LTI - Free vs. Not

Discussion created by Nancy Latimer on Dec 13, 2015
Latest reply on Dec 18, 2017 by Susan Nugent

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Hi,

I have looked around the community but did not see this anywhere. Does anyone know how to determine if an LTI app is free? I have tried looking at apps with "Open Access" on the EduAppCenter vs those that are authenticated. So it seems that the latter require a consumer key and shared secret - but does that information always cost money, or could that be free?

I have a VoiceThread subscription for my school, but VoiceThread wanted to charge me (yearly!!) for the consumer key and shared secret. It would be helpful to know how to find LTI apps that don't cost anything additional to add.

Thank you.

Nancy

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Stefanie Sanders Dec 13, 2015 12:24 PM
Nancy, I'm going to change this to a discussion, because your question will probably not elicit a single "correct answer."

I can't generalize across all of the LTI apps in the EduApp Center, but I can tell you from my personal experience with Prulu that even though it requires authentication, a consumer key, and a shared secret, it is nonetheless free. I was able to contact the company directly and obtain all the information I needed to set it up in a course.

The way I would determine if a particular app is free or not is to click on the app creator's website link from the EduApps Center. It will take only a few minutes of scanning the website to discover whether the site has links for "Pricing Details," or "Want to Buy," or the like.
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- Nancy Latimer @ Stefanie Sanders on Dec 13, 2015 4:15 PM
  Stefanie Sanders thanks so much for your reply. I just looked at about a half-dozen apps via EduApps Center, and most of them say you have to contact the company for the information. I was hoping there would be an easier way to have an idea of what might be free. I fully expected VoiceThread to be free because I have the school subscription - but that was not the case.
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  - Bill Gibson @ Nancy Latimer on Dec 17, 2015 1:54 PM
    FOD is a paid service. One of our Library techs had me add that LTI a couple of weeks ago.
    We have the Turnitin LTI installed both in Canvas and Blackboard, as we transition.
    I liked VoiceThread when I first came across it several years ago and the iPad version was easy to use. I haven't played with this in a while. Sorta surprised that you have a campus license for it, and that doesn't include LTI. *What else is out there that competes with VT?
    
    If you have access to a WordPress instance, the LTI Connector for WordPress (Oscelot), Simon Booth, was interesting. Authenticated Canvas users by role (Teacher = Admin and Student = Author). This allowed students to create WP Postings & upload images into a WP blog site for a single course.
    
    Its not just K-12 schools, the higher ed system in NC has seen its budgets decreasing each year. A far cry from when we had an annual "Teaching & Learning with Technology" state-wide conference, where IT techs from the various institutions could mingle with fellow travelers and get ideas. But, the techs I know all look for the free apps, then low cost, and then paid essentials. Since we're not all a part of the Star Trek Federation, I don't know how we still expect people to spend hours/months developing software and then give it to us for free. Wouldn't I look at them funny if they suggested I be a Canvas LMS Admin and work for free;-)
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    - Kelley L. Meeusen @ Bill Gibson on Dec 17, 2015 2:04 PM
      I'm an LMS Admin, and it sure feels like I work for free! 8 years with one 3% raise. I feel like I'm retired and living on a fixed income. My wife has done better with her Social Security over that same time period. And then our system wonders why so much talent has left for industry. Soon I'll be working to maintain the cardboard boxes my family will have to live in under some overpass.
      
      But what's that got to do with the topic? There are still a great many very good free LTI tools out there, and I make good use of them.
      
      As for why would somebody develop these for free? It is because they can get rich doing so by enticing you to investigate their paid products. The founders of Google got very rich by keeping their products free.
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      - chris@aspiredu.com @ Kelley L. Meeusen on Dec 18, 2015 8:01 AM
        I would call Google's model "ad-supported" versus free.
        
        I find the K-12 technology market fascinating. Many districts are buying their first LMS and of course, Canvas is a great start. But there was a cost to implement and then an ongoing cost that must be budgeted for. And with any "core" technology product, great wraparounds follow. So can districts use the Canvas eco-system to drive down other costs? Maybe fewer guidance counselors with increased automation? Or is it increased costs that just stay forever?
        
