What are discussion boards?

Did you know Canvas has discussion boards? They are a powerful learning tool when we are remote or in-person. Using this medium encourages all students to participate, not just a few vocal students. Additionally, by writing comments as a “rehearsal” for a live discussion you may get more thoughtful contributions. Here are a few main points to note:

• Discussions can be graded or ungraded
• Discussions can be focused (only respond to the teacher’s question) or threaded (see and respond to each other)
• You can allow students to like posts
• You can create group discussions so students are not as overwhelmed with the amount of posts to read
• You can pin a discussion (such as Common Questions and Answers) to the top of the discussion page
• In discussions, students have access to the Rich Content Editor so they can include, links, images, or even record audio/video in Studio
• For a more formal discussion posts you can require peer review and Canvas can automatically pair students or pair them manually

How can discussion boards be used?

• Post questions before a test
• For an enter/exit ticket
• Use for book club discussion (set up group discussions)
• Use as a gallery walk for viewing work from other students

Tips for Success

When you begin using discussion boards, you might find that students need help cultivating quality responses. Setting expectations from the beginning help reduce frustration.

• Teach quality commenting skills using the CAPS acronym
• Craft effective prompts, use discussion groups/roles, and provide a rubric
• Give the students options for their post: type out the answer, record video or audio with studio, or post a picture of a visual representation of their thinking

Canvas has annual updates which include items such as new features, “bug” fixes, and enhancements to make the Canvas experience more efficient. On March 20th, Canvas will be releasing a fairly significant update that will benefit all users. Below is a list of notable features:

• Students will now be able to submit and upload files via their webcam. Click for more info
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• In Speedgrader, teachers can reassign an assignment to an individual student and ask them to redo their submission. Click for more info
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Files linked in the RCE(Rich Content Editor) can be previewed in an overlay or inline. Click for more info
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

• New Quizzes can be created when adding a quiz to a module. Click for more info
  

March is Women’s History Month. Here is a choice board that can be used by students to help students explore influential women and create something using their new knowledge. You can explore it yourself to find things that relate more specifically to your content. These are geared toward upper grade levels.

To find more lesson plans based for all grade levels try these resource collections:

• Scholastic’s Women’s History Month
• Lesson plans from the Anti-Defamation League

March is Reading Month. To celebrate, use this “activity board” for students to explore books and create their own literary works. Be sure to preview the links yourself and File/Make a Copy if you want to make modifications. You’ll need to review the “Create a Reading Fort” link to insert your own place where students can share what they create, perhaps they could post a picture to the Canvas discussion board. You can also share this particular resource with the short link: bit.ly/readacross21 Happy Reading Month!

Now that P-CCS  is bringing middle school and high school students back on-campus, teachers may wish to further adjust their instruction for optimized learning with the new schedule. The hybrid schedule feels very unique to the times we are living in. Fortunately, schools across the country have been using it and teachers have insights to share. For this post, I have borrowed mostly from the work of Jennifer Gonzalez (Cult of Pedagogy) and Catlin Tucker, an experienced, blended learning coach. Consider reading the original posts for more information.

Four Models:

1. Station Rotation: Think of your week or class period in 3 kinds of “stations” for students to rotate through: teacher-led, online activity, and an offline activity. Here’s a great template from Stephanie DeMichele. Here’s a link to some specific ideas for core content areas.
2. Flipped Learning: Move the act of direct instruction to asynchronous video so it can be more accessible for all (pause, re-watch, captions). Think of your week or class period in terms of a pre-video activity, during-the-video activity, and a post-video activity. If you desire, save time, by recording snippets of intended instruction during your live class to post in Canvas, directions here.
3. Playlist/Hyperdoc Model: Playlists allow students to move through a sequence of learning activities. The playlist can build in choice as far as what modality and what combination of activities students choose. This model is also very similar to a hyperdoc which guides students through a complete lesson flow. In this model, teachers design the lesson in-advance and then spend time in class connecting with individuals and small groups to answer questions, clear misconceptions, and provide feedback.
4. Pre/In/Post Class: This model simply helps you think about planning in terms of synchronous and asynchronous. Utilize Sections in Canvas to divide your class into cohorts so that each one sees their work at the appropriate time. See the graphic below from Catlin Tucker’s blog.

Tips from Teachers (curated from Jennifer Gonzalez of Cult of Pedagogy)

• Make the face-to-face time special–Try not to use this time to give all your tests or “cram” in all the content you plan to deliver. Use it build relationships and interact with each other.
  • Putting direct instruction on video prevents you from having to repeat yourself over and over and allows students to watch at their own pace
• Chunk the time–As we move to the block schedule on top of the hybrid set-up it is helpful think of your time in various segments. You can select one of the models above to guide you. If you desire to have the at-home cohort log-on to your synchronous class time you might consider some of these models. They were shared by Beth Alexander, the Director of Teaching and Learning at a school in Toronto.
• Build community–This is always important and still is as teachers and students face this new classroom set-up.

Teachers can continue to use Canvas and other tech tools to manage and organize their courses. Reach out to a Tech Integration Specialist if you want a thought partner in this process. Submit a tech ticket and select the “Tech Integration” option.

If you are looking for more ideas, check out this collection of resources: https://wke.lt/w/s/N62hdh