Technology Coach Canvas Course for teachers

[cwright1]

I would love to see how/if your district has a Technology Training Course for teachers.  We have one, but I would like to change it up and I am looking for ideas!

[natariastx]

Hi @cwright1! I work for Canvas now, but I previously worked as a district digital learning specialist and Academic Dean. When we adopted Canvas, I created custom Canvas Level 1, Canvas Level 2, etc courses aligned with Canvas features to share with our staff and used Badges to incentivize the program. We even delivered custom window decals to teachers that earned their credentials to help generate motivation and buy-in. This was a huge hit!

However, what I didn't know then was that my school had access to the TSP or On-Demand Portal (now) where there are TONS of preloaded content ready for teachers to access and learn either synchronously or asynchronously. Whether or not your district/school has access to the On-Demand Portal is the big question here but IF they do, you could consider this idea - 

1) A way you could use both of these ideas is making a custom course that links to the On-Demand Portal as a custom playlist you curate for your teachers. You could even create a custom badge that aligns with your school mascot or something like that. I have included screenshots of how I have done this with an example Module/playlist and a preview of the assignment that gives them the link to the On-Demand Portal Course directly and a slot for them to submit their badge link or image! 

2) Another way I have seen this done for Canvas training (especially with limited resources) is with a custom sort of onboarding course that has teachers go through a series of tasks through a playlist/checklist where they complete a task and learn about Canvas as they do it. You could link them back to the Canvas Community Guides to help as that is always up to date content. For example:

Module Title: Customizing Canvas

Assignment 1 Title: Customize your Canvas Profile Image

• Assignment Body:  
  • What: Your first task is to customize your Canvas Profile Image. 
  • Why: Having a profile image helps users recognize you and ensures they know who they are communicating with and getting communication from at all times. It creates a friendly space for teachers, students, and parents to gain a sense of community through recognition. 
  • How: Using the Canvas Guide link provided below, learn how to customize your profile picture, once you have completed the task, submit a screenshot of your Canvas profile with the new image (example shown below). 
    • Resource Link: How do I add a profile picture in my user account?

Assignment 2 Title: Customizing Account Notifications

(And so on)

This is also a great way to get them using the Canvas Community Guides to find answers to their problems as they begin using the platform. You may also choose to include deadlines and other details along with examples of what evidence of their task you will accept. You can also use Canvas features to set up Module requirements for either of the options I shared using free Badges or Credentials if you have it. They can earn badges by Module or by courses depending on how you set it up and what you have. 

All in all, I would focus on what you need your users to be able to do. The end in mind. And work backwards from there. The Course Evaluation Checklist is also a great place to start. With Accessibility front of mind, you can create custom Modules that will help them prepare to use Canvas to engage with users in equitable and accessible ways! Good luck! I hope this is helpful!