[ARCHIVED] Beginning of the Year + Canvas

[mlehr]

Hello Fellow Canvas Users!

I am wondering if anyone has any tips they'd like to share for a successful beginning of the year with Canvas? This will be the first year we (K-12!) start a school year using Canvas and while I know we'll encounter obstacles as they happen, it's nice to get a head start!

Thanks in advance!

[KristinL]

Welcome to Canvas!

When we rolled out Canvas two years ago, we "trained our trainers" so there were more people able to offer support within our building. We also opened course shells in which teachers could practice using the platform before they needed to create coursework for students.

Throughout the first semester, our in-house trainers were added to an email distribution list. Teachers could email canvas@....com for troubleshooting tips before submitting a ticket. That helped out the account admin tremendously. There were also weekly open-lab or drop-in style workshops. Teachers could come in and ask questions without feeling that they were pressured to learn a specific aspect of Canvas. It was just-in-time learning and a great time for collaboration.

Change is difficult, but preparation helps a lot with staff buy-in. Let me know if there's more you want to know! I'd be happy to reply.

[Stef_retired]

 @mlehr ​, in September 2015, the Community held a blogging challenge:

Rather than linking to them all here (there are so many), I suggest you search on "5things" to view the full list. Enjoy.

[ghill]

I finished my first year roll out at our Middle School 6-8 and this year we are training our HS teachers as we roll out Chromebooks to 6-12. 17-18 school year we will have Canvas k-12.

1. If you have the Webinar training time with your purchase do intro to Canvas Parts 1 and 2 for tools overview Sooner rather than later the more they can create ahead of day one the better as they will have questions while creating content that you can help with.

2. Focus on features that will save time make life easier, for us that was Calendar, parents are able to see homework assignments etc. Assignments which help students get right to work off the bat when they enter the classroom and work at their own pace. Speed Grader an integration with PowerSchool so that grading is entered automatically.

3. Once you are up and running small group lessons and 1 on 1 support really helps teachers feel secure. As the Canvas trainer and admin for my K-12 district I did daily walkthroughs of the MS and just asked teachers to show me an ok or thumbs up. Sometimes I would get a "Wait, wait I had a questiuon..." so I found this more effective than emailing or trying to coordinate mass  training sessions. You will find that different users will focus on different aspects and will be at different levels very quickly based on their own comfort with tech use.

4. Have everyone join the K-12 User group. Great ideas and member questions answered here as well as discussions : )

5. Look in commons, don't reinvent the wheel. There is a Ton of content and usually something to help improve a course.

Most of all SHOW THEM THE USER GUIDES video and written. I tell my teachers to skip the middle man (me) and go right to where I would be going to answer their question then I am happy to follow up if they still need help.

I was very clear with teachers that there is front end work to do, but that as they create their courses and add content all of their materials are easily imported back in the following year including automatically updating dates and checking for broken/missing links.

I am happy to help with questions if you want to contact me feel free!

ghill@nelson.k12.va.us

Greg Hill

Assistant Director of Technology

Nelson County Public Schools, Virginia

[BethCrook]

Two things we have done (switched to Canvas 2 years ago) and will be doing this coming year:

*  Two weeks before classes begin, we do a 5 Day Canvas BootCamp.   Every day for 5 days, an email goes out to all teaching faculty with the next step to take their empty course to a ready-to-teach course.  No email exercise will take longer than 10-15 mins to complete.

*  Create 2 Modules in our school "Template" course.  One is Canvas Tips for Students and one is Canvas Tips for Teachers (left unpublished) listing some FAQs related to each.    When we create all of the new courses from the Template, these Modules are accessible in each course.

I'm a believer in not overwhelming my users.   I always group users together based on their user-level and teach them enough for their comfort and +1 item.   Once they have mastered or feel comfortable with that +1, I add the next +1.   Also, when training and showing all of the features, I remind them multiple times "Do NOT let what I'm showing you overwhelm you and do NOT take notes on everything I'm showing.  I simply want you to see what is available, and then we can go back and learn how to do it when you are ready."  Using a little bit of technology really well is way more effective than using a lot of technology without knowledge or purpose!

[drimmer]

This thread asks about problems with introduction and contributions are focussed on staff issues - mine are all student-based.

I discovered Canvas at Christmas, got *super* excited, made loads of content, showcased it to my students...and they were distinctly underwhelmed. Their chief complaints (and yes, they complained and made a protest survey declaring online learning inefficient) were that...

