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Colorful graphic showcasing Canva Frames used to spell themed words with images inside letters, alongside a list of classroom activity ideas like vocabulary words and categorization.
CanvaClassroom Activities

Canva Letter Frames: Creative Ideas for Any Classroom

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Canva has earned a permanent spot in many educators’ toolkits, and for good reason. From lesson visuals to bulletin boards, it’s a go-to for creating resources that pop. But here’s one Canva feature you might not have thought to use this way: Canva Letter Frames.

They’re more than just a design trick—these customizable letters and numbers can be turned into fun, hands-on activities for all kinds of subjects and grade levels. From vocabulary practice to “All About Me” projects, the possibilities are endless. Best of all? They’re quick to make and easy to adapt for any classroom. I’ve included a few fun examples—see if you can guess what they are! The answers are revealed at the end of the blog.

What Are Canva Letter Frames?

Letter frames in Canva are special frame elements shaped like individual letters or numbers. You can drag and drop photos or videos into these frames, and the media will be cropped to fit the shape. This lets you create creative text effects—like spelling out a word with each letter filled with a different image or video.

How to find them:

  1. Open Canva and start a new design.
  2. In the Elements tab, search for “letter frames” (or a specific letter).
  3. Drag your chosen letters onto the page.
  4. Add photos or videos by dragging them over the frames.
  5. Double-click any letter to adjust the image size or position.

Ideas for Using Letter Frames in the Classroom

1. Vocabulary Visuals

  • Fill each letter of a vocabulary word with images connected to its meaning.
  • Science example: “Photosynthesis” could feature sunshine, leaves, water droplets, and plant cells.
  • Geometry example: “Triangle” could show pyramids, road signs, nacho chips, and pizza slices.

2. Categorization

  • Choose a category and fill each letter with related images.
  • Example: “MUSICAL” could include guitars, pianos, drums, and sheet music.
  • Example: “SPORTS” could feature soccer balls, basketball hoops, running shoes, and tennis rackets.

3. Topic Titles

  • Create bold, thematic unit titles like “Ecosystems,” “Fractions,” or “Civil War” using related imagery.
  • Perfect for bulletin boards, presentations, or classroom displays.

4. Guess the Title Game

Turn letter frames into a fun guessing game! Fill each letter with image clues and let students guess the word or phrase.

  • Guess the Song – “Firework” with fireworks, sparklers, and bright colors.
  • Guess the Movie – “Jaws” with sharks, waves, and life preservers.
  • Guess the Book – “Matilda” with stacks of books, a chalkboard, and a girl silhouette.
  • Guess the Chapter Title – Use clues from the events in a chapter.
  • Guess the Historical Event – “Moon Landing” with rockets, astronauts, and the moon.
  • Guess the Holiday – “Halloween” with pumpkins, bats, and candy corn.

5. All About Me

  • Students spell out their names in letter frames and fill them with pictures showing hobbies, family, pets, or favorite things.
  • Makes a great icebreaker and bulletin board display.

Benefits of Letter Frame Projects

  • Engagement: Students get excited about creating something unique and visually appealing.
  • Visual Learning: Linking imagery to words or concepts boosts retention and comprehension.
  • Personal Connection: Students connect learning to their own interests and experiences.
  • Collaboration: Perfect for group work, gallery walks, or class displays.

Canva Letter Frames give you a flexible, visually rich way to make learning more engaging. Whether you’re reinforcing content, sparking creativity, or building classroom community, give them a try—you might be surprised at how much your students can express without writing a single word. Have another great way to use Letter Frames in the classroom? Share your idea in the comments below!

Did you guess my examples?

  • Vocabulary word – pizza
  • Categorization – sports
  • Topic Title – Our 63 National parks
  • Song – America the Beautiful

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AdobeCanvaContent Creation

Multimedia Projects Made Easy: Multimedia Tools for Educators

by Melissa Perner
written by Melissa Perner

In today’s modern technology world, multimedia projects have become a great way to teach, communicate, and show off creativity. By combining text, images, audio, video, and interaction, multimedia allows people to fully engage their audience in a powerful manner.

What is a multimedia project?

Multimedia refers to the uses of computer technology to create, store and experience multimedia content. Multimedia applications play a crucial role in education which range from preschool education to postgraduate students and corporate training packages. By definition, Multimedia is a representation of information in an attractive and interactive manner with the use of a combination of text, audio, video, graphics and animation. So, in other words, we can say that Multimedia is a computerized method of presenting information combining textual data, audio, visuals (video), graphics and animations. 

What are the components of a multimedia project?

There are several components of multimedia projects, though not all of them must be present at all times. Some key components include:

  • Text to provide information
  • Graphics/images to break up the text and provide visual interest
  • Bitmap images, which are real images that can be captured from devices such as digital cameras or scanners. Generally, bitmap images are not editable.
  • Vector graphics, which are drawn on the computer and only require a small amount of memory. These graphics are editable.
  • Digital audio, like the use of speech, music and sound effects
  • Video, which can be real or animated

Tools and Software for Multimedia Projects

Basic Video Editing: WeVideo

WeVideo is a complete, end-to-end video learning platform with everything you need to make interactive videos and improve classroom engagement. Founded in Norway in 2011, the company was founded with the idea that everyone—from school children to professionals—should have the power to create, communicate, and collaborate with video.

