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!