Leveraging Announcements for Student Learning

dlourcey
Instructure
Instructure
‎04-14-2021 07:50 AM

I think sometimes the Announcement tool is a forgotten gem, especially in a face-to-face or blended environment. I mean, some might think, "If I am teaching face-to-face or blending, why do I need to use the Announcement tool, when I can simply "announce" important classroom procedures, due dates, upcoming events in front of my students.

I encourage you to think about Announcements in a different way--that is, using announcements for methodology and pedagogy.

In short, teach through Announcements.

No matter the learning environment, Announcements can be leveraged to improve student learning.

Think about using Announcements in three ways:

  1. To celebrate
  2. To inform
  3. To instruct

In this post you will find a video recording of the CanvasLive session from yesterday, as well as a forced copy of the slide deck, and an infographic presenting differently the same information from the slide deck.

Video Recording

 

If you watch the video, please complete this Google Form to let me know where you are from. You might receive something in your Inbox.😊

Slide Deck

Force a copy of the session's slide deck for your use, sharing, and modification.

Infographic

You might prefer this information in an infographic form.

To open in a new window, click on Teaching through Announcements Infographic.

Examples

Some Points to Consider

  1. Capturing images, gifs, and other media in an Announcement inside Canvas does not translate well when students and parents receive notification of that Announcement via email.
  2. As Chris Giles indicated in the recorded session, we need to be conscious about eliminating the noise. Remember, parents and students are receiving notifications for every announcement: per class and per institutional or sub-account global announcement. 
  3. Be strategic and purposeful. Have conversations with your department or grade level PLCs about the frequency of Announcements and how Announcements can be used to leverage student learning.
  4. Announcements don't have to be daily, but weekly.
  5. Each Announcement does not have to include Celebrations, Information, and Instruction. You can include all per Announcement, or mix it up.
  6. Personally, my FAVORITE protocol is celebrating students. This builds relationships and connects you with your students, and promotes motivation and engagement. So, if it is not possible to include all three protocols, then Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate! Students and parents love to see the positives.
  7. Celebrating, Informing, and Instructing can be fostered in other Canvas Tools: Discussions and Pages, especially. So if Announcements are not feasible, think about other tools that can allow for celebrating, informing, and instructing.
  8. Announcements should not replace the organization and structure of learning through Modules. Students ought to really encounter the learning flow through Modules. Announcements are to supplement the learning, motivation, engagement, and interaction you build through your complete course.
  9. Show the most recent announcements on your Home Page for ease of access.

I would love to hear from you about other ways that you use Announcements or what struck you as meaningful and applicable with these resources.

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