It's Better Together

[BStutzman]

 

What does COMMUNITY mean to you?

Because I am not a person that can work alone in a silo, I seek out the power of community in all that I do.  When I have fallen on personal tough times, blogs and social media groups filled with others facing the same trials have lifted me and given me answers, hope and more resources than I could ever find alone.  When my district adopted Canvas as our LMS I became a member of the Canvas Community for these same reasons.  I wanted to gather information, find answers, and learn from others struggling with the same things I was experiencing.  For the first few years I sat in the community passively and consumed what was there and used it for my own interests.  What really made me grow the most, however, was learning that by giving of myself to the community, both personally and professionally, would increase the value of these groups more than I could ever imagine.

Are you a part of a community (Canvas, work, or neighborhood)? What brought you there, or how did you initially get connected?

I am a part of many communities in person and in my cyber life.  What brings me there is my thirst to learn and to be connected to others.  I have found that in order to be connected it is up to me to find the groups and to reach out to them. 

Is there someone part of your community who you admire? How does their involvement or their overall participation influence you?

stefaniesanders‌ is someone in the Canvas Community that I admire because she is very active, but also extremely kind and complimentary.  I like how she answers questions and shares her expertise in such a positive and encouraging manner. 

What motivates you to be an active participant in your community or group?

I became motivated to be more of a "giver" in the Canvas community because I thought it would be fun to set a goal to be in the top 100.  What I learned in this process is that by giving my advice or expertise to others, I actually get back more in return.  I have learned so much more about using Canvas by answering other people's Canvas questions, responding to polls, reading blogs, and voting on feature ideas. 

 

Have you used Canvas in a way that helps you or your team reach a unique goal for your community?

I made it a personal goal to make it into the Top 100 in the community and what it would take to make that happen.  It was a fun way to get more involved and my learning of Canvas grew exponentially.

Do you or does your team utilize Canvas in a way which is innovative or customized as you serve a specific community of learners?

I enjoy helping teachers use Canvas for student voice and choice.  I have also studied the use of rubrics and outcomes to help teachers measure student learning in a standards based grading system.

Why do you value a project like this? How was COMMUNITY a motivating factor in this project’s completion?

Using Mastery Paths, Outcomes, Rubrics and the Learning Mastery Gradebook is a bit overwhelming and can be a daunting process.  I was able to find others in the Canvas Community trying to do the same thing and we were able to bounce ideas, successes and failures off of each other.

How has your involvement impacted your life?

I have become better at my job because of my involvement in the Canvas Community.