You Deserve a Sticker! Using Canvas Badges

You Deserve a Sticker! Using Canvas Badges

After diving in head first into the online classroom, if there is one thing I have to remind myself of daily it is, “Focus on the Positive”.

After a lot of work with a fabulous team of teachers, Canvas was up and running and content was easily accessible to students on a daily basis. While I spend a lot of time still trying to motivate and engage students, the next step felt the need to recognize many students who had worked hard and figured out online learning as students too! They deserved a sticker. But what was going to be the best way to show them I noticed their hard work each day?

That was when I started using Badges! They were the digital stickers that allowed students to feel accomplishment, teachers to better track module completion, and a guide for giving out classroom rewards.

Where to Start:

It’s pretty simple.

First, you will want to create a free account and backpack on badgr.com.

Second, add Badgr as an External App in Canvas. And connect it to your new Badgr account. 

Next, know that Badges are attached to Modules. You will need to have your course set up with Modules and Requirements set for the Badges to be rewarded to students. These may be Daily Modules or Content Specific ones. Want to know more about Module Requirements? Come back on February 24th to learn and hear from my teammate, Emily Hoppel!

Now the fun part- creating your badges! You can either create or upload pre-made badges. I enjoyed designing badges myself in Canva that would match our Daily Module Heart Emojis, but have also used many badge images from other educators. You can design your own in Canva, Slides or Google Drawings. Any image can be a badge!

Once you have Badges loaded in Badgr, it is quick and easy to assign a badge to the modules in your Canvas course through your Badges Menu and a quick drop down choice.

Then it’s up to the students. They complete the module and are given their badge!

Teachers can see Badge progress, students can check out a leaderboard, and now those who have been working hard and checking off learning each day feel recognized.

 

For a little more motivation, connect the number of badges or certain badges earned with fun rewards such as wear a hat or PJs to class, show and tell or bring your pet to Zoom!

Enjoy Badges!

Kim Schrank, Online 3rd Grade Teacher