1. They preferred me to stand at the front of the class to deliver content which they would then write down - chalk and talk - I said I wasn't prepared to teach like that and that I would be doing them a disservice if they left with a certificate in my subject but without the skills that would allow them to succeed in higher education and an increasingly competitive, globalised labour market, i.e. digital/IT skills.

2. They found the platform confusing - it transpires that they didn't bother to scroll to look for the blue 'submit assignment' button, so some decided to complete the work online then simply print it off and hand it in (defeating my 'save the trees' stance), that some had *very* poor IT skills, e.g. didn't know how to refresh a webpage or search for specific phrases using quotation marks.

So, here I am trying to make sure that my new classes in September have a better experience. I guess my plan is this:

1. Do not assume that 21st century students with thumbs attached to smart phones are actually tech-savvy - my school is independent (fee-paying, not run by the gov't) so there isn't poverty of access or opportunity, but there are no IT lessons anywhere in the curriculum after age 12, which is a problem to be tackled sometime never...

2. Explain the benefits of Canvas from the start and from their perspective: course materials, assignments, calendar, etc. are available anywhere with internet - no need to lug books home in the holidays, etc.

3. Patiently showcase Canvas and be clear on expectations of engagement - their grades will depend on this.

4. Make room for the students who are reluctant - find a way to support and encourage.

Does anyone have any other recommendations for improving student motivation? I had assumed that this would be embraced quickly - if I had been given this opportunity, I would have grabbed it with both hands - 'the future is now!' sci-fi dreamscape of Inspector Gadget's Penny and her computer-book...but they just don't seem keen. I need to find a way to really sell it to them.

Help!

[KristinL]

At the beginning of the term, could you build in a "Meet Canvas" type activity? Give them a tour of the learning environment and create a quiz based on the basic features. (You could even combine it with a syllabus quiz.) That way, students are familiar with the format of Canvas, and you know specifically what is challenging to your students.

How to foster intrinsic motivation is a really great one. A gradual transition into Canvas be good for those who are unsure about their technology skills. Start out with the key pieces - perhaps assignments, submission, and modules - and then add one new aspect a week.

I'd love to continue this conversation with you. We could branch from this discussion if that would be easier.

[drimmer]

I think you're right: I need to be much more patient with their engagement with Canvas. It is just a shame that I'm the only one using the platform (as I said in our other conversation ) because they will be much less invested in learning how to use the technology and really engage with it, if they are not going to need it in nine months' time.

I've promoted Canvas at every opportunity: the school's termly TeachMeet, my conversations as the school's Digital Guide...so far a history teacher is using it for their IB students to share resources/have discussions to replace her students' WhatsApp group chat that they had set up. I guess I'm not good at empathising with those who do not have the same love affair with technology as I do: I just expect everyone to be as deliriously excited as I am about all the buttons and the possibilities and the everything!

I also worry that they are right - spending time learning a digital skill-set they won't need in the examination, in their other classes, and, maybe, not even their HE or career paths isn't efficient - with a ridiculously short academic year (Paying a shed load of cash for your education? Then we'll give you fewer days in the classroom - you're welcome!) I should just be shovelling the information into their brains and getting them ready to regurgitate it onto an examination script... but I really don't want to teach like that...

And, yes,  @KristinL , a discussion, or chat room, or whatever, would be amazing: help combat the techno-loneliness... *sad panda*

[Stef_retired]

 @drimmer ​,  @KristinL ​ and I are on the same wavelength here; your experiences thus far with Canvas have the makings of a powerful standalone story, one that I'm hopeful the Community will help bring to a favorable resolution. Would you be willing to synthesize your posts in this discussion (along with some of the ones you've posted elsewhere recently) into a blog post, ideally situated here in the K-12​ group, so that K-12 and equivalent teachers can share the engagement strategies they've used successfully to bring their recalcitrant learners into the online, blended, and/or flipped worlds? I know I would eagerly await every installment of such a blog.

[drimmer]

Thanks, stefaniesanders​, I was looking for somewhere to focus all my monologuing and rants - a blog post sounds like just the place

Now, I just need to find a how-to-Canvas-Community-blog guide/video and I'll get started...

[Stef_retired]

Here you go,  @drimmer ​: How do I create a blog post in the Community?

[kona]

So it's not super exciting or sexy, but how about you'll need to know how to do this in College?

There are extremely few if any College's that don't utilize some type of LMS and likewise fewer and fewer College Instructors who are willing to put up with students not following directions (like submitting assignments online instead of handing in a paper version) or choosing to "rebel" against their teaching methods. From your posts I'm not sure of your age group, but I'm assuming over 12, so this is a real thing that they need to understand. College is sink or swim, so why not learn these skills NOW (and embrace it) rather than fight against it and then do poorly later?

