Tag: LMS

By Dru Macasieb

October 3rd, 2016

Canvas by Infrastructure has, by far, been the best Learning Management System (LMS) I’ve ever encountered. Partly because of its ease of use and mobile friendly approach. This post is about using Canvas on your mobile device though the Canvas App, viewing Canvas on your mobile browser, and using the SpeedGradeApp.

Canvas App

The Canvas App can b downloaded in the App Store or Google Play store. From an instructors point of view, the Canvas app is pretty limited to viewing and posting to discussions boards, reading Canvas mail, and viewing already entered grades. Personally, I mostly use this from the student side of things such as: doing discussions, looking up assignments, taking quiz, and viewing grades. However, having this app from an instructor point of view does come in handy as you can see what your Canvas app classroom would look like from a student’s perspective

Mobile Browsers

What I like about Canvas is that it is mobile friendly. One can access the entire Canvas site using a mobile device like a smart phone or tablet. The best way to do this is by bookmarking Canvas on your mobile device. You’ll have full access to Canvas as if you were working on your laptop. Some of the neat features:

• You can view assignments, make comments, and grade right from you device
• You can edit and update assignments, exams, and pages
• Anything you can do on a personal computer, you can do on your mobile device

SpeedGrader App

The SpeedGrader App is available on iOS tablets (iPads) and all Android devices. This app allows access to your grade book, where you can grade discussions, assignments, and assessments. It has a more streamlined approached than mobile browsing as it skips the the rest of Canvas (modules, pages, etc.) in favor of focusing on the grade book.  I highly suggest to use download this app as it makes grading on the go easier.

Conclusion

Canvas is an amazing LMS order to remain relevant in today’s competitive workforce, it is important for us to accept and embrace new technology. The Canvas App is great for students but its limited functionality makes it okay for instructors. Viewing it on a mobile browsers, is the same thing as viewing it from a personal computer, therefore bookmarking it as a no brainer.  The SpeedGrader App, is my favorite tool to use as it makes grading on the go quick and easy, however, the only set back is that its only available on iPads and Androids, (sorry iPhones). In the end, it may be more convenient to work on your laptop, but learning how to work in the mobile arena my prove useful during times when your laptop is not readily available.