Updates and FAQs

Upcoming Features announced by Google on 7-26-2024

Allow dropdown chips to have multiple selections in Google Sheets
- Previously, dropdowns could only have one value selected in Google Sheets. Starting this week, we’re introducing the ability to allow for multiple selections within a dropdown. This functionality is useful when multiple project milestones, statuses, or groups are applicable for one item.
Automatically generated captions for videos in Google Drive
- When you upload a video to Google Drive, captions can be automatically generated. These captions are automatically generated using speech recognition technology to transcribe the audio. Automatic captions will be supported in English, with plans to expand to other languages in the future.

Tech Tips from emails (click to expand)

Video Annotation in Studio

You can quickly annotate any video you have in Studio in Canvas and add in helpful text or links. With some easy edits, the text and/or links will be displayed over the video forcing the video to pause until the viewer has to hit the Continue button to start again. This can be a great way to fix an error in a video or to add depth to the video by adding some useful information or a link to an external site.

You can find out how to do this using the Canvas support page, and you can even see an example of this in action on one of the videos that I created for using Immersive Reader in Helperbird.

The annotations are visible when you embed the annotated videos into a Page on Canvas using the Apps - Studio option. If you do not see Studio under the Apps button, click View All to add it. You can't view the annotations when using the share link from the Studio page for that media. (Hopefully this will change with future updates)

HelperBird Tip: Change your Font

Many features on HelperBird can help all learners. One feature you might want to check out is how you can change the font on any website quickly and easily. There may be times that you don't like the font on a website. You can create a consistent looking font across the web based on your taste. Watch the short video to learn how to change the font.

Fresh Start in Canvas

Some of you have asked how to give your students a clean slate in their Canvas courses (that are year long courses) for the start of the 2nd semester. You can unpublish your modules (click the green checkmark at the right of each module). Then put availability end dates on assignments so they do not appear in their to-do list on their dashboard. You can add end availability dates in bulk. Here is how you can do so.

Copying/Importing Canvas Course Material

I have received a couple of questions this morning about transferring/copying content from one course to another term course. For example, a term 1 class that is now going to be taught term 3 again. Refer to this google doc to copy your course from one term to another.

Student View Update in Canvas

Canvas has added a "Student View" icon on EVERY page in Canvas!! Finally!! This is so nice that you don't have to go back to the home page or settings like before to see what the students see when in Canvas.
On the top right of each page, discussion, assignment, module, you will see a pair of glasses which is Student View. Just click that to enable Student View and see what the students see.