Powerful LMS for Effective Online Learning
January 16, 2019
Powerful LMS for Effective Online Learning
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Canvas
Spending a lot of time utilizing an LMS system myself within my current school district and having to be knowledgeable on most LMS systems, I had to evaluate how Canvas stacked up against other popular systems such as Schoology and Google Classroom. I use Canvas outside of my school organization. As with most learning management systems, the goal is to help provide a platform for blended learning, where students are able to manage their digital selves, track homework assignment, interact with the teacher and students, and submit work digitally. For teachers, this helps solve problems with missing work that needs to be turned in physically, or during the creation phase as teachers struggle to integrate technology into the classroom and design more digitally engaging lessons and activities for students.
- LTI integration. This is particularly useful for teachers creating digital lessons and activities so that can embed other digital tools within their canvas materials.
- Collaborative in nature. Easy to navigate and engage in discussion with students and teachers.
- The Calendar view. Teachers are use to utilizing agendas and Google Calendar for daily routine like a planner. This give you an overview of your course highlighting various assignments, quizzes, tests, etc.
- An easier way to manage and/or organize materials and be able to share them with others.
- A way to track what learning objectives are being met.
- Integrated badging system to create and award badges for gamification elements.
- It has afforded me a platform to design more personalized learning scenarios for students and teachers, increasing understanding and comprehension.
- Has increased collaboration and quality feedback from student to student and teacher to student.
- More innovation and seamless integration of using technology to meet pedagogy and teaching of today.
Canvas is very similar to Schoology. Built on collaboration, both Canvas and Schoology have a very social media-esque feel. Both platforms offer a variety of tools and features that take the normal classroom above and beyond what can be done in Google Classroom or other LMS systems. Teachers can create assignment, embed edtech tools via LTI integration, submit grades, send notifications, and design online learning activities like discussions and tests/quizzes. Overall, this is a very effective application for education and one that I would rate with Schoology at the top.