My point of view of this is as someone who not only teaches at the College level (I teach a hybrid course, which is basically a flipped classroom), but is also Director of Online Learning at my College. I see the students who didn't learn how to do this in HS in my office all the time and they are confused and frustrated. This is sad because they aren't able to focus on the content of their course because they're too caught up in trying to figure out the technology side of things. And while yes, some Instructors will allow a little leeway at the very beginning of the semester, they crack down pretty quick and the student has to be able to do things using technology in order to submit their assignments, access course content, and pass the class.

[drimmer]

You're right,  @kona ​, they will need these skills in HE - and I have explained that ad nauseum - but the reply is depressingly repetitive - "I don't want to think about university now or the skills I need, I just want to learn the content that will get me the A* grade in the final examination." I honestly think these students may be some of the least intellectually adventurous people I've ever met!

[kona]

Scary, but yes, we hear that in HE as well. Students don't want to THINK. They just want their Instructor to tell them what they need to know for the test... :smileycry:

Sorry people, but in my class you're going to be THINKING, yes, THINKING. And yes, it will probably hurt... I teach statistics, so they come in expecting a traditional math class, but I teach the class as more of a thinking about the numbers and what they mean type of class - not just a did I get the *right* number class. It is painful for them at first, but by the end they normally acknowledge that they actually understand things more and have a better appreciation for it than if we just focused on the numbers. Statistics are all around them and I try to make sure they understand how important it is to understand what the numbers mean and how to tell if the numbers might be more (or less) reliable/trustworthy.

[pwalsh]

I just saw this so I hope my response can still be helpful. I'll focus on the students. I work with middle schoolers, but I'm not saying anything that wouldn't apply to everyone.

• Teach and model how to use Canvas. That means learning one Canvas-related skill at a time and having them do it several times with support before you expect them to do it on their own. You cannot assume that students know how technology works, even if they had their device (we have iPads for elementary and middle and laptops for high) last year.
• Begin by using Canvas for ONE THING. For me, I use it mostly for course management (not content delivery) and quizzes at the beginning. That is, I post the guided notes, homework assignments and quizzes. I've used the calendar, modules, and the syllabus to organize, and they all work as long as you are consistent and minimize the number of digital places students have to go. AFTER students are comfortable using Canvas for one thing--I'm talking weeks here, not after a few days--start adding in other pieces. So, for me, that means after the first 6-week grading period I will start adding in links, instructional videos, online resources, and other supports. Other teachers at my school do it the opposite way. That is, they use Canvas as the organized dumping ground for resources and teach kids how to find those things and then add in the course management piece later.
• Start bare-bones. Don't try to get all fancy with buttons and things right away. If you want to make those changes during a major holiday or semester break, go for it, but don't make changes week to week. Stick with the process you're trying for awhile. Even if it feels like it's not working, you need time to come up with a plan to replace it.
• If online assignments are an expectation, don't take things on paper. We use the Notability app, so students who decide to do things on paper still have to submit them digitally by taking pictures, putting them into a Notability note, and submitting the pdf. Don't get wishy washy unless the circumstance is extraordinary. Then share why with the other students who don't "get" to use paper.
• Ask the students their thoughts. Don't take complaints other than constructive criticism. Explain that their suggestions cannot include not using Canvas and that you're looking for ideas to improve your use of the tool. My students had great ideas about naming conventions for assignment files versus other types of files that wouldn't have occurred to me if I hadn't asked, for example.
• Make Canvas an integrated part of classroom procedures. My students know that as soon as they sit down they are to check the Canvas calendar, download anything they need for the day, and then complete any other tasks that are on the board.
• Include instructions for how to do Canvas things IN CANVAS. Show kids how to get to them. I post instructions with screenshots for how to find today's work, how to do assignments, how to turn in assignments, and what to do if <insert technological glitch of the day here> happens.
• Be consistent. If you're posting an agenda on the calendar each day, don't decide tomorrow you're going to switch to modules unless you have a really good reason. Use a pattern for naming things like files and assignments so kids can find things if they're looking at Canvas a different way than you are. Yes, there are icons, but if students are looking at the home view on the iPad app, everything's thrown in there together.
• Breathe.
• Make a fake class and practice in there. Ask a colleague to be a student in your fake class and practice the various processes you want to use with your colleague. I learned a lot doing this with another teacher.
• Breathe.
• Smile. A lot.
• Did I mention the breathing? Deep breaths. It will be awesome before you know it.