How to Use Your Brightlink and How to Get into Canva

​I am so happy to have heard from so many people last week and I am so sorry that I neglected to give the instructions for how to get into Canva (oops).  Please read on for instructions for how to get in to Canva.  Many teachers moved classrooms over the summer or got a new Brightlink (Epson) projector installed in your classroom and some moved into a classroom with a Smartboard. Read on for some support to help you use your projector for interactive projects and engaging activities.  If you are new to ePortfolios or have been doing them for years and have knowledge to share, read on for information about our Work and Sharing Session tomorrow afterschool.

How to Get in to Canva:​

The easiest way for teachers and students to get in is to:

1. Go to canva.com​

2.  Click on Log In in the top right

3. Click on Continue in Another Way (Continue with email works too)

4. Choose to log in with your Microsoft Account

5.  Now just log in using your school district email address and regular password.​

Brightlink/Smartboard Support

If you have an Epson Brightlink projector in your classroom you should have pens that work with it making it interactive.  Look for a play button on the side or controls on the bottom that enable you to switch the pen between being a drawing/writing tool and a mouse clicker.

If you have a play button on the left or right side, click here for some instruction​s to help you. ​

If you have a very new Brightlink with controls at the bottom, click here for some instructions to help you.

If you are using a Brightlink or a Smartboard, Lumio is fabulous program to use with it.

Visit Learn71.ca, click on Integrating Technology​, then click on the ​Lumio/Brightlink/Smartboard button on the right. to find links to help you get started with Lumio.  Also check out all the amazing virtual manipulatives that you can use with your students to teach Math.

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Canva

​I know that I have told you all about the awesomeness of Canva before but this year, it will be even easier for you to use as our whole district, staff and students, have been signed up for accounts. Woo hoo​!  Canva is a great, easy program to use to help you and your students create amazing info graphics, videos,  presentations and more.  You can collaborate and share just like you can in Office 365 and there are thousands of visually engaging templates that you can edit to make your own.

Some Features:

  • Your education account gives you free access to all the graphics
  • Talking Presentations – you can turn your presentations into a video with you in the corner
  • Comic Strips – assign your students comic strips in Canva to show their learning. They can even make multimedia comics with animations and music
  • Storyboards- have students use the storyboard templates to plan ahead or share learning
  • Video projects -you and  your students can create easy video projects with templates to help you get started, and photos and video clips that you can add
​Here is a short video to help you get started:

Resources in Canva:

  • Design School – Start here to watch videos or take courses to teach you the skills you need to start using Canva. You can even direct your students here for support for students.
  • Educator Resources
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Live it Earth!

I hope everyone’s fall is off to a great start. I am super excited about this year and am looking forward to bringing some of our fun district events back like the Code Quest Arcade in May and the Minecraft Challenge which will come out soon.  One great new resource that has come to our district is Live It Earth! Live It is a Canadian resource which is available in English or in French and contains full lesson packages for Science/STEM lessons that closely follow our curricular Big Ideas. The subjects include such engaging topics as ​Life on Mars, Narwhals, Dinosaurs, Climate Chang​​e and much more with a new one coming out every month.  Each package contains:

  • ​A Slideshow that you can edit or change that is also narrated if you would like to give your voice a break
  • An Inquiry Guide full of working documents that you can modify for students to fill out as you progress through the unit.
  • Creative and STEM Challenges with lots of choices and step-by-step instructions
  • A Feature Show about the topic which also includes the Indigenous perspective
  • Career Pathways 
  • Self Assessment opportunities
  • Post Viewing Challenges and Resources like Game Challenges, Call to Action, Deep Dives and more
To find this awesome new resource:
1. Go to learn71.ca​
2. Click on Research Databases​ on the top right
3. The instructions for signing yourself and your class up will be right there under New (they will later on move down to Sites for Teachers)
Here is a quick video to watch to learn more about Live It:
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