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Countdown To Classes 2017
The Return of Countdown to Classes

The Return of Countdown to Classes

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Each school year gives us a fresh start and a chance to try something new. The IRC wants to inspire you with some different ways to use campus technology tools. Here’s a sneak peek of what we have lined up for the Countdown to Classes:

4 Weeks to Go

This Year I Want to Rethink my Syllabus

Syllabus and Course Schedule Design
Description: Our syllabus and course schedule set the stage for our classes. This session will cover different options for designing your syllabus and course schedule while exploring ways of posting and displaying information in Canvas. Please bring a copy of a current syllabus.

August 2nd from 1:00 – 2:00pm in Decker 347

3 Weeks to Go

This Year I Want to Rethink my Course Homepage

Course Homepage Options in Canvas
Description: Canvas has many options for creating a course homepage that suits you. This session will cover different course home options and share some design secrets for creating something inviting and useful for students.

August 9th from 1:00 – 2:00pm in Decker 347

2 Weeks to Go

This Year I Want to Rethink my Presentations

Creating Engaging Presentations
Description: We only have a short amount of time with students each week. This session will help you rethink the way you communicate and present data in the classroom.

August 16th from 1:00 – 2:00pm in Decker 347

1 Week to Go

This Year We’re All Going to Rethink Accessibility

Accessibility Basics for Teaching and Technology
The IRC will be part of a panel discussion on accessibility issues related to teaching and technology during the fall faculty sessions. We hope to see you there!

Please remember that the IRC is available all year to work with you on whatever teaching and technology project you might have. Email us today!

New Canvas Mobile App for Teachers

New Canvas Mobile App for Teachers

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Canvas has released a new mobile app for iOS and Android. The Canvas Teacher App is replacing the Speedgrader mobile app and will allow for grading, communicating with students, and upgrading course content. Click here for more information. The Speedgrader app will be available to use, but will no longer be supported by Canvas.

NEW FEATURE: Use Google Drive in Canvas Seamlessly

NEW FEATURE: Use Google Drive in Canvas Seamlessly

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One of the goals of the IRC is to simplify the technical aspects of education and we like to celebrate when we can find ways to save time for instructors. So we were positively joyful when we heard about the new integration between Google Drive and Canvas.

You’ve always been able to share content from your Google Drive in Canvas, but now you will be able to do so seamlessly. We’ve created a video to explain all the new Google Drive features. It’s a little long (10 minutes), so we’ve broken it into smaller videos linked below.

Here are 5 things that you’ll now be able to do:

  1. View Google Drive in the Canvas Course Menu (Part One Video | Canvas Help Page)
  2. Embed and Link to Content from Google Drive in the Rich Content Editor (Part One Video | Canvas Help Page)
  3. Add Google Drive Content to Modules Using External Tools (Part Two Video | Canvas Help Page)
  4. Allow Students to Collaborate in Canvas Using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides (Part Three Video | Canvas Help Page)
  5. Link to Cloud Assignments in Google Drive (Part Four Video | Canvas Help Page)
What’s New in Canvas?! Faculty Winter Session

What’s New in Canvas?! Faculty Winter Session

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CanvasLogo

Canvas updates every 3 weeks with new features and fixes to problems, so sometimes it can be hard to answer “What’s New in Canvas?”. Tim and Jodie presented cool new features and showed off a few that old favorites during the Faculty Winter Sessions on January 17. Here are some of the highlights:

Settings:

Jodie shared the new setting that allows you to show recent announcements on the Course home page. She also let faculty know that it’s okay to change the course name to something easier to remember…no harm to Canvas and it can make identifying multiple sections much easier. Finally, she pointed out the button to Validate Links in Content that will check your course for broken links.

Rich Content Editor:

Tim shared some keyboard shortcuts that we can use within the Rich Content Editor (RCE)  in Canvas. Tim’s favorites were revealing the hidden menu for the RCE by pressing ALT + F9 and inserting links by pressing CTRL + K for the links page.

Grading:

Jodie showed how to exclude an assignment from the course total and also how to excuse an individual student from an assignment. Finally, she pointed out how to you can message students within the gradebook by who haven’t submitted the assignment, haven’t been graded yet, or who score more or less than a certain point value.

