Web2.0 tools are software features freely available on the web that you can embed on a Canvas Page. The benefits of using the tools is that they can increase engagement and enthusiasm in learning as many of them offer opportunities for students to interact directly with the resource. The resources can help personalise learning and also allow students to share their ideas on page. Students become more active participants and less passive consumers. Below is a developing list of the tools that can embedded on a Canvas page which is by far the most engaging and effective way to use them. Feature What it does Embedding.. AnswerGarden Simple feedback tool. Students respond to question. Repeated answers are magnified on screen Embeds fully EtherPad Student Collaborative writing - playback feature to see how conversations develop. Awesome for crowdsourcing exam answers with teacher making comments.  Embeds fully ConnectFours Based on British TV quiz. Try to find answers that have something in common then work out what they have in common Embeds fully but must add in 's' to http code OpinionStage Opinion Poll (and other features). Very visual. Can add images. Results shown on screen. Embeds fully NoteBookCast Real time, multi-use whiteboard. Students draw on screen. Range of tools. Good for planning, brainstorming Embed website by adding <iframe> code TubeChop Crop a YouTube video from start and finish and then embed on your Page Embeds fully but must add in 's' to http code Desmos Graphic Calculator and Simulation tool. Create formula for graph and allow students to alter variables to see how graph changes. Desmos also works really well as an External Tool via the Redirect Tool - just untick the Force open in new tab (For External Links Only) option - see Algebra 2  Embeds fully also great as Redirect Tool feature GoConqr Create amazing mindmaps that can be animated to show how they were developed (also has many other features) Embeds fully when made public Padlet Collaborative 'crowd sourcing' of ideas. Students create entries on a blank board. Can add text, links, images, video etc. Upload Office365 documents and play them as embedded features. Now with Draw feature that allows drawing with stylus. Note: Padlet now only allows 3 free padlets plus whatever you had already set up Embeds fully Quizlet More than just flashcards. Whole range of testing features from this activity. Best translation feature on the market. Superb for languages. Can also add images to cards. Embeds fully with dropdown link to other activities H5P Amazing interactive tools. Best ones on the web. Huge range of multimedia features you can add in from quizzes to presentation - see my other blogpost and comments for more details Embeds fully but need javascript to resize ProProfs Free Quiz making site. Create timed Wordsearches, Crosswords, Sliding tiles, Jigsaws, Scrambled words and Hangman. Resizes on different pages too. Wordsearch works well. Embedding features of the others less so - rather disappointingly. However. the one below..... Embeds fully but must add in 's' to http code. Can also delete extra chunks EducaPlay A HUGE improvement on ProProfs and offering a far superior range of tools including: Wordsearch, crossword, scrambled word, scrambled sentence (good for ordering), grouping task, matching task, interactive map (labeling task - brilliant!) and Video question (questions appearing on a YouTube video timeline) Sign up and create your quiz then embed on your site. You can remove the additional links. Tricider Tricider is a voting platform with a difference. Type in a question/suggestion you want to vote on.Students can then suggest ideas to back this up whilst other students can write the pros and cons of each idea. At any stage, students can vote for the best idea Fully embeds with options to change iframe dimensions at bottom of page. Need to add an 's' to http code. LearningApps Free Web 2.0 quiz/feature generator. Embed or download as SCORM for gradebook? Matching, Group, Number line, Ordering, Puzzle, Crossword, Pairing, Word search, Image labelling and much more. Looks amazing! A few issues with working on iPad (dragging features). Superb. Fully embeds. You may want to alter the height to avoid scrollbars DotStorming Voting feature. You can allow students to vote multiple times (up to 10). Voting board can be image based or text (cards) or both! Students see how many votes each item has. Options to include Chat feature or have name of person who voted (I keep this anonymous by asking students to select a number between 1 and 1000!) You can store boards for later use - Example here Embeds via the Share button. pHET Simulations These are utterly astonishing. High quality simulations for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology and Maths.  Amazing  variety and variation within simulations. Models are chosen well eg Conservation of Energy from KE to PE is based on a skateboarder on a ramp. Options for this include energy transfer to Heat via friction.  