New Canva features empower collaboration in the classroom

Canva for Education has launched new features that will make it the collaboration tool of choice for educators, the company says, regardless of the learning mode — in virtual, physical and hybrid classrooms.

The update includes functionality designed to keep students engaged and accountable, communicating and collaborating to create together and achieve a deeper level of learning.

Teachers and students can work on one document simultaneously, regardless of where they are located. With a raft of new templates specifically designed with classroom collaboration at its core, from group critique activities to stipulating group roles, you can now create, collaborate, brainstorm, note and present learnings together, remotely. 

Avatars show who’s working on the document, with comments and replies showing up right away. Collaborators can see which elements are selected by who, thanks to colour coding and names on display within designs.

Comments are also supported on web and mobile, so teachers and students can, quite literally, collaborate from anywhere.

Canva says collaboration in the classroom helps students develop their higher-level thinking, oral communication, self-management and leadership skills.

Other new features include

• Talking Presentations — This is an alternative to live or pre-recorded formats, giving educators and students the ability to integrate short videos within presentation slides.
• Publish Assignment — This allows teachers create an assignment and designate it to their relevant classes to complete. Students receive an email notification including instructions on how to complete.
• Notifications Center — This helps classes stay informed by making it easy to review and respond to classmates and colleagues, moving projects along faster
   

More information on Canva, including free registration for educators, can be found here.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/kebox