Digital Literacy and Citizenship in the Classroom

digital citizenship with Common Sense

In our rapidly evolving digital world, it’s crucial that students develop strong digital literacy and digital citizenship skills. From navigating the internet safely to understanding the capabilities of artificial intelligence, our students need guidance to become responsible and informed digital citizens. That’s why incorporating Common Sense Media’s free educator resources is such a valuable opportunity for all educators.

Common Sense Media provides ready-made lesson plans and lesson collections tackling a wide range of relevant digital topics like digital security, managing digital distractions, and understanding AI. By creating a free account, teachers gain access to these amazing materials designed to build digital literacy in an engaging way. As educators, we have the chance to empower our students with the knowledge and skills required to thrive online. Bring Common Sense Media’s lessons into your classroom to prepare your students for success in our digital age with confidence.

lesson collection on digital well-being
Digital-well being lessons are available across grade levels.

 

lesson collection for elementary device advice
Lessons to foster device use in the classroom.

 

Range of lessons for 10th grade
Digital citizenship lessons can fit in a variety of subject areas.

March Canvas Updates

march Canvas updates

March 16, 2024 Canvas is releasing two welcome updates!

  • New Quizzes Item Analysis: Fill In the Blank Data now provides additional information on specific question types for instructors to evaluate student responses and provide appropriate intervention. Previously, if you had multiple blanks or dropdowns you would not get stats on all the blanks. Now you will be able to get data for each blank. See image below.

fill in the blank analytics

  • Multiple gradebook filter options can be applied at once.

gradebook filters

Video walkthrough:

Canvas Discussions Redesign Coming this Summer

canvas discussions redesign

This summer, Canvas is rolling out a redesign of the Discussions feature to provide a more modern, accessible, and user-friendly experience. While the core functionality of Discussions will remain intact, the new redesign brings a host of exciting enhancements.

What’s New in the Discussions Redesign?

  • Cleaner, more accessible UI with improved screen reader capabilities
  • Flexible viewing options including inline view and split view
  • Reply reporting with notifications for instructors
  • Quoting functionality to make referencing easier
  • Improved search with text highlighting
  • Support for full and partial anonymity in graded discussions—this functionality is currently turned off  for P-CCS until Canvas adds a moderation feature
  • Additional sorting and filtering options

The goal is to facilitate better peer-to-peer interaction and collaboration through a modernized discussion forum experience. Popular existing features like posting before seeing replies, marking posts read/unread, group discussions, peer reviews, and rubric support will continue to be available.

While some may be apprehensive about the changes, Canvas emphasizes that no current functionality is going away. The redesign aims to elevate the overall discussion experience by adding conveniences like quote replies, anonymous postings, and a more intuitive design.

So get ready to embrace the future of Canvas Discussions coming your way this summer! The refreshed interface and new capabilities will foster more engaging discourse for students and instructors alike.

Find more information here: 2024_Canvas-Discussions-Redesign_Data-Sheet.pdf – Google Drive

New Student & Family Canvas Orientation

location of Canvas orientation link

In an effort to better help new students and families understand how to use Canvas, we have created a Student and Family Canvas Orientation. We plan to link it in several places throughout our public-facing websites. For now, it is conveniently linked in the “Help” area in Canvas.

location of Canvas orientation link

There is a family module and student module. They contain walkthroughs in several formats (video, interactive tutorial, and linked guides).

family module
Orientation Module for Observers/Families
students orientation modules
Module for Students

Individuals don’t need to be be logged into view the course, so you can also share the link directly. Please feel free to spread the word to anyone who would benefit from this resource. We will update this blog post when we add the link in other places.

 

Are your MiStar Grades & Assignments Visible?

We have gotten a few reports from students and families that MiStar grades and assignments aren’t visible for certain classes. Perhaps your turned off visibility at the end of the semester or have new semester courses, please take a moment to check that you have the correct setting turned on. You will want to “Share Assignment Information With Those Permitted Access.”

mistar grade settings

Please submit a tech ticket if you have questions.

Canvas February Updates

There are several updates coming to Canvas on February 17.

  • Calendar: Did you know you can set up appointment groups for students to sign up to meet with you? Coming February 17, you can also allow Observers to sign up for Appointment Groups.

  • New Quizzes updates include:
    • If you utilize Classic Quizzes for practice quizzes you’ll be able to migrate them to New Quizzes. When migrated, the settings for a practice quiz will automatically be enabled (worth 0 points and set to NOT display in the gradebook).

zero-point quiz settings enabled

    • New Quizzes has recently increased the speed of analytics for your quiz and now they are adding the option to export the data as a CSV.
    • There will also be answer frequency summary tables available for Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer, and True or False question types.

Go to Canvas’s Relase Notes for more information on these updates.

iPads and IXL – Using the Web Version enhances student accessibility

As we continuously strive to enhance the learning experience for our students, we would like to inform you of an exciting change in the way students access IXL. We are removing the IXL app from student and teacher iPads, and here’s why we believe it’s a positive step forward.

