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!

Three (More) On Phones,One On Canvas, One On PowerPoint

Hopefully these phone tips never stop because being provided with three items by Diane Miller is making the Friday Five so much easier to write. Once again this Friday Five will include three on phones and two other timely tips!

Phones 

1. How do I check voicemail from outside of the district?

1. Dial 215-453-2737
2. Enter your ID Number followed by # (Your ID is your extension [222XXX]
3. Enter you PIN followed by #
4. Follow the prompts to retrieve new or saved messages or to reach set-up options

2. How do parents reach your voicemail box?

1. Call into the main school number (HS: 215-453-6944) -or-
2. Call 215-453-2765 which is the District-wide Faculty Voicemail Call-in Line
3. From Either number, the caller will be prompted to enter your mailbox number or will be directed to search the staff directory

3. What if I want to learn even more about our new phones?

1. Click here for the Cisco Self-Care Portal Quick Reference Guide
2. Use your district username and password to log-in to the portal
3. While much can be done right from your phone, but  the portal gives you a nice interface to accomplish basic phone tasks like:

• Reseting Your Voicemail PIN (once you have gone through the initial set-up)
• Forwarding All Calls
• Setting up Phone Contacts for your personal directory
• Changing Ringtones

The next 2 tips have to do with utilizing touchscreens for faculty and students with touch devices. 

Canvas

4. How can I use my touch-enabled device in Canvas?

SpeedGrader is a huge time-saver and you don't need to have a touch-enabled device to take advantage of it awesome features. However, if you are someone who likes to "write" on student's papers and have a touch device, this beta (meaning Canvas isn't sure that it is perfect yet) feature option may be great for you. Below is a super quick video of my attempts~note I have bad handwriting to begin with and screens do it no favors!

PowerPoint

5. How do I encourage students (9th-11th graders!) to take notes on your PowerPoint Presentations?

Students can "write" directly onto PowerPoint presentations you provide for them via Canvas. This is a great way for students to stay engaged in a presentation and create notes that help them elaborate upon the information you present, record examples you share, and practice steps you model. Below is a super-quick video demonstrating how to utilize the drawing feature in PowerPoint and here is a Microsoft Guide- Check out the shape conversion...awesome! We will explore this further during the October 24th Tuesday Ten!

Upcoming Tuesday Tens:
10/17- Screen Casting Options
10/24- Student Note taking with Touchscreens 
11/14- Skype in The Classroom

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.

Student Communication and Feedback in Canvas

Ryan Wallace, like all great social studies teachers, can't help but pick up reading materials along his travels. Recently, on a field trip with FBLA to Bucks County Community College, Ryan picked up the student newspaper. Was he longing for his college years, feeling nostalgia for the printed press, or lured by the lead story? It was clearly the story, "The In's and Out's of Canvas." Channeling his inner Ed Johnson (if you are too new to our faculty to get this reference, ask one of us older folks), Ryan passed the article on to me! It focuses on the ease students have tracking their course progress when professors are utilizing Canvas.

Inspired by the article (thank you Ryan!) and some recent FAQS, this Friday Five is a list of tips you can share with your students to help them better utilize the interface. These tips are also being shared with students via their “Class of” course!

1. Calendar from the Classroom Homepage: Students can gain direct access to their course calendar from the homepage of the individual course. This makes focusing on just one class easier. Screenshot credit to Roberta Simmons!.

2. Specific Feedback on Assignments: Students can see detailed feedback on an assignment in the by clicking on the View Feedback Button from the submission details page. Below is an image of the page and button to press. Linked here are full directions.

3. General Comments on An Assignment: Students can also see general comments and rubric details from the Grades link in course navigation. Make sure you have Grades accessible in your course navigation! Below is a snapshot of what they see and linked here are directions on how to access this information.

4. To Do and Coming Up Lists: These lists give students (and teachers) a quick glimpse into their courses. From the Dashboard, the list will include items from all courses. From a course homepage, the list will only include information for that course. Remember, the To-Do list includes items with a due date in the next seven days. The Coming Up list includes assignments and events that are coming up in the next seven days. For more info check out this resource. Screenshot credit to Heidi Kulik!

5. Notifications:  It is important to remind students that they can receive notifications from Canvas via text or email. Most students were shown this when they picked up their laptops, but it is worth reminding students of this helpful feature. Linked here is info on how to set-up Canvas notifications.

BONUS: SAVE THE DATE! 21st Century Learning Night is Tuesday, May 30th. Check out our new website. More details to come!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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!