Communication is a key component to a successful teaching and learning experience. Not only is it important for you as the instructor to be able to converse with your students, it is also important for them to be able to interact with one another. This helps build a sense of community in your course. Here are some digital communication tools that are available for you to use seamlessly within your Canvas course shell.
Each has different goals and strengths so it is a good idea to think about the purpose of communication and how you want it to function in your course. With those ideas in mind, you are better equipped to select the tool(s) that work best for you and your students.
Piazza — online gathering place where students can ask, answer, and discuss under the guidance of their instructors.
Slack — chat room for your class. Workspaces allow you to organize communications by channels for group discussions and allows for private messages to share information, files, and more.
YellowDig — social learning platform designed for higher education. Students achieve points through word count and participating by “liking” or “loving” a post or commenting on another person’s Pin.
