Recent Canvas Updates

December Updates

  • Course Import Warning Message: When you use the “Copy To” option in Canvas, you will now get a warning about overwriting existing content. This displays regardless of whether the actual content was previously imported or not. It is just there to remind you to be careful.
  • Image Option Percentage: Embedded images can be customized by pixels or percentages.
  • To Do Speedgrader Link Tab Setting: Under Settings and Feature options, instructors can choose to open their To Do items in a new tab. This setting is turned on by default.

January Updates (1/15/22)

  • New Quizzes Partial Credit for Matching: You can now choose if students will receive partial credit if they get parts of the matching set wrong. Previously, if they got one wrong, then entire section would be marked as wrong. Release Screencast
  • Ability to Collapse Course Navigation Menu: You will be able to hide the Course Navigation Menu like you can minimize the Global Navigation Menu.
  • Missing Status Removes When a Grade is Entered: If an assignment was marked as missing, when you enter a grade for the assignment, it will no longer have the missing designation.
  • External Link & Tool Module Link (Open in a New Tab) Setting: When you add an External Tool or External Link to a module, you are given the choice if you want the link to open in a new tab or not. The choice you make will now be “sticky” and will remain the default until you chose a different option.
  • Unposted Comment Warning: In Speedgrader, you will now get a warning if you try to navigate away before posting the comment.

Please reach out if you have additional questions about these updates.

End-of-Term Review Templates

As we draw near to the end of the first semester, you might be looking for some ideas to put students in the driver’s seat of reviewing for exams or projects. Here are a few ideas and templates.

  1. Thin Slide Study Guide
    • Thin Slides is a versatile, collaborative slide deck. Generally, each student gets one slide, one picture, and one word to create and briefly present on. This study guide version has a twist in that it has key terms and students write the definition in their own terms and find a picture to represent it. On following days, the process it repeated but each student get a slide someone else has already done. The included template also has an explainer video for the teacher.
  2. Hexagonal Thinking
    • A few years ago, the Cult of Pedagogy blog and podcast posted about Hexagonal Thinking. It serves as a visual way to make connections between ideas. It generates thinking and discussion as students realize the various connections that other people made and explain their own thinking. You could provide the terms you want them to connect or see what students are able to generate on their own with this template.

Submit a tech ticket if you have questions about implementing these strategies in your classroom.

Canvas Quizzes: Accommodations, Matching Partial Credit, & New Date for Classic Quizzes Sunset

Classic Quiz Sunset Timeline Extended

Canvas has announced that it is delaying the sunset timeline for Classic Quizzes until June 30, 2024. Our district may begin restricting the creation of new Classic Quizzes later this year, but existing Classic Quizzes will be available longer than originally anticipated.

New Quizzes Update (January 15): Partial Credit in Matching

In the past, many teachers have bemoaned that partial credit cannot be awarded on Matching questions. Starting January 15, New Quizzes will now have that option! See this post for more information.

Quiz Accommodations in Classic and New Quizzes

We recently received a question about how to accommodate students tests/quizzes in Canvas. There are a lot of moderation options in Canvas, but the specific question was around students that may begin their quiz during class and receive extra time during their Resource hour. Below you will find a resource on how to accomplish this as well information on how students can resume a Quiz, moderating New and Classic Quizzes, and how to reopen an attempt for students.

Please submit a ticket if you have additional questions about this.


You may also view this collection of resources here: https://wke.lt/w/s/5aK43b

 

Some websites to check out

Collage

— One of 2021’s Webby Awards in the Education category honoree’s National Geographic’s MapMaker empowers learners to explore Earth’s interconnected systems through a collection of curated basemaps, data layers, and annotation tools.

MapMaker

— The Blue Marine Foundation’s The Sea We Breathe is an interactive online project that won an FWA (Favorite Website Award of the month) earlier this year. Dive into 3 immersive underwater journeys and discover why a healthy ocean means a healthy planet.

The Sea we breathe

— Perhaps for some lower elementary students using the interactive flat panels, this story of a little bird crossing the river that also won an FWA.

Storybird

— Fingerspelling.xyz uses Hand Tracking & Machine Learning to help teach the ABCs in American Sign Language. Created together with the American Society for Deaf Children (also an FWA noted site).

Fingerspelling

— Google’s Internet Saathi project highlights stories of women breaking cycles of inequality (FWA cited).

Saathi

— Solve artistic jigsaw puzzles together with family and friends in this Google Arts and Culture experiment 

Puzzle Party

 

PHOTOS ONLINE — The following are just some of the sites that house collections of photos from the past year. One or more might serve as a conversation starter in your learning environment.