The electrical circuits model also allows you to explore pupil misconceptions with ideas such as pd and current. Many simulations also include graphical analysis and you can choose a range of ways to present the information. Lots of HTML5 options too. Click on EMBED button, embeds as iFrame Jigsaw Planet OK, it maybe aimed at junior age students but it's a great little website. Upload your image. Choose the number and style of jigsaw pieces and rotation and then Create. Satisfying click when you link pieces. Embedding via the EMmbed button as iFrame. StudyStack Free Flashcard site. Doesn't do just flashcards but allows you to create 10+ other quiz games from the same set. The Target game works really well as does the Test feature.  Embeds via the Embed button as iFrame - no adverts! Elevation Map Plotting elevation as a 2D map on Google style map. Essential for Geography students. Click the magnifying glass and enter your destination. Click on the pen icon in the Global Elevation box. Click the starting point on the map. Drag the line to where you want to go or click different locations to plot a journey. Double click to enter. This creates the Elevation Map. Move the pointer along the elevation and it shows where you are on the map. You can also change the base map from the menu on the left hand side. Embed the tool by copying and pasting the iFrame embed tag - width set to 100% PhotoSnack Now adding this to the list. Create amazing picture slideshow galleries for free which you can embed on a Canvas page. The free account lets you have 100 images and the range of options for the slideshow is very good - autoplay, different transitions, thumbnail gallery and music backgrounds!!!Can also view the slidesow full page. Here is an example of one I made:  PhotoSnack | Testing slideshow by gideonwilliams   Obviously with any images hosted on a different site you need to be mindful of personal data and safeguarding issues. Embed to Canvas page - width is set to 100% and so is height?!? You need to change height to about 600 pixels AWW App  Some of the best suggestions come when you are not looking for them. This came from an idea for a native whiteboard feature for Canvas https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/9120-whiteboard-for-submissions?sr=search&searchId=ea0fd19a-9663-4945-9f72-cefccedb0910&searchIndex=3.  APP in an online whiteboard that is very responsive. Create an account first. You can embed the board via Collaborations button. Not able to comment more yet as you get a 14 day free trial will all features so need to see what changes after then! Embeds as iframe - width set to 100%  and height to 650px which can be altered. Would suggest adding a border to create definition Do you know that you can do a sort of similar thing with PowerPoint 2016 (Office365)? Have a read of this post to find out more - Fiddling whilst PowerPoint turns  ... View more

Differentiate d instruction allows teachers to tailor study to a student's needs and/or interests. Nothing is more frustrating than having to watch a student who has easily mastered the material not be challenged as he/she waits for others to grasp the material or to watch a student struggle so intensely with a co ncept that he/s he continues to fall behind. Canvas makes approaching differentiated instruction easy, and that is always good news for teachers who often feel pulled in multiple directions in any given class period. Reach both the soaring and struggling student at the same time! Below are several strategies to leverage differentiated instruction in your classroom through Canvas! Individualization in Assignments One of the key features of Canvas is the ability to assign one assignment to individual students. Assume a student in your classroom has mastered the material well before the majority of other students. Having WebQuests or supplemental reading/assignments that meet more rigorous standards for the given standard set is a great way to help these students dig deeper into the material without having to assign to the entire class. Likewise, a student who is struggling with material might be given some supplemental or alternative assignments that further break down concepts, provide alternative methods of demonstration of knowledge, or allow students to have additional practice. Exempting Students Instructors can exempt students from assignments in the gradebook by entering "EX" in the gradebook cell. This would be helpful if the instructor has created a different assignment for the student that the rest of the class is not working on, or if the student is so far behind due to extended illness that some work is being excused. While the assignment still shows up in the student's "to do" list, when she tries to submit the assignment it will show it has been excused. This feature is being addressed for quizzes and discussions. Extended Due Dates Often with IEPs, students struggling with concepts, or those that have simply been absent,  providing an extra day or two to complete assignments is necessary. Canvas allows instructors to assign