Akindi:

Tim introduced AU’s new bubble test solution called Akindi. The system is integrated within Canvas and is able to pull your class roster and also send test scores to the gradebook. Instructors can create test sheets within Canvas and print them at their local scanner/printer. After students have taken the test, the instructor just scans and emails the test sheets to their email and can upload the scans to Akindi in Canvas. This will grade the tests, provide statistical information about the test, and allow instructors to upload the grades into the Canvas gradebook.

Roll Call Attendance:

Jodie showed instructors what their students see when they view their attendance record on Canvas.

countdown
Countdown to Classes

Countdown to Classes

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Each school year gives us a fresh start and a chance to try something new. The IRC wants to inspire you with some different ways to use campus technology tools. Here’s a what we have lined up for our Countdown to Classes:

4 Weeks to Go (Week of August 1st)

This Year I’m Going to Do More with Canvas

Recap of Introduction to Canvas Workshop

Recap of Advanced Canvas Workshop

3 Weeks to Go (Week of August 8th)

This Year I’m Going to Be More Productive

Recap of 12 Tips for Being More Productive with Google Apps Workshop

2 Weeks to Go (Week of August 15th)

This Year I’m Going to Do More With Video

Recap of Videoconferencing: Google Hangouts and Canvas Conferences Workshop

Recap of Recording Videos with Screencast-o-Matic Workshop

1 Week to Go (Week of August 22nd)

This Year I’m Going to Understand  the Technology in my Classroom

Special One-on-One Sessions to Get to Know Your Classrooms

Can’t make the listed time? Please remember that the IRC is available to work with you on whatever teaching and technology project you might have. Feel free to give us a call or send an email.

Graphic Credits: Banner

In Case You Missed It: Recording Videos with Screencast-o-Matic Workshop

In Case You Missed It: Recording Videos with Screencast-o-Matic Workshop

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In case you missed the Recording Videos with Screencast-o-Matic Workshop (or even if  you were there), here’s an outline of what we covered and some links to additional information:

Tim shared:

  • Why you might want to create a video for class
  • Tips for creating a video students will watch
  • How to install Screencast-o-Matic
  • What you can do using Screencast-o-Matic, and
  • How to embed videos from Google Drive into Canvas.

For more information, check out this handy tip sheet from Tim on Screencasting 101. You can contact the IRC for the password to install Screencast-o-matic on your machine.

As always, if you have questions or would like to sit down and learn more, feel free to reach out to us via email (its@anderson.edu) or stop by the IRC office in Decker 45.

In Case You Missed It: Videoconferencing

In Case You Missed It: Videoconferencing

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In case you missed the Videoconferencing: Google Hangouts and Canvas Conferences Workshop (or even if  you were there), here’s an outline of what we covered and some links to additional information:

Tim shared a number of tips on how to approach videoconferencing, including:

  • Use a headset with microphone for best sound quality and eliminate feedback: When sound travels from your speaker and is picked up by your microphone then an echo loop can form creating an unpleasant audio experience for all.  If you do not have a microphone headset, then you can mute your microphone when not speaking
  • Speak naturally but slow and clear: No need to shout.
  • Place a light or lamp in front of you to illuminate your face: If the light source is behind you it will cause you to silhouette such that your face is dark and not clearly visible.
  • Be Yourself.
  • You will need to grant permission for the video conferencing platform and the browser (Chrome or Firefox) to have access to your camera and microphone before you begin.
  • IRC has equipment for videoconferencing. Equipment for faculty use, including a webcam and group microphone/speaker, can be requested via email at its@anderson.edu.

Tim walked us through the process of using Google Hangouts and Canvas Conferences:

  • Google Hangouts is a personal video conferencing solution that is part of our Google Apps for Education suite. It can be used with people both inside and outside of the university. Online documentation for using Google Hangouts is here.
  • Conferences is a video conferencing tool built in to Canvas. It can be used only with people in the university system. Online documentation for using Canvas Conferences is here. Scroll down to the section on conferences to become familiar with using this tool.

As always, if you have questions or would like to sit down and learn more, feel free to reach out to us via email (its@anderson.edu) or stop by the IRC office in Decker 45.