        Reminds of my first stereo system. I got a new receiver, then noticed how bad my speakers sounded. So I upgraded the speakers, then realized I needed a new cassette deck. It's a cycle.
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        Kelley L. Meeusen @ chris@aspiredu.com on Dec 18, 2015 8:10 AM
        Good points Chris.
        
        I think that K12 should do what many of us are doing in Higher Ed, and extend the uses of Canvas well beyond the delivery of instruction to students. Some of the things we are doing include:
        Work and communication spaces for committees, work groups, and departments;
        Advising and counseling of students,
        Staff and faculty professional development,
        Program information sessions for prospective students,
        Orientations,
        much more!
        
        Canvas charge model is based on FTEs, so it makes sense to optimize the ROI as much as possible.
        
        KLM
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        Nancy Latimer @ chris@aspiredu.com on Dec 18, 2015 8:40 AM
        What I liked about Canvas is that it provided a lot of core necessities for us without us having to spend more on other things. In the past, I have recommended a hodge-podge of technology products and apps to teachers. What happens often is that you get excited about something - WeVideo or Nearpod, for example - and then they go to that freemium model where the free version really is only worthwhile as a trial. For example, the free version of VoiceThread now only allows you to have 5 VoiceThreads - you cannot even delete one to create another once you have 5. Teachers can ask for a special account, which allows THEM to create 50 VoiceThreads - but this isn't much use, when it's the students you would like using the product. People also get overwhelmed having to deal with multiple logins for multiple products. "Use this for that, and that for this" - it's too much.
        
        After much thought and consideration, I felt that the combination of Google Apps for Education (which we had but weren't using much) and Canvas (which we bought late last year) would be able to fulfill many of the needs of both our students and teachers. Still, you come across exciting products like VoiceThread - and you want to bring them under that one handy Canvas umbrella - hence, why I asked the question at the head of this discussion in the first place. Nevertheless, we can still work around it and do well. I do not see Canvas driving down other costs for us. It has helped us to offer some courses online, which expands our curriculum and benefits our students. And of course, it makes the lives of our teachers and students easier in many respects. AND - its use prepares our students for college. So all in all, it is a product that for us is worth the ongoing financial investment. As far as extending its use beyond the usual classroom model and into something like guidance, etc. - that may work, but I can tell you that the pace of change in K-12, in my experience, is glacial. Most of the teachers I have dealt with in the past year had never heard of a learning management system. You find people who are resistant to change, and often are afraid of/opposed to/reluctant to deal with technology. This is not just my experience where I currently work, but in my last position and an observation in general. So right now, I am just contending with getting a number of people to actually use Canvas in the traditional sense. It's like a lot of people use Word, but they use very limited features in Word. Canvas is no different. Right now, many teachers just want to use it to support the traditional learning environment - that is, post assignments, use the calendar, that sort of thing. Explaining LTI wouldn't even come up in almost all cases. So to extend Canvas into things like guidance, etc. - sounds great. But first I have to get past the complaints that using Canvas "is a lot of work." In other words - get people to see the long-term benefits and how it actually SAVES them a lot of work. I will tell you, though, that I trained the entire student body of my high school on Canvas, and the biggest problem they have had with it is remembering their passwords. ;^)
        
        In any case, I am not our IT director, and he has to deal with so much more - the SIS system, products for managing substitutes and school communication, integration with state data systems, and on and on. Our model is not the same as higher education, obviously, and technical support for schools is often minimal. I am an Educational Technology Specialist dedicated to our high school, but I think you would find that those positions are not the norm. My role is to support teachers and students in the use of technologies to enhance learning, and I am a certified teacher myself. Support and training, as we all know, are critical to the success of implementing a program like Canvas. It often can be lacking or nonexistent, which has a lot to do with the success or failure of a product. Unfortunately, many schools do not have the resources to have a person like me and/or other technical support people available to help teachers and students, at least not full-time.
        