individual students different due dates and access dates on an assignment, discussion, or quiz. This is also a helpful feature if one period of a class has fallen behind due to lost instruction time (think snow day, intruder drills, pep assemblies). This feature is available for assignments, discussions, and quizzes. Extra Quiz Attempts It is easy to assist struggling students in quizzes by offering extra attempts using the Moderate this Quiz feature. Choose  "Moderate this Quiz" from the right side of the quiz section. Click the edit pencil to the right of the student's name to add attempts. This is another great feature for IEP students who might need to complete the quiz with the assistance of a SPED instructor at another time. Student Choice Jim Knight (2012) in his book High Impact Instruction suggests that for authentic learning to take place, students need to see the work "as relevant, interesting, and meaningful." One of the  features in Canvas allows students to choose from two assignments in order to complete a module/unit. This allows students to choose a task that best meets their learning styles and interests.  To do this, set up module completion requirements. Students can choose from the same type of task (two discussions, for example) or different tasks (a quiz vs. a paper or presentation). The student will see he has an option when he is working in that module. Likewise it is always a good idea to give students choice within an assignment. Instructors can give students a choice to submit a video, a paper, an audio file, or link to external work on the web to demonstrate their understanding of a concept within one assignment. Simply check the allowed methods of submission when creating the assignment. Intervention Strategies Here are some innovative ways our teachers are using Canvas for intervention. Check them out and see if you can utilize their ideas! record lessons (math instruction, reading a book, labs) for students to view or listen to later and post in the module post pre-quizzes with multiple attempts to help students study for tests (be sure to use question banks so that students are learning material and not memorizing questions/answers) hold after-school "office hours" or tutoring hours via the Conference tool in Canvas at set times or meet in a Google Doc via the Collaboration tool use the Calendar to post an event of the day's tasks for students who were absent so they can quickly see what was done in class use the "message students who" feature in the gradebook for students who are missing work or have low scores to either remind them of the assignment or to prompt them to come in for tutoring or to complete additional work set module prerequisites and requirements for module completion (be aware that this method can snowball with students who have fallen behind) Mastery Paths According to Glen Whitman in the Edutopia article, "Assessment, Choice, and the Learning Brain" students striving for mastery goals as opposed to performance based goals (grades) had greater growth mindset and grit.  The new Mastery Paths feature in Canvas, allows teachers to create a formative assignment that will automatically send students to differentiated paths based on the score they received on the initial assignment. By anticipating the needs of learners and preparing meaningful work to supplement or extend learning for major concepts, the instructor alleviates the need to use class time creating on-the-fly assignments. It is easy to call a specific group back for a mini-lesson because it is already assigned, and other students have their own work to do. Mastery Paths allows the instructor to offer feedback quicker than before.  Embedded within each mastery path is the ability to give students choice in the types of assignments they complete. If a student does better processing orally, they might choose to turn in a verbal summary of a the importance of an event instead of writing it out. Research suggests that giving students choices increases their engagement and performance on tasks.  Additionally, Mastery Paths can be "hacked" to send students down intentional activities based on choice.  @kona  has detailed this approach in a helpful blog post Hacking Mastery Paths. This is a fabulous option for reading assignments, research based and project based learning, and other inquiry projects. A note on extension activities: Based on research from Jenny Ranking in Engaging and Challenging Gifted Students: Tips for Supporting Extraordinary Minds in Your Classroom, extension activities should fit the following guidelines: students have choice, which is important for engagement work involves higher order thinking skills, deeper depth of knowledge, and/or more complex tasks work includes advanced lessons  work makes connections between the learning presented and students' passions/interests Summing Up  Differentiated instruction is nothing new, but it can be hard to implement effectively. With solid instructional design that includes clear goals, modeling, ample formative assessment, and plans for reteaching, intervention, and enrichment (whew!), we can help all students be successful learners. Canvas makes it easier for teachers to do what they do so well--positively impact the lives of students! ... View more

