Presenting with Canvas – no more power points!

Bobby2
Community Champion
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4079

When our team first started traveling around the state demonstrating the whys and hows of Canvas we used power points to present. It didn’t take us long to realise how clunky this was. We had to rely on screen shots or toggle between the power point and Canvas to get far too many points across.

It was a bit of a TTWADI thing (That's The Way We've Always Done It). We’d always presented via power point and naturally went that way. But then we slowly morphed into using Canvas only as our mode of presenting. No more toggling, no more screen shots. Just lots of modelling of Canvas capabilities in the one space.

We recently presented at the latest AADES conference on E-learning and Innovative Pedagogies where we shared the virtues of Canvas and told our state wide story with not a power point slide in sight. After all – why would you?

We’ve developed a few tricks along the way. We usually have all of the participants in the session put into a Canvas course. This is particularly helpful when we do repeat visits. It’s their ongoing Canvas Professional Learning space. The module we present is in the course but any interactive activities are all available to participants via an ‘Our Session Today’ button. F11 helps to keep the presentation a bit tidier as does the hamburger symbol in the top left.

Our biggest challenge is that we don't have a handy power point clicker any more. But that's survivable. 

Does anyone else present with Canvas?

Do you have any presentation tricks share?

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16 Comments
GideonWilliams
Community Champion

Am most impressed and probably a much more effective way of doings things - especially with the audience enrolled in the course. Great stuff.

Bobby2
Community Champion

It's hard to imagine any other way of presenting now  @GideonWilliams 

 @craig_nicholls ‌ and I are presenting at CanvasCon Sydney soon. Guess what we will be using!

audra_agnelly
Community Champion

I've done this for our start of school PD days, using modules to navigate instead of a slideshow. Rather than enrolling participants, I set the course for self-enrollment and provided that URL on the course homepage that I projected at the start of the session. The participants really liked this, and indicated they would share access with their colleagues who didn't attend my break-out. 

sgaboriau
Community Participant

I have do the same thing. It took a few trainings to realize that was the best way 🙂 I set my courses up for self-enrollment as well. Always looking for new ways to use Canvas. 

craig_nicholls
Community Participant

Looking forward to it Smiley Happy.

Bobby2
Community Champion

Nice work  @sgaboriau  and  @audra_agnelly . Having teachers experience Canvas as students really helps too I think. 

sgaboriau
Community Participant

 @Bobby2  Having teachers use Canvas as students has been extremely helpful! We use Canvas for our New Teacher Institute. New teachers can find everything they need in the Canvas Course, Classroom Management, Instructional Practices, MTSS, PD, Technology Integration, Important Information and so on. They can have discussion to support one another as well as receiveing support from coaches. It creates a community with the new teachers.  

Bobby2
Community Champion

That's magic  @sgaboriau 

GideonWilliams
Community Champion

When you present with Canvas courses you are also modelling good course practice/design (I think).

A sort of Buy One, Get One Free feature!

Bobby2
Community Champion

Exactly my thoughts  @GideonWilliams . More bang for your buck. 

And not getting tangled up in powerpoint then going live to Canvas all the time. 

lph
Community Champion

Do you have an open course that you’d like to share? If not, could you spare a screenshot or two? I’m expanding on a PD idea for canvas training for the district. The work started months ago but has been on a back burner as other projects took priority. This my current module layout. 

317122_31C7644F-8A67-46F4-B1BC-2B4ED13EDC2D.jpeg

mjoaquin
Community Participant

I usually present with both, but you are right, it can be cumbersome to toggle back and forth between the two. Love this idea  @Bobby2 ‌! 

Hildi_Pardo
Community Champion

Yes, I do the same as Audra -- I include the self enroll code on the Home Page (in large, bold font).    And organize the content in Modules.  If I have to demo something, I have another Module to build examples/demos.

For myself, (since I have admin access), I might include links to other courses on a hidden page, to help me navigate to examples).

Bobby2
Community Champion

Nice idea with using other courses.

We also use an 'Our Session Today' button on the front page of the course for any interactive session activities. 

GrahamW58
Community Novice

Four years on, and after all the pandemic online teaching, I wonder if any more development of Canvas has happened to enable it to be used in this way? 

 

Millernr
Community Explorer

Helpful post!  Thank you Bobby2