        Since you have an interest in K-12 technology Chris Munzo, I will share a link to a web page about a document I came across awhile ago called "Schools and Software: What's Now and What's Next" from the Clayton Christensen Institute. You and others may find it interesting.
        
        Schools and softwareWhat’s now and what’s next | Christensen Institute
        
        Nancy
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        Kelley L. Meeusen @ Nancy Latimer on Dec 18, 2015 9:28 AM
        Hi Nancy:
        
        K12 is not all that different from the Higher Ed environment. Our faculty are very resistant to change; and despite being a Technical College, are often most resistant of any technology outside their fields of expertise.
        
        I agree that training is key, but even after training is developed it can be very challenging to get faculty in the door to deliver it to them. However, Canvas can also help with the delivery of training. One of the things that I have done is create a vast array of self-paced, self-directed, self-enroll professional development courses including Canvas training courses. I develop the courses towards the lowest common denominator and keep navigation very simple (using a bit of easy HTML, you can create content navigation buttons that eliminate the need for the left-side navigation menu). By setting the courses as public, you can then publish links on internet and intranet sites and fully eliminate the need for user management. Taking this route, it is also very easy to then distribute these courses beyond your school or district; and by uploading them to the Canvas Commons you can share this training to anybody in K12.
        
        As for some of the other uses I mentioned, staff are often less resistant to LMS tech simply because they spend more time on computers that faculty do. When faculty start taking notice of staff use, that can prompt a groundswell of desire to jump aboard. Your students themselves can also be a big driver for adoption. Once they get a taste (and their parents) of being able to monitor their own progress without having to ask the teacher, they will start asking their teachers why they aren't using Canvas.And yes, we also experience that effect in higher ed.
        
        When I was first hired as the eLearning Director at my school, we had about 12% of our courses that had some level of an online component, now 5+ years later we are at 78% and still growing. Just this quarter we delivered our first campus-wide course evaluations using Canvas, and to support this we created a Canvas shell for every course taught. We expect this to help boost us through that final 22%!
        
        You can find lots of other great suggestions at Canvas User Engagement, and anytime you need help or want to talk something over, feel free to contact me.
        
        KLM
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        Nancy Latimer @ Kelley L. Meeusen on Dec 18, 2015 9:40 AM
        Kelley L. Meeusen thanks so much for your post - so interesting. I don't picture college faculty as being resistant to change or difficult to arrange training with - something I also grapple with (I have to go Xmas shopping! etc.). I have developed my own self-paced course, which I am currently in the process of updating. We have also put a few PD courses in Canvas and plan to do more. I like the idea of making the courses public, except then people can only takes quizzes, etc., anonymously. Because our teachers need PD hours, there needs to be a way of knowing that they actually took the course - so we would probably keep them private, at least for now.
        
        You make a good point about staff being more acclimated to using computers than others. A member of our guidance department actually has asked me about how they might use Canvas, so this is something worth looking into. In the meantime, I have created about a dozen clubs for the school using Canvas, with mixed results - some teachers actively taking advantage of the features, others asking for a club and then doing nothing with it. Sigh. Working, working . . .
        
        Great to have these conversations with somebody, as a person like me is often a lone wolf in a school.
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        Kelley L. Meeusen @ Nancy Latimer on Dec 18, 2015 10:08 AM
        Nancy:
        
        Here is an early Christmas present..........
        
        When you need to document course completion: in your final module add a certification quiz and set that module's requirements that the student must complete the quiz at 80% (or whatever threshold works for you). Then add an additional module that houses a downloadable Certificate of Completion. Set the Certificate module with a prerequisite that the quiz module must be completed before the cert module becomes available. Then participants cannot access the certificate until they score what you want on the quiz, and then can use the cert to prove completion.
        
        This is how I manage completion documentation with very little intervention on my part.
        
        Enjoy!
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        Nancy Latimer @ Kelley L. Meeusen on Dec 18, 2015 10:24 AM
        Kelley L. Meeusen, this would be for a private course, right? Because my understanding is that a public Canvas course only allows you to take quizzes anonymously.
        