The Guardian’s best photographs of 2021 – and the stories behind them 

AlJazeera’s 2021 In Pictures: The best photos from around the world

TIME’s Top 100 Photos of 2021

My Modern Met’s Best of 2021: Top 50 Photographs From Around the World

National Geographic’s top photos and stories from 2021

25 of 2021 NORTHERN LIGHTS PHOTOS

 

 

 

Free online PD now available through January 7th

DitchThatSummitVideos

Just a friendly reminder 😉 that the free online PD we mentioned in an earlier blog posting is still available for a limited time through January 7, 2022. Here’s a link to many of the over 80 videos already available.  A few you might want to check out include Mike Lang’s Canvas tips, new Seesaw resources, Make Math Collaborative with EquatIO Mathspace (a free to our district teachers online tool accessible via equat.io), and visual learning tips using Canva.

The Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit hosted by Matt Miller promises valuable knowledge from top innovators AND tips you can implement immediately. All videos — more than 70 — will be available in December and early January. Like any other conference, when it’s over, it’s over and the videos will disappear. Speaker videos last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. They’re practical and inspirational, from hand-picked education leaders. Each video is accompanied by a PDF notes page summarizing the message. Download the notes, share, and keep them as long as you want.

To get a flavor for what might be shared, check out some past Ditch Summit Sketchnotes created by Jen Giffen (@virtualgiff) below:

New Google Slides Option: Show/Remove Filmstrip

image showing to go to view and check or uncheck filmstrip

There is a new option for your screen when working in Google Slides. You can view or hide the filmstrip. What’s filmstrip? It is the vertical display of slides to the left of the slide your are working on.

image showing to go to view and check or uncheck filmstrip

Take a Look at the Difference

comparison of the 2 viewsWhy would you want to use this feature?

👉🏽 You are presenting, but still want to be able to edit on the slide, this gives you more space

👉🏽You have a drag and drop activity for students, you can utilize more of the gray area on the sides

👉🏽 You want to keep upcoming slides hidden

Interested in drag and drop activities for Google Slides? Check out these resources:

Winter and End-of-the-Semester Activity Ideas

As we approach the end of the semester, you might consider some new ideas for end-of-semester final projects. Matt Miller, the founder of Ditch that Textbook posted a few great ideas on his blog. Ideas include creating a series of podcast, producing an unboxing video, and connecting with a cause. Read more about his ideas here: https://ditchthattextbook.com/10-ideas-for-digital-end-of-semester-final-projects/

You many not be looking for end-of-the-semester activities, but perhaps you are looking for activities that will engage students as we move toward Winter Break. Eric Curts, of Control Alt Achieve, has put together a collection of “googley” wintertime activities that will allow students to be creative and practice some content skills. Check out his great templates here: https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2021/12/winter.html

Mobile Tips for Teachers and Students

Time Saving Tip: Many students and teachers end up accessing Google tools from their phones. As a result, most of us are logged into multiple Google accounts on our phones. Up until last week, I would click on my avatar in the upper, right corner and then select the account I wanted to switch to. But did you know you can save a few nano-seconds by just swiping up or down on that avatar and Google will switch between your accounts? This works in Google Mail (Gmail), Google Drive, Google Keep, Jamboard, Slides, and Docs. It works in most of the Google apps except for Calendar. Video Demonstration.

 

Accessing eEmployee and other SMART modules

SMARTweb

By logging into our SMART system’s web interface at https://smart.resa.net/ staff can view their eEmployee information, including payroll and attendance and soon be able to input certain health information. An earlier blog post noted that as of this past July, two factor authentication was being enforced (see https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WtHg2tbpkhZRPFg4UJVOITZByKxgUnCN/view?usp=sharing for guidance).

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The information below is meant to assist THOSE STAFF who HAVE NOT logged into SMARTweb before.

Register as a First Time User

To sign on to eEmployee, log into: http://smart.resa.net.
The first time you login, you will need to register. Click the “Register if you haven’t already” link.

register

The following screen will come up. Start typing our district name (Plymouth-Canton) in the District box and select our district from the list that comes up. Then, enter your birth date and either the last four digits of your Social Security Number OR your Employee ID number and click Confirm.

After you click confirm, the screen below will come up to set your password. The Password Policy set by our district will be shown. Key in your password twice and click Reset.

Forgot Password??
Employees
From the login screen, fill in your User Name and District (start typing our district name in the District box and select our district from the list) and then click on “Forgot Your
Password.

You will then be prompted to set a password. The Password Policy requirements for our district will be listed. After keying in your password and confirming it, click reset.

Forgot Username??
From the login screen, fill in our District (start typing our district name in the District box and select our district from the list) and then click on “Forgot Your Username.”

The following screen will come up. Start typing our district name in the District box and select our district from the list that comes up. Then, enter your birth date and either
the last four digits of your Social Security Number OR your Employee ID number and click Confirm.