Note: these materials were creataed in the early days of the covid-19 pandemic. Some materials may be out of date.

teaching & Learning Resources - tools

tools.jpg

The foundational tools will be:

  • our Learning Management System (LMS) is Canvas

  • MS TEAMS and Canvas BBB, which are the videoconferencing platforms supported by CHC

Canvas 

Canvas offers faculty and instructors a convenient place to present class materials and activities— documents, assignments, resources, rubrics, grades.  It also has sophisticated meeting, conferencing, group work, peer review, and many other functions.  I have created or curated an archive of videos that will demonstrate the most popular or needed features in Canvas. 

At a minimum, given possible disruption during the Fall 2020 semester, consider using Canvas for the following essential functions: 

  • Communicating with Students, especially via Announcements and Canvas Inbox 

  • Taking attendance 

  • Posting the course syllabus 

  • Posting assignments 

  • Posting grades 

Other cool features on Canvas you might eventually want to try: 

  • Discussion Board 

  • Conferences 

  • Peer Review 

  • Integrated Rubrics 

  • Quizzes 

  • Collaborations 

  • Making and/or posting videos in Studio 

To access training videos (long and short formats), visit, the IHC Virtual Conference Room for links.

videoconferencing platforms

Pros and Cons of Video conferencing Platforms:

CANVAS BBB
Pros: Supported by the College, Integrated directly into Canvas, Nice breakout room feature, Ability to do on-the-spot polls, Nice tools for video and presentations
Cons: Unstable (at least during the Spring semester). No ability to change backgrounds, Recordings only save for 14 days and are not downloadable.

TEAMS
Pros: Stable, Supported by the College, Reliable, Class-based video-conferencing, Ability to alter backgrounds, Recordings are save on MS Stream indefinitely
Cons: Upgraded gallery view does not consistently work, Difficult to control student permissions, Clunky “channel” approach to break out rooms without timers

ZOOM
Pros: Stable, Ability to change backgrounds, Ability to use break out rooms with timers (seamlessly), Ability to poll, Ability to manage permissions on-the-spot easily, Cloud and direct to computer recording
Cons: Not supported by the College, History of security issues, To access most useful features one must purchase a “pro” account

Videoconferencing is best used for “synchronous class meetings,” group work between students, and virtual office hours or conferencing with students. But I strongly suggest you incorporate interactive elements through third-party apps like Kahoot or PollEverywhere to encourage active attendance when teaching synchronously online.

Please remember:  When teaching synchronously, be sure to record the session for students who may not be able to attend that day. 

other technologies you may wish to explore

Document Camera— These cameras connect to your computer and allow you to capture (synchronously or asycnhronously) your writing on a paper with a pen or pencil (it’s essentially a camera that faces down).  Here is an example of an affordable one from Amazon. Or set up your own document camera using your cell phone.

Setting Up a Virtual Classroom with Bitmoji (contributor:  Keely McCarthy)
Watch this Trading Spaces: Designing a Virtual Learning Space

Keely also recommends this website:  https://everydayteacherstyle.com/2020/05/12/bitmoji-classroom-tutorials-2/

Loom—screen capture with you in the corner (free)

Bitmoji-Virtual-Classroom.png

Perusall— digital text service that allows students to annotate the text together and/or respond to situated questions from the instructor in the text. It also allows the instructor to see how long and when students engaged the text!

Kahoot—has integration in MS Teams

Poll Everywhere— a polling app that allows you to create polls, quizzes, word clouds, etc. you can deliver anywhere—in class and in online lectures; it also allows you to put the polls in PowerPoint presentations.

Mural —a digital workspace for virtual visual collaboration.

Creately —a digital workspace for virtual visual collaboration.

Flipgrid —a free video recording platform that allows students to see and respond to each other’s videos.

Coursewear and In-Canvas Apps—Coursewear are computer programs and other materials (apps) designed for use in education, usually integrated into the LMS. Coursewear can be overwhelming, so if you want to try to find the right coursewar for you, try using Coursewear in Context.

Various textbook sites and resources online—uneven, depends on the textbook  Please note: best practice entails that even if you use a textbook site for activities, all the grades for any activity in the class should still be posted in Canvas, so the student’s total course grade is clear at any moment in the course.

integrity online

Turn-it-in is integrated into Canvas

The College is currently deciding on a test-taking integrity integration for Canvas— more soon!