        I love this idea - so handy! Thanks!
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        Kelley L. Meeusen @ Nancy Latimer on Dec 18, 2015 10:38 AM
        Yes, although this would still work with a public course, but there would be no proof that the bearer was the earner, so to speak. We are all conscious of academic integrity
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        Nancy Webb @ Kelley L. Meeusen on Dec 10, 2016 1:00 PM
        Kelley, I like the idea of prerequisites to get to a downloadable certificate of completion, but that wouldn't have the student's name on it, would it? Couldn't one person print out multiple certificates and hand it out to friends?
        
        I know this is an old discussion! Maybe you know the student's name would be on it, since you differentiate a public course.
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        Kelley L. Meeusen @ Nancy Webb on Dec 12, 2016 3:31 PM
        Nancy:
        
        Of course that could happen! People are people after all.
        
        However, In my PD courses, they do need to pass that Canvas Quiz to get the cert, and I don't notify HR of their completion until I see the scores, and HR wisely does not accept the Cert until after they have heard from me.
        
        KLM
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        Nancy Webb @ Kelley L. Meeusen on Dec 12, 2016 7:19 PM
        People are people as you say Kelley L. Meeusen : -)
        
        I was trying to find a way around manually checking each completion because this is for a campus wide course and may require adding up to 40 instructors who'd be able to check on a particular student. If only some printed proof were able to be personalized... but I imagine almost any printout can be altered. The head teacher was concerned.
        
        This is certainly off topic to free LTI's. I am going to take a look at the spreadsheet provided by Susan Nugent
        
        Nancy
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chofer@morainepark.edu Dec 13, 2015 4:33 PM
Hi Nancy Latimer...

I agree with Stefanie Sanders. There isn't a great way to tell what is free and what is not, and I wish this was more visible when looking at individual LTI apps via the EduAppCenter or via our admin pages (Hmmmm....maybe I'll come up with a feature idea this week!). Based on what we have enabled at our Technical College, I can tell you that the following are free:
- Khan Academy
- Piazza
- Prulu
- TedEd
- USA Today
- Vimeo
- Wikipedia
- YouTube
We also have a few publisher LTI installed that connect with student textbooks. I don't really recall a cost to use these (please don't quote me on that...I may be completely wrong):
- McGraw Hill Education / ALEKS
- Cengage Learning
- Pearson MyLabs
Finally, we have worked with our library staff to integrated both the Turnitin LTI and Films On Demand LTI integrated into Canvas. I know for sure that Turnitin is a paid service, but I'm not sure about FOD.

Like Stefanie said, you will probably need to go to the developer's website. If I ever see anything on their website that says "Call for a quote" or similar wording, then I know it's going to cost something. It doesn't hurt to e-mail those companies, either. That's how I found out that Prulu and Piazza were both free.

Hope this helps!
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- Nancy Latimer @ chofer@morainepark.edu on Dec 13, 2015 4:42 PM
  Thanks for taking the time to give me your list and for responding, Chris Hofer. Much appreciated!
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chris@aspiredu.com Dec 14, 2015 5:57 AM
Your post inspired me to go into our EduAppCenter listings and make it clear how we work.

Though I must say that I hope your first criterion is not "free versus paid" but "does this solve a problem that I have?" A fee-based solution can have more "value" than a free one.
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- Nancy Latimer @ chris@aspiredu.com on Dec 14, 2015 6:20 AM
  Chris Munzo, unfortunately, I don't think I am alone in saying that for K-12 schools, very often cost is a primary consideration. Our tech budget has not increased in several years, while the price of everything that we already are paying for keeps going up. So, for example, while it would have been great to have had the integration with VoiceThread, the yearly fee prohibits it and forces me to work around it. Similarly, products like Turnitin are not, in my experience, sympathetic to the needs of high schools. We are already paying a lot of money just to have this product and cannot manage more for the integration.
  
