Outlook 2016 which is on your computer rather than the web version. This allows you to embed pictures into an email, open hyperlinks- like the ones in this email-  and so much more! Just go to your start menu. Click on the Outlook 2016 tile. If you don’t see the tile open “All Apps” and search for Outlook 2016. Click through the start-up steps for Outlook and it will load all of your email, contacts, calendar, etc. When you see the Blue Outlook symbol on your taskbar, right click and select Pin to Taskbar. Outlook will now be accessible from the taskbar. At home you will still need to use the web version unless you VPN into school.

3. Canvas Assignments: Did you know you can “Mute” an assignment in Canvas. This means that students won’t be able to see their grades until you “Unmute” the assignment. You may want to use this function if you do not want some students to know their grades before you have finished grading a test, project, or homework. Here are directions on how to Mute and UnMute an Assignment in Canvas.

4. Canvas Notifications: You can help your students fully utilize Canvas by reminding them to set up notification preferences in their account settings. If students add their cell phone number they can receive texts from Canvas reminding them of due dates, course information, events, graded work, and more!  You can do the same!  Here are directions.

5. Windows 10: Many people have struggled mastering the use of the projector with Windows 10. Chris B. made these handy directions to help with this issue.

If you have questions about any of these items or other tech questions, please see me in room 307!