Copying in Canvas: Assignment, Module,Event, Assignment, From Commons

Scribe At Work

Recently, teachers have been asking about copying items within a Canvas Course. Duplicating quizzes, assignments, and modules helps improve teacher workflow. This week's Friday Five features ways to copy different items within a single course in Canvas. 

How to Copy....

1. A Quiz- Do you need to copy a quiz to make a differentiated version?  The steps found here explain how to copy a quiz within a course. The same process can be used for copying into another course, just make sure to start in the course you would like the quiz copy to be in. 

2. A Module- Perhaps you would like to duplicate a module structure or a complete module. You can duplicate a module (if it does not contain a quiz or LTI assignment) by simply clicking on (1) the three dots to the left of a module title and then selecting (2) Duplicate. Here are full directions.

3. A Calendar Event- Are you having a special event in your class over multiple days? Create the event once and then use the Duplicate feature (found under More Options) to repeat the event for a subsequent number of days. You can even have Canvas automatically number the events for you.Here are full directions. 

4. An Assignment or A Discussion- Just like we saw with Modules, you can easily duplicate an assignment or discussion by clicking on the three dots next to the assignment and then selecting duplicate.

5. A Resource from Commons-  If you have explored Commons in the past, you saw that to fully preview a resource, you had to import it into a shell class. To make this easier you can now preview items in Commons before you copy them into a course. Here are full directions on how to do this and below is an example of how you can preview an assignment that was shared. Curious about Commons? Here is information on what Commons is and describes how it can be used to share items to other teachers in Pennridge.

Things to Consider in the New Year!

As we enter the new year, this Friday Five is 5 observations made regarding our Canvas use and a consideration for each...

1. Quizzes left open...

Each time you make a quiz you can set the Available From and To time and you can set a time limit. If you do not set these items, students may gain some unfair "advantages." For example, they could begin a quiz before you want them to and they can leave the quiz open as long as they want in order to take it "at their leisure".  For security purposes, it is a best practice to set a time limit and to take advantage of the time restrictions. (UPDATE: Please also note that you can set a password (access code) for a quiz. The password can be changed between classes. For more info, scroll down to "Set Quiz Restrictions" in the link above.) Also, refer to the October 6, 2017 Friday Five for a post on using Quiz Logs. Using and sharing this feature with students is a great deterrent.

2. Assignments that have no due dates and then...

somewhere else in Canvas (either in the daily agenda or an Event on the Calendar) there are directions telling the student to complete the assignment by a certain date. This practice creates more work for both the teacher and the student. If an Assignment has a listed due date, the course calendar automatically will have the due date and assignment details added. The assignment will show up on the student's To Do List. Also, remember that you can differentiate due dates on assignments in the Assignment settings. This will put the correct due date for each period (section) on each student's calendar based on the period s/he is in!  Want to reference the assignment on a Page, in a Module, or in an Announcement? No problem, just link the assignment to any of these features. 

3. Reluctance to collect work in Canvas...

Speegrader, speedgrader, speedgrader! If you haven't collected work in Canvas, do yourself a favor and make a New Year's resolution to try! With Speedgrader you can quickly zip through work and leave quick, specific feedback. Then by sync your assignment score to PowerSchool, you will truly improve your workflow. 

4. Missing Modules...

The Year 2 goal for Canvas use is organizing materials in Modules. Refer to the Year 2 Goals Module in the professional learning course for more details, tips, and examples. The beauty of Modules is that they allow for all the different components of Canvas and your course to be neatly organized by unit.  This not only benefits your students but also creates a great course template for you to use in the next school year.

5. Unused items left in Course Navigation...

Canvas can help you provide your students with easy access to course materials, information, and resources. Why not create a cleaner interface by hiding unused features found in Course Navigation? If you aren't using an item such as Collaborations, Chat, and Attendance (to name a few), hide them by following these directions. Also, remember my previous posts about the value of hiding Pages and Files!

