Vista USD Ed Tech Newsletter
May 2022
Canvas: End of Year Wrap-Up
We are nearing the end of the year and that means Canvas classes will be concluding soon.
Remember that classes do not disappear at the end of the school year, they are just moved to the "past enrollments" area under "all courses." Please check out our Where did my classes go? resource for directions on how to find past enrollment courses.
Want to prepare for next year?
Do you want to prepare your classes for next year before they go live in August? You can create new content or move old content into a Sandbox course. Once the school year begins and new course shells are created with students, you can transfer content from a Sandbox course into your district created course(s) by following the steps in this video.Archiving the Teacher Resource Course
The Learning Collaborative was created to provide on-demand and live professional development for all staff members in the Vista Unified School District. We are passionate about providing resources, tips, and tricks that will be useful for teachers, students, and staff. Please accept the course in Canvas so TLC will appear as a tile on your Dashboard.
We will continue to add resources and if you have any recommendations for content or do not see the tile in Canvas and would like access to it, please send us an email at TLC@vistausd.org. **Note: if you have starred courses to filter your Canvas dashboard and do not see the TLC course tile, go to "Courses" on the global navigation bar and scroll down to select "all courses" to access TLC.
Adding an Email Signature
Professional Development Resources found in TLC
If you provided a PD session at your site and want to share it with everyone, please email the slides, handouts, and/or videos you used so we can add it to TLC. tlc@vistausd.org Benchmark and Eureka PD’s are not available through this feature.
Now Available: Button/Icon Maker in Canvas!
We are excited to announce that the Icon/Button Maker is now available in Canvas! This new “Icon Maker” feature is available in the Rich Content Editor (RCE) when making assignments and/or pages. This new feature allows you to create simple and reusable icons or buttons directly in Canvas without the use of an external design program.
Please watch our How To Video to learn more about the button/icon making process in Canvas.
Why are buttons helpful?
Visual indicators are a great way to get a student's attention and for creating scannable, consistent content. This is true at all levels, and even more so, for our elementary learners.
Bye Google Hangouts, Hello Google Chat!
If you use this application on your phone, you will need to remove Hangouts and download Google Chat, then link it to your email. It’s a great way to send a quick message and communicate with staff around the district.
IT Work Order vs. Technology Help Form
If you have checked with your Canvas Site Expert and still need support, you can fill out our Technology Help Form and we will assist you! The technology help form is meant for help with Canvas. The IT Work order can help with technology set up (printers, monitors, etc), account supports (Aeries, Cloud Connect, etc). If you need support with Lexia or AR, these are site based and your administrator should be able to support you. If further support is needed, you can put in a work order under accounts. If you don’t have an account yet, register NOW! IT Work Order - password: 4680NorthAve
Canvas Help for Teachers
VUSD Technology Help Form- Get timely support from a VUSD TOSA
How to Access Canvas Training Portal: All teachers have FREE unlimited access to the Canvas Training Portal, which includes self-paced and LIVE training sessions with Canvas trainers. These trainings are free and voluntary.
How to Access Canvas Help: Need help with your Canvas course? Select the “Help” menu to utilize the 24/7 chat or phone support.
VUSD HELP RESOURCES
Previous ED TECH Newsletters
Contact Us!
Canvas Support Teachers
Taresa McSpadden (Elementary)
Kirsten (Kurdy) Turner (Secondary)
Contact: VUSD Technology Help Form
Email: edtech@vistausd.org