Canva February News Items

Canva (not our LMS Canvas) has a monthly newsletter that includes new feature updates and tips for getting the most out of our enterprise-level Canva for Education tools. This month’s newsletter highlights include:

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New Student Activity Videos

We’ve launched handy video guides to help teachers deliver activities with their students in Canva. Explore all the ways students can creatively demonstrate learning with our large range of templates – from infographics, and videos, to comic strips, and more.Canva Videos

WATCH THEM HERE

Introducing Storybook Templates

Our newly launched storybook templates with character builders and resource pages are a fun, engaging, and creative way for students to create their own book! Choose a template, create characters and tell your story. VIEW TEMPLATES HERE

Canva Storybook

Video recording in Canva

Did you know you can record yourself in Canva? Explain a topic, share an update, or simply share your screen! Head over to the Videos tab and click Record Yourself to launch our editing studio. Choose to show yourself or make it a screen recording only, and apply filters and effects. Hit Record to get started.

LEARN MORE HERE

Canva Record

 

If you want to learn more about how Canva and Canvas integrate see our previous blogpost or enroll in the asynchronous Canvas course.

 

Canvas Tip: New Analytics to Support Students

Did you know that New Analytics provides detailed reports about grades, activity in Canvas, and missing assignments? Take a look at the information below to learn more. This can be used to support your teaching with data and an easy way to communicate with students and families that need support.

*Credit to Nicole Pate of Del Sol Academy for the informational slides. Link to slides.

Submit a tech ticket if you have questions about this feature.

Elementary Teachers – Using IXL with Canvas

IXL integration with Canvas

In addition to accessing IXL via Clever, we have recently integrated IXL with Canvas to provide the following functionality (and more) within Canvas courses. 

Quick Launcher
Allows student to quickly access a few of the most valuable areas of IXL.com

Activity Selector
Allows teachers to create a direct links to an IXL skill, or the Diagnostic, from within Canvas

Activity Viewer/Launcher
Allows students or teachers to access an assigned IXL skill or Diagnostic

In sum, IXL’s integration with Canvas allows teachers to access IXL through Canvas and create activities using IXL skills or the Real-Time Diagnostic. Students can also access IXL through Canvas and navigate directly to certain sections of IXL, including skills or the diagnostic as selected by their teachers.

Check out the resources below to help you take full advantage of the integration features:

**Be on the look out for a synchronous, virtual training on IXL for our March 7 Professional Development day.**

(Thanks Bentley educator Kayleigh Gilo for the idea/encouragement to explore setting up this integration!)

Highlights from the February Google for Education newsletter

Google for Education Feb

Here are some highlights from the latest newsletter for your consideration.

PCEP Year-Long Courses now with Grading Periods

High School teachers of PCEP year-long courses, please be aware that Grading Periods will be set up in your Canvas courses denoting each semester.

Year-Long PCEP Coursessummary of grading period implications

  • Teachers will have access to make edits, give feedback, and grade assignments in Canvas for first semester until 11:59 pm on February 2, 2022. After that date, the grades will not be editable.
  • Students will continue to have access to submit assignments with due dates in the first semester UNLESS YOU HAVE AN AVAILABLE UNTIL DATE OF JAN. 28 OR EARLIER.  You can edit those dates in bulk by following the steps here.

Semester 2 began January 31st, 2022.  You can filter your grade book to view assignments with due dates in the Semester 2 grading period by following the steps here.

The information above was also noted in our January 18, 2022 blog post.

If you have questions, please submit a tech ticket.

Zoom Features for your Virtual Classes

Zoom Updates

There have been some updates to Zoom that help facilitate online learning for teachers and students. Check them out below.

  1. Save Zoom recording directly to Canvas. You can now save your Zoom recordings directly to Canvas Studio to easily integrate and share with your students. It just requires a few clicks to set this up in Canvas. Video tutorial.
  2. Create a seating chart in Gallery View. In your account settings, you will need to enable, “Allow host to save video order.” When you are in your meeting, arrange the students as you would like while in Gallery View and click save. If it is a recurring meeting, the video order will be saved for future meetings. More information.
  3. Turn on Focus Mode. This mode allows you to see all the student screens, but students only see the teacher’s video. You can even set it up for your meeting to being in Focus Mode.  More information OR check out this  5 minute explanatory video
  4. More polling and quizzing options. Zoom has expanded their polls to eight different question types and added the ability to add images. You can also set up the poll to be a quiz. More information.
  5. Add video to the Waiting Room. Maximize instructional time by adding a video to play while participants are in the Waiting Room. Unfortunately, this is a general setting to be applied to all your waiting room and not tied to a specific meeting. You can customize this when logged in to your web portal at www.zoom.us Video tutorial.
  6. Zoom Learning Center. Zoom now offers a free educational platform for all new and existing users, including on-demand courses, live trainings, and short videos designed to give you just what you need when you need it to know how to best use their service. Login at https://learning.zoom.us/ Zoom Learning Center

REMC’s newsletter highlights & February Virtual Courses, earn 10 Free SCECHs

REMC February Courses

CS for All

CSforALL now has a monthly newsletter

Looking for ways to sharpen your skills in all things Computer Science?  Look no further than the CSforALL monthly newsletter. They offer a free subscription and the newsletter is filled with opportunities for students to engage with computer science, resources to bring computer science into your classroom and tools to engage and support learning.
READ MORE

21Things

21 Things 4 Students added to MERLOT.org

The REMC Association is pleased to share that 21 Things 4 Students was peer-reviewed by MERLOT.org and added as a link in their federated repository of learning projects. MERLOT only accepts the highest level of resources that meet a standard of high quality content, potential effectiveness as a teaching tool and ease of use.
READ MORE

2022 FEBRUARY REMC COURSES

Stay warm and learn something new! Take advantage of next month’s courses to learn new skills and tools to enhance your classroom.

February is a great time to learn in an instructor-led virtual course setting. REMC courses offer 10 free SCECHs, and are open to all Michigan school personnel.

Through the support of REMC SAVE’s vendor partners, all courses are FREE and there are no SCECH fees. You won’t want to miss out on these virtual courses that are a great way for educators to learn, connect, collaborate and grow from the convenience of their home.

Register by Friday, February 4th – Classes Begin Monday, February 7th

Check out February 2022 courses here:

Registration deadline is Friday, February 4th. You will receive a welcome email with the course login and other information prior to the start date. If you have questions or need further assistance with your registration, please contact Erin Rommeck, REMC Event Coordinator.