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Canvas LMS provides platforms for both K-12 and Higher Education institutions. It is considered a 'Commericially Open-Source' product. Potential users can create a Canvas account and build their own content on the provided platform, or they can pay for an account that is pre-loaded with course content. If users like large institutions would benefit from tech support when needing to troubleshoot issues in Canvas, a paid account would be beneficial. Free accounts do not have access to tech support from Instructure.
Some of the wonderful benefits of Canvas include a clean, intuitive, modern interface, integration of digital and external online tools, real-time assessments and speed grader for instant feedback, Common Core alignment, rubrics, formative standards-based assessments, and fluidity with any electronic device.
Teachers will need appropriate knowledge, skills, and dispositions in order to experience and understand Canvas K-12 LMS. Among them are:
- Approach teaching in a student-centered manner, with the end goals in mind
- Solid computer and information literacy skills
- Strong information management skills
- Minsets that allow the technology to drive the way information is presented
- Ability to organize a mix of learning activities that are appropriate to student needs
- Ability to supplement LMS with some deeper learning activities and experiences where appropriate
- Make effort to make students feel important and not part of the mass of users
- Flexibility in allowing for extra planning time for content upload
- Lecture notes, text activities, drill, practice testing, immediate feedback are supported
- Information can be chunked to prevent overload
- Students can be involved with real-world problems and situations.
- Students can apply their own solutions, with appropriate feedback, to their own problems and constructs
- Students can work with authentic problems that reflect real contexts and characteristics
- There is greater scope to provide extension activities
- Resources can be added as units progress