Canvas News
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Try an Advanced Feature Option
Canvas is currently going through the process of adding a few great features to our program in response to multiple requests from us, the teachers, that are using it. These features will help you to take your Canvas integration to the next level for your students. You can turn on any of these features in your course "settings" under the "feature options" tab. Make sure that you log in with your school ID to any Canvas help pages.
Mastery Paths
The Canvas MasteryPaths feature allows you to customize learning experiences to students based on student performance. With MasteryPaths, you identify activities for each student’s learning path and differentiate assignments for required learning, optional learning, or choosing their own content and assignments within a specific path, which helps them achieve course mastery. MasteryPaths is based on differentiated assignments, which allows targeted learning activities to be assigned to different users and sections. With MasteryPaths, assignments are differentiated to individual students automatically and no additional work is required aside from grading student assignments as usual. After the initial assignment has been graded (either manually or automatically), the student’s score designates which conditional items(s) they are assigned as a learning path. (Canvas Guide & Video Guide for Instructors)
Quizzes Next
Quizzes.Next is an assessment engine that integrates with Canvas as an LTI tool and replaces the classic quizzes functionality currently existing in Canvas. Instructors can use Quizzes.Next to create assessments using a variety of question types. Quizzes.Next assessments display as assignments in the Assignments page and can be duplicated. Assessments can also be tied to outcomes to give the teacher a clear understanding of student's progress on power standards. (Canvas Guides & Video Guide for Instructors)
Learning Mastery Gradebook
The Learning Mastery Gradebook helps instructors and admins assess the outcome standards being used in Canvas courses. This gradebook helps institutions measure student learning through outcomes, associated with assessments, assignments, and rubrics, better assessing the needs of their students. The default view in the Learning Mastery Gradebook is to view all students at the same time, but you can also view students individually and provide individual feedback on progress.
Try the New Gradebook
The New Gradebook is a beta feature that allows instructors to view an improved version of the Gradebook. This feature makes grading more flexible and intuitive and elevates the Gradebook user experience. To turn on the new Gradebook feature, click on "settings" of one of your courses and click on the tab "feature options." Scroll down the list of options available until you see "New Gradebook beta." Click on the toggle switch at the right and it will turn green. This turns on the gradebook for all your courses.
Canvas also has a community group dedicated to receiving feedback from users of the new Gradebook and wants to hear from you. I am available for questions or support if you want to try out this or any of the available new features Canvas offers!
- New Gradebook Guide from Canvas
- New Gradebook FAQs from Canvas
- See the whole list of new features added or pictures and links to specific ones of interest below.
Assignment Status
Filter Gradebook
Arrange Gradebook
Teacher Spotlight
Adam Nidey, Emily Lewis, & Brooke VonStein, 3rd Grade Team, Crestview School of Inquiry
With every new year, brings new changes. For us, it was the removal of our two main learning management systems, Echo and Google Classroom...yep, the double whammy! For a short time it was the thoughts of “Are you kidding me?”, “Now what?”, and “Where do we even start?” We had spent so much of our time inside and outside of our contracts creating authentic experiences for our learners in these two platforms and they were gone. It was hours upon hours of work that were no longer going to be used. To say the least, we were frustrated and confused, because to us it came without warning.
So….Carrie Jacobs and Canvas to the rescue! She met with our third grade PLC on two occasions to give us a crash course in Canvas. We then utilized Canvas as we prepped for project planning, as well as creating a hub for our PLC work. The city of Clive attended our project planning to help with the culminating event, and they commented on the organization that Canvas provided. The process was streamlined and had a more guided focus.
Part of our team will be attending the Canvas courses provided by the district, and hope to have full implementation for our third graders after winter break. We look forward to the learning opportunities that Canvas will provide.
Project Planning Course on Canvas
Dashboard of Canvas Courses for PLC Work
Want to learn more about Canvas?
Carrie Jacobs
Email: jacobsc@wdmcs.org
Website: http://www.wdmcs.org
Location: 3550 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines, IA, USA
Phone: (515)633-5159
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thetiedyedteacher/
Twitter: @tiedyedteacher