  Mind you, I am in school district that is well-off - but cost is still a consideration, what with caps on budget increases and the rising cost of everything. So while I fully understand what you are saying, I am still going to be looking at cost as a primary consideration.
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Susan Nugent Dec 18, 2017 7:10 AM
I created a excel spreadsheet (out of date; see attached) when the app center was introduced. I haven't updated it in a while. Feel free to download and customize. I categorize the apps into three categories.
Free - no consumer key, and a shared secret needed
Free (somewhat) - The apps are free but require server and other technical setup before they can be enabled with consumer key, and a shared secret
Licensed - Not free and requires consumer key, and a shared secret
Attachments
- CanvasApps.xlsx33.7 KB
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- Nancy Latimer @ Susan Nugent on Dec 14, 2015 7:26 AM
  Susan Nugent this is wonderful; thanks so much! Exactly what I was looking for.
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- Kelley L. Meeusen @ Susan Nugent on Dec 14, 2015 12:01 PM
  Susan, this is awesome, and a great early holiday gift for all of us!
  
  Thank you!
  
  KLM
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- Holly Palmersheim @ Susan Nugent on Dec 17, 2015 10:02 AM
  Thank you so much, I tasked myself with something similar and you have provided an incredible amount of information. Thank you so much for sharing.
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- Gideon Williams @ Susan Nugent on Aug 5, 2016 3:11 PM
  Superb!
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- Sean Gaynor @ Susan Nugent on Dec 17, 2017 6:20 PM
  Hi Susan.
  Do you still have the excel spreadsheet. The Microsoft One Drive link is no longer working. Thank you.
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  - Susan Nugent @ Sean Gaynor on Dec 18, 2017 7:12 AM
    I revised the link in my message above. The excel spreadsheet is out of date but here it is.
    Attachments
    CanvasApps.xlsx33.7 KB
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jordan@instructure.com Oct 13, 2016 10:45 AM
Hey all! I know I'm late to the party here and some great suggestions have been offered (like that curated list from Susan Nugent!)

I didn't see this solution offered as I skimmed the thread above, but this should answer Nancy Latimer's question!

From the EduAppCenter site you can filter by "Completely Free" apps, in the Categories dropdown menu (click to enlarge the GIF on right).

This should show you which apps are completely free! But some free apps do require authentication, right? Some of these apps may require that key and secret. For example. I've used the box integration, which is completely free. But there's no way I can display my box content without entering the proper credentials to authenticate into that tool.

So you'll note, in the GIF that I also selected the "Open Access" filter under the All Access menu. With these two filters selected, this should give you a clean list of all apps which are completely free and will not require any authentication (key/secret).

The EduAppCenter site, is the source where you can see all LTI apps available in Canvas, which as of right now is 243 apps! I hope these filtering options help!
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- Kelley L. Meeusen @ jordan@instructure.com on Oct 13, 2016 10:57 AM
  Thanks Jordan, that is really helpful!
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- Nancy Latimer @ jordan@instructure.com on Oct 13, 2016 12:15 PM
  Thanks Jordan Dayton, that definitely helps!
  
  Now I wish there were more free ones. ;^)
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  - jordan@instructure.com @ Nancy Latimer on Oct 13, 2016 12:25 PM
    
    Haha! Yeah, I don't think we're alone in that wish ;-)
    
    If you haven't checked this out, you might enjoy some of the tools Gideon Williams posted about in his blog: H5P - Free Interactive Content Creation with HTML5
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    - Nancy Latimer @ jordan@instructure.com on Oct 13, 2016 12:42 PM
      I've seen that; very helpful!
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- Nancy Latimer @ jordan@instructure.com on Oct 13, 2016 12:41 PM
  Went and looked at this again. I'm thinking that it's enough to say "Completely free" and not have to specify "Open Access." That's because you don't have to always pay money to be authenticated, right? For example, if I search by "Completely free" and "Authenticated," I see Piazza listed, and I know I just needed to get the key and secret from them and it didn't cost anything.
  
  Specifying "Open Access" is nice, though, if you want to know which apps can be up and running quickly in Canvas.
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LTI - Free vs. Not

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