BWSD: Teachers Embrace New Learning Opportunities Through Canvas

Press release from the Baldwin-Whitehall School District:

Sept. 26, 2020

The staff of Whitehall Elementary is deeply committed to student success. Over the summer, teachers gathered together to plan for new learning strategies for the year. After months of distance learning last spring, the teachers were aware of the many challenges ahead. They realized they needed to create an organized format with an emphasis on the grade-level standards. It was essential to craft a curriculum that would engage students, maintain their focus, and, yet still be manageable for all involved. Teachers spent countless hours this summer joining online learning communities, researching best practices for hybrid and remote learning, and collaborating with team members to adapt our curriculum for the 20-21 school year.

Teachers saw opportunity in the integration of the new learning platform, Canvas. There are specific design features that give the students the ability to participate in a variety of engaging lessons using Canvas discussions and student-created videos. Canvas allows students to seamlessly connect to online sites such as Nearpod, Time for Kids, and Newsela without leaving Canvas.

These tools amplify learning potential. Nearpod offers opportunities to physically interact with the learning material. For example, in science they can manipulate 3D objects to observe. In math, students have taken VR field trips to New York City to search for examples of parallel and perpendicular lines and to the Taj Mahal to look for the many examples of symmetry.

At Whitehall, teachers are finding the discussion feature to be particularly engaging. Students can leave text or video responses to questions about novels, word problems, or just opinions on current events. This is another avenue for students to feel connected to each other even if they are not physically in the same space.

Even though it has only been a few weeks with Canvas, the children are already demonstrating an increased comfort level with the new learning platform. The students are beginning to take greater ownership of their learning through messaging teachers with questions, finding creative ways to submit their assignments, and tuning in for class Google Meets.

The teachers greatly appreciate the tremendous support from the families. We are definitely in a new world, but we can do it...together!

This press release was produced by the Baldwin-Whitehall School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.