Wyoming 2.0 Canvas May Newsletter

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David Stokowski's Roadshow Update

Adoption Consultant Roadshow Map for March

During the last week of March, I had two visits to work with small groups of teachers. I visited Douglas Middle School in Converse County School District #1 to work with a team of Middle School Social Studies teachers. One of our focal points was using the new Quizzes.Next assessment tool to create a more engaging and interactive geography questions. I ended that week at Rawlins Middle School working with two Physical Education and Health teachers. The focus of this visit was to help them organize and create structure to their Health classes.

The next two weeks saw two more Canvas Wyoming Roadshows. Roadshow VI made stops at the Wyoming Department of Education’s Cheyenne office to work with a representative from the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy (WLEA). The WLEA is moving its officer training content to Canvas, and our time was spent on building out Canvas courses using Modules. The final stop on this tour was back at Upton High School in Weston County School District #7. This was my second visit to the school, and the teachers there are making fantastic progress on creating content in Canvas. I continued to answer questions about best practices in creating student-facing content, while seeing grow in understanding and usage of Canvas in their classrooms.

My last major travel route in April was through many of the school districts in Fremont County. On Canvas Wyoming Roadshow VII, I visited Fremont County School Districts #25, #24, and #6. I was back in Riverton High School (Fremont County School District #25) to continue our workshop-style sessions. We had about eight-10 teachers across most subjects attend, and continue to build. The students at Riverton High School will definitely be seeing more Canvas content come the 2019-20 school year. After Riverton, I spent the next two days with Fremont County School District #24, first at Shoshoni Elementary School. Here I answered questions and demonstrated Canvas usage and features in the elementary classroom from Kindergarten teachers through 5th grade. Their 6th grade teachers are already using Canvas extensively. After the Elementary, I spent the next day with the Middle/High School teachers in Shoshoni. This was much more consulting-oriented, focusing on how to increase Canvas usage in the classroom. My favorite time of this day was spent demonstrating how Canvas can help students record and submit video evidence of work done in classes like wood/metal shop and physical education. At the end of this Roadshow was Fremont County School District #6 out in Pavillion. Read more about this visit and the Wind River MS/HS plans for Canvas success in our District Spotlight section below.

Statewide Canvas User Groups - Relaunching in August 2019

We will be relaunching these meetings as the school year approaches in August. Stay tuned for email updates on these meetings, and your personal invitations to join. Here are the groups we will be launching again in the Fall:

  • Canvas for Elementary
  • Canvas for Professional Development
  • Canvas for Secondary
  • Canvas for Online Teaching

Canvas Best Practices

Rubrics and SpeedGraderTM

As we are approaching the end of another school year, many of us have an every burgeoning stack of papers to grade. One major benefit of Canvas use in the classroom is its ability to help speed up the grading process. We have two tools when used in conjunction with each other can make quick work of assessment: the Rubric tool and the Canvas SpeedGraderTM.

Some of you may be thinking, “If there is a rubric tool, where do I find my rubrics?” This is a great question, considering there is no “Rubrics” link in your Course Navigation. You will find your rubrics by first selecting on “Outcome,” and then on “Manage Rubrics” which is found in the upper right of the Outcomes page:

Manage Rubrics Screenshot

Here are the main steps we suggest you employ to get a Rubric ready to use in the SpeedGrader:

1. Create your rubric

You can create a rubric by selecting on “+ Rubric” when you are on the Rubrics Index page, this will take you to the rubric creator. You can then add criteria for scoring, as well as the ratings you will give your students. One final thought...if you can create a rubric that will be used for multiple assessments, you will only need to create it once, and then link it as needed (as below in step 2).

 

2. Add your rubric to an assignment or discussions

  • Assignments -  Once you have created and saved an assignment, you will see the “+ Rubric” button at the bottom of the assignment.
Project Outlines Screenshot
  • Discussions - Head to the three dots on the upper right of the screen and find the option to “Add Rubric”
Adding Rubric Screenshot
  • As you add your rubric, you can find a rubric that was already created by using the “Find a Rubric” link. You will have access to all rubrics in all classes where you have been a teacher. You will also have access to any rubrics that were created by the school or district in which you teach. Find the rubric you want to use and select “Use this Rubric.”
  • NOTE: If you make have an External Tool submission type, you will need to change to another submission type (e.g., “No Submission”), save, add the rubric...THEN go back and change the assignment to the appropriate External Tool

 

3. Use the Rubric for Assignment Grading (optional)

  • Once you have chosen your rubric, you will want to edit the rubric by selecting on the pencil icon in the upper right.
  • Next, a few options will appear that will help you decide how the rubric will be used in assessment. If you select “Use this rubric for assignment grading,” the SpeedGrader process will allow you to select the ratings for each student, Canvas will auto total the score, and submit the grade directly to the gradebook.
Using this rubric for assignments screenshot

 

4. Use SpeedGrader and enjoy 

  • Once your rubric has been added, Navigate to the SpeedGrader for an assignment where you have added a rubric, and “View Rubric.” Simply select with your mouse on the ratings for each student, then select save to watch the magic happen.
SpeedGrader ScreenShot

Tweet of the Month

As we get closer to the summer, there are many professional development opportunities, but one stands above them all - InstructureCon. If you have never been to InstructureCon, it is quite a spectacle - with so many amazing speakers and presentations, you will leave with innumerable new ideas to integrate into your classrooms. As an added bonus, I will be presenting a session at the Pre-Conference.

Tweet of the month Image

District Spotlight  

Fremont County School District #6 Logo

While Fremont County School District #6 may be one of the smaller districts in the state, they are setting themselves up to be Power Canvas users for years to come. I have only been visiting with them since early March 2019, and we have made substantial progress in these past two months.

Our first meeting in early March was dedicated to creating a plan around adoption of Canvas. The plan is very comprehensive, and is built around the specific internal resources that the district has. Adoption consulting visits were planned for April, and again in August to give the teachers the best chance for success in beginning the 2019/2020 year with Canvas. The district has decided that all teachers should be displaying their Priority Standards and Scales in Canvas starting this fall. In conjunction with this, my April visit was focused around creating Canvas content using Modules. The district will be working internally to get their specific priority standards into Canvas as Outcomes. The focus of our August visit will be adding those outcomes to rubrics, so teachers can be begin assessing students with these outcomes and then view the results in the Learning Mastery Gradebook in Canvas. We will also make sure that all courses will be set up for successful grade passback into Infinite Campus starting this fall.

The principal of Wind River Middle/High School, Charles Jenks, has been the driving force in getting their teachers on Canvas. The school has an ambitious (but very achievable goal) of having ALL courses using Canvas by the start of the 2020/2021 school year.  I will continue to visit the school to provide any support needed toward that goal, but with the drive of Mr. Jenks, and their internal human capital, they are already moving toward major Canvas success! Thanks for allowing us to share your story, Fremont County School District #6.

Contact Information

David Stokowski, Canvas, Adoption Consultant

Robin Grandpre, WDE, Project & Performance Manager

Emaildstokowski@instructure.com
Phone: 307-215-3060
Emailrobin.grandpre1@wyo.gov 
Phone: 307-777-5315