End of last year, I met a librarian who was keen to get book and reading reports captured in Canvas. I reached out to our APAC team, and we brainstormed and worked through a couple of options. Thanks to Deactivated user,  @rsakai , pmillar, Debbie Thompson, and Deactivated user for your contributions to this article! Here are some options you might want to consider if you’re also looking to capture book and reading reports in Canvas. Option 1: Assignments in a Module Create as many Assignments as needed in a dedicated reading Module, and students complete them as needed. So that the number of book reports does not affect the final mark, either use the “does not count towards the final mark” check box option to inform the student that it’s not counted; or add these Assignments into an Assignment Group and add a 0% weighting . Students submit their reading reports either using Text Entry submission, where they can add details about the book, and can also include a picture of it; or using URL submission, where they can keep track of all their reports in an external document to log their reports (ex. Google doc) Pros: Students have flexibility with capturing their reading reports (i.e. text, picture, URL) Teachers can track individual Assignment submissions in the Gradebook so that every column with a score/submission icon can be clearly seen to indicate progress Cons: Some explanation needed in this Module to explain that not all Assignments in this Module need to be completed - this can easily be resolved by adding a page at the beginning of the Module, or adding a note in a Module Text Header Option 2: Assignment submission with multiple attempts Create an Assignment that allow multiple attempts. Tick the box so that it doesn't count towards the final mark. There will still be an entry in the Gradebook to input number of reading reports completed. Students submit as described in Option 1. You can also add a recurring Calendar Event with a link to this Assignment as a reminder for students to complete it weekly. Pros: Single Assignment for all reading reports, so it's easy to know where to go to submit their reading report Students can submit multiple times so not limited to how many they can submit Teachers can view number of submissions to indicate number of reading reports completed Cons: Students can only see their last submission In the Gradebook, it would only be one entry (potentially a manual number that the teacher includes to indicate how many reading reports have been submitted) Option 3: Survey with multiple attempts Create an unmarked Survey and allow multiple attempts. Students fill out the Survey. Pros: Students have clear fields to fill out They can submit multiple times so not limited to how many they can submit Teachers can view number of attempts to indicate number of reading reports completed Cons: Students can only see their last Survey results Would not show up in the Gradebook if an unmarked Survey. Alternatively, you could make this a marked Survey so it shows up in the Gradebook, then put it in an Assignment Group with 0% weighting. However, like Option 2, it would only show one column in the Gradebook. Option 4: Group Discussion Create a Group Set for Reading Reports, and assign students into their own Groups within that Group Set. Up to 200 Groups can be created in each Group Set, which means you can auto-assign up to 200 students into their own Groups using this method. Create a Group Discussion, and select the appropriate Group Set for Reading Reports. You may need to create multiple Group Sets and Group Discussions to capture all students who will be submitting reading reports. Students add a post for each reading report in a Group Discussion that only they can see. Pros: Unlimited number of posts/reading reports in a Discussion Teachers can easily see the number of posts corresponding to number of reports when looking at the Discussion Teachers can comment directly by replying to the post related to each reading report Cons: Extra administration work to set up Groups for each student. If unmarked, would not show up in the Gradebook. Alternatively, you could make this a marked Discussion so it shows up in the Gradebook, then put it in an Assignment Group with 0% weighting. However, like Options 2 and 3, it would only show one column in the Gradebook. Have you set up book or reading reports in Canvas? How did you do it? Have you tried one of our options above, or a modified version? We'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts. ... View more

Ever went to a breakout or escape room?  Whether you answered yes or no, it's time to try it out virtually.  Not just that, it's an engaging learning experience that ties in several pieces of Canvas and cooperative and collaborative skills for your students! ... View more