Two On Canvas; Three On Phones

This Friday Five includes information on two exciting Canvas updates and a link to a new blog introduced by Erin Reichert for the elementary level called Thursday Three. This week's edition of the Thursday Three contains important information on the new phone system! Make sure to check it out at the end of this post or by clicking here!

We will begin......

1. Canvas Rubrics- We all know rubrics help us to create consistent criteria to evaluate students. Well-crafted rubrics also provide students with clear expectations. Utilizing Canvas Rubrics is a great add-on to SpeedGrader and it is about to get even BETTER! (This change goes into effect on Saturday, 10/7/17!) (click on the images to see enlarged)

Canvas Rubrics Now Allow for Grade-Ranges

When creating a rubric, select Range and you will be prompted to enter the range of scores you will associate with a set of criteria. 

In SpeedGrader, you will see the option to select a range score. The default will be the highest range of the score, but you can override the number. The totals will automatically tally. 

For more information on using Rubrics in Canvas click here!

2. Quiz Moderator- I know many have asked about lock down browsers and these are being investigated, but new features in quiz moderation help teachers watch for cheating and, when shown to students, act a great deterrent. By selecting VIEW LOG from SpeedGrader, a teacher can see if a student stopped viewing the Canvas quiz page and do much more....(click on the images to see enlarged)

1. Indicates the date and time the student took the quiz.
2. Allows you to identify which attempt's log you are viewing
3. Indicates how long it took a student to answer a particular question
4. Lets you know if the student left the Canvas interface. 
5. Allows you to refresh the log. This is helpful if you are viewing the log while the student is working.

For more information on how to MODERATE QUIZZES in Canvas, click here. 

And now for 3, 4, & 5 via The Thursday Three...

3. How to Check Voicemail from a Classroom Phone

4. Directions on How to Retrieve Voice Messages through Email

5. Utilizing the Emergency Button for a Building Emergency

Click here to learn about these great phone features.

Quick Follow-Up to Canvas Survey

First, thank you all for completing the Canvas survey. We are still going through the responses, but there were a couple of items that I thought I would quickly address.

Friday Five: Quick Responses to Canvas Survey Items!

1. 

   Finding Student Credentials:  Next year, the login sheet that students get on the first day of school will clearly indicate that student’s Canvas credentials and 365 credentials are the same. Students also have access to the log-in credential  structure on the high school home page under the Student’s tab. These credentials are slightly different than what we have used in the past.

2. Canvas for Clubs: One response asked about using Canvas for clubs. This is absolutely a possibility and something that is already being done by Key Club and NHS. Any teacher can create a course from the “Start a New Course” button on the lower right of the teacher dashboard. Advisors can then either give students a link to join the course or add each member to the course manually. If you are an advisor and would like help with this, let me know!

3. Quiz Security:  There were a few comments about creating secure environments for testing on a computer.. There are ways to password protect and lock a quiz. Please see me if you would like to explore these features. People also asked about lockdown browsers which would disable other functions on students’ computer while they complete online assessments. This issue continues to be explored.
   

   

4. Canvas in the Summer🌊:  This was a big question: Will I be able to work in Canvas over the summer?  The answer is yes! Your 2017-18 PowerSchool created courses will not be there until the year roll-over occurs (this usually happens sometime in July), but you will be able to build in a shell course and then move everything over. You will also be able to copy everything from your current PowerSchool created courses. Please note, that you will not want to build in your 16-17 PowerSchool courses after June 30th. At this time they become read only which means that you can see and copy everything, but you will  not be able to edit those courses. Here is a video that demonstrates how to copy a course and here are printable directions.
5. Further Support:   I will be in the CAP room for most of the school day next year. I am in the room to help support our cyber program and to help teachers with Canvas and other tech integration questions. Please do not hesitate to call, email, or stop in. Taking this step is the best way to make sure your individual needs and questions are being addressed. If you don’t have time to stop in or don’t know how to set something up, tell me what you want to do and I can hop into your course and set it up for you or walk you through the steps via phone, email, or one of my awesome videos!😃😃😃