This is the fifth post in a series about how you can use Canvas to integrate the eight Learning Technology Ecosystem Principles. You can find more about these principles here, but in this post, we’ll be looking at the fourth principle.

4. Designed for students who are remixing and/or creating: Learning is most effective when systems are designed to help learners find, create, and/or repurpose significant content for the value of themselves and others. 

Remixing and/or Creating

Bloom developed a classification of thinking skills, which he ranked in order of complexity – remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating. These six skills are used to design learning objectives that describe the skills and abilities instructors want their students to master and demonstrate. When students have to reorganize their learning and create something new, they are performing the most difficult mental function, which leads to a deeper level of learning.

How Canvas supports students remixing and/ or creating

Canvas leverages collaborative technology to allow multiple users to work together on the same project at the same time. Canvas allows you to create Group Sets that can house a number of student groups. Student groups can share files, create Canvas pages, send announcements, and have access to their own calendar, discussion board and collaboration tools, allowing them to work together more effectively.

Office 365 is integrated within Canvas allowing collaborations in Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Word files. Other collaborative tools approved for Canvas integration include Perusall and Padlet. Students can also create individual presentations using PowerPoint and videos using Panopto that can easily be shared in Canvas.

Canvas Commons allows for student created (and instructor created) materials to also be shared with other instructors and learners.

References

• Adams, N. E. (2015). Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 103(3), 152–153. https://doi-org.cyber.usask.ca/10.3163/1536-5050.103.3.010
• University Success – Types of Thinking
• Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Verbs