There are a number of online tools that we use as a school for schoolwork. As much as possible, we try not to ask students and faculty to either manage many different logins or to re-create class rosters in every system independently. That would be a major drag and a hassle. Instead, these systems are connected to Canvas as what are called “LTI Plugins” — essentially, you log in to Canvas and then follow a link from Canvas to the tool and you get automagically logged in and placed into the correct class.
In some cases, the version of the tool that is accessible through the link from Canvas may be limited in some way. This may be because the teacher has specifically put limits on it for that assignment. But it may also be because the LTI plugin just isn’t as “mature” as we might hope for it to be. In general, after you have followed the Canvas link to one of these tools, you can open up another page for that tool and you will already be logged in to the full tool.
Which tools use this?
- Digication (an ePortfolio system) — the native URL for our Digication instance is https://stmarksschool.digication.com
- PlayPosit (an interactive video assessment tool) — only teachers need to have accounts, student assessment information is collected automatically through assignments in Canvas. The native URL for PlayPosit is https://www.playposit.com
- VoiceThread (an audio/video collaboration tool) — The native URL for our VoiceThread instance is https://stmarksschool.ed.voicethread.com
If you encounter difficulty accessing one of these tools, reach out to Academic Technology for support immediately!