The decision to transition from the IXL app to the web version is rooted in our commitment to providing students with the best possible learning environment. The web version offers an updated IXL dashboard, granting students easy access to starred skills, skill plans, and a seamless review of recently worked-on skills. The web version also gives students access to the games available on IXL We believe that this enhancement will empower students to navigate and engage with IXL more efficiently.

Consistency in Sign-In Process

We understand that change can sometimes raise concerns, but we want to assure you that this transition will not impact how students sign in to IXL. The familiar Clever app will remain the gateway for students to access IXL on their iPads. By tapping on IXL through Clever, students will continue to seamlessly log in and explore the enhanced features on the web version. Our goal is to emphasize that this change is about making the IXL experience even better for students. The shift to the web version is not a loss but a gain in terms of functionality and accessibility.

How to Guide Students Through the Transition

To facilitate a smooth transition, we encourage you to guide students in accessing IXL through the Clever app on their iPads, just as they always have. The new features and improvements await them on the web version, promising a more streamlined and enriching learning journey. The last day for the app to be on the iPad is Thursday February 15. By Tuesday February 20 the app will no longer be on the ipad.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to our support team through a helpdesk ticket.

Canvas Module Requirements: Streamlining Learning for Educators

Canvas offers a valuable feature known as Module Requirements. Canvas Module Requirements allow teachers to set prerequisites for learning materials within a course. This means that learners must complete one step before moving on to the next. This feature is particularly beneficial in guiding students through a sequential learning journey. By structuring modules with prerequisites, educators can ensure that foundational concepts are mastered before introducing more advanced topics. In a world where remote and asynchronous learning are becoming increasingly prevalent, the ability to control the flow of information is crucial. Canvas Module Requirements provide teachers with the means to create a logical progression of content, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Did you know? Canvas requirements are used in all of our asynchronous professional development. If you click on Module in the course you are taking, you can easily see what items you have completed and pick up where you left off in a course. When you go to Module you’ll see this:

modules with missing and completed requirments

Green checkmarks indicate it is complete and the circle indicates that it still needs to be completed. Hopefully this information helps you as we enter the February PD window. If you would like more information about setting these up in your own course, check out the instructor guides linked below.

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-prerequisites-to-a-module/ta-p/1123

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-requirements-to-a-module/ta-p/1131

GIFs for Students!

Exciting news! There’s a cool new resource in town – Gif.school! 🎉 We know how students love GIFs, GIFs can add that extra flair to your lessons and assignments, and Gif.school is here to make it a breeze!

Less Searching, More Finding

Ever want students to be able to use a GIF in an assignment or exit ticket and they get lost in a sea of gifs? Gif.school keeps it simple by giving you fewer choices. No more endless scrolling – you and your students can now easily find the perfect gif without the fuss!

Safe, Secure, and Student-Friendly

Worried about inappropriate gifs? Don’t be! Gif.school is like your trustworthy classroom assistant, filtering out the stuff you wouldn’t want in your lessons. Safe search approved and ready for action!

Creativity Unleashed

Let’s face it – gifs make learning fun. Gif.school strikes the right balance of fun and security, offering relevant and exciting gifs that add that can support student engagement and joy in your classroom. Let students choose their GIF to add their voice to exit tickets, polls, assignments and more!

Ready to dive in? Head over to Gif.school and let the gif magic begin.

 

New Ways to Use the Address Bar to increase your Productivity!

If you’ve ever found yourself lost in a sea of open tabs or struggled to locate a bookmark buried in folders, Google Chrome’s latest update is here to rescue you. The Chrome address bar on desktop has received a significant upgrade, empowering users to search through tabs, bookmarks, and history directly from the address bar.

@Tabs: Taming the Tab Chaos

For those moments when your tab count resembles an explosion, the new @tabs shortcut becomes your trusty companion. Simply type “@tabs” in the address bar, hit the “search tabs” button, and start typing the title. Watch as Chrome intelligently sifts through your tabs, presenting matching suggestions. Whether you’re planning a trip with numerous tabs about flights, hotels, activities, and rental cars, or you’re managing work projects, @tabs, coupled with tab groups, simplifies the process and helps you stay organized.

@Bookmarks: Navigating Your Bookmarked Universe

If you’ve bookmarked a crucial webpage months ago and now need quick access, the @bookmarks shortcut is your solution. By typing “@bookmarks” in the address bar, you can efficiently locate the bookmark you’re looking for, even among folders of bookmarks. Whether it’s checking the availability of a hotel or revisiting a bookmarked article, @bookmarks streamlines your browsing experience.

@History: Revisiting the Past

Sometimes, the information you seek might not be bookmarked, but fear not. The @history shortcut allows you to search through your browsing history directly from the address bar. Whether you need to find an old website for hiking trails or revisit a page you stumbled upon, @history comes to your rescue.

In the address bar, simply type the desired shortcut, enter the relevant details, and witness the suggestions appear directly, making your browsing experience more efficient and enjoyable.

The Chrome address bar – now referred to as the OMNIBOX –  is no longer just a URL input – it’s your gateway to a more organized and accessible browsing experience. Try out these shortcuts today and take control of your tabs, bookmarks, and history like never before.

Happy browsing!