WeVideo works great with learning management systems like Canvas, Schoology, ClassLink, and Google Classroom as well as others. There is a cost to subscribe to WeVideo, but they have multiple subscription levels and education-based discounts.

Audio Engineering: Audacity

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Audacity is free to use and was developed for anyone who wants to get creative with sound.

It’s the perfect tool for anyone who needs to quickly edit or export audio, for any reason. Audacity is also proudly open source and many third-party plugins have been developed for the software.

Stock Photos: Pics4Learning and Openclipart

Copyright laws can make it hard to find free, fair-use photos. I recommend Pics4Learning and Openclipart.

Pics4Learning is one of the oldest (and still growing) collections of free images for education. The images found on Pics4Learning are all owned by the original photographers, but they’ve allowed Pics4Learning to share the images for use in any classroom, and shared in any media project, no matter where it’s posted, so long as the images aren’t used for any commercial purpose.

Openclipart provides a large collection of free clipart, all part of the Public Domain. All of the images on this site have been donated to Public Domain, so they’re all free for the taking.

Research and Sources: The Smithsonian

You might also try the Smithsonian Institution, which is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. The Smithsonian has created and maintains websites and other digital properties to support its mission for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.” These websites offer a wealth of knowledge for multimedia learning.

Animation and Video: Animaker

Animaker is a drag-and-drop animation and video-making platform featuring a free subscription plan that focuses on tools for beginners and professionals, alike, with diverse animated character customization, thousands of templates, and millions of stock videos and photos.  

It has a rich content library, is a cloud-based software accessible on any device, and has a easy-to-use interface. However, it does have limited customization, a steeper learning curve for complex animations, and limited features in the free plan. Plus, Animaker’s AI program can create videos from text prompts, screen recordings, or upload raw footage. It can even auto-edit videos in one click, adding B-roll, subtitles, text, music, and more. 

All-Around Programs: Canva and Adobe Express

Two programs that I use frequently have several or all multimedia components wrapped up into one site.

Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more. Canva is easy to sign up for, using either an email, Google account, or Facebook login. Once an account is created, for free, you can pick if you’re using it as a teacher, student, or anything else. This will tailor the experience to your needs, making it simpler to search.

    Free account holders get more than 250,000 free templates, 100 design formats, 1 million free photos and graphics—including Smartmockups, which overlay your design on products like tee shirts and cellphone screens—more than 1,000 fonts, and a subset of AI-powered tools, including Magic Write, Magic Design, manual Beat Sync, and Magic Edit. Although the Free plan now offers unlimited folders, there’s a 5GB cap on data storage, and you miss out on the Pro features mentioned below, including exporting files to CMYK.

For me, as a multimedia teacher, Canva is a game-changer. My students and I create a ton of projects in Canva—everything from print to video to animation to audio.

Adobe Express is a web-based, mobile graphics arts and design app designed to help anyone create a variety of visual content quickly and easily. The app can also be a central repository for maintaining brand consistency, and we think it’s especially good for helping you make social posts from templates. Express is accessible to users with little or no design experience, but it also has useful tools for professionals. 

Adobe Express has a freemium model. You can use it for free, but you get more features and content when you pay the $9.99-per-month or $99.99-per-year subscription fee. A 30-day free trial is available. A key benefit of Express, however, is having access to your Creative Cloud libraries and the suite’s collaboration and sharing features.

Adobe Express now also comes with Adobe Firefly generative AI under the hood, making it simple for anyone at any skill level to perform complex tasks more quickly and with ease. From just a text prompt, AI features let creators generate impressive images and layouts and insert, remove, or replace people and objects, and more.

Both Canva and Adobe Express are great programs to go to for all multimedia projects. However, in my personal experience, I prefer Canva as it is easier to learn and to teach. Adobe Express, to me, is for users who have professional graphic design and multimedia experience, whereas Canva is for the beginner wanting to learn.

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CanvaContent Creation

Unleash Your Creativity with Canva Create

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

In mid-April, 2025, TCEA hosted a Lunch and Learn session featuring Canva Learning Consultant, Monica Martinez. Monica gave attendees a thrilling sneak peek into the innovative updates announced at Canva Create, designed to empower educators and students. You will find features to support your lesson planning, engagement, and designing efforts.

Screenshot by author of Canva Create New Features
Access these features via your Canva for Education account

What’s New in Canva?

Canva is leveling up, and rolling out, a suite of powerful tools. Many of the changes leverage GenAI. The features seek to make design more intuitive and integrated. While some features might be visible now, the full suite for Canva for Education accounts is expected to launch around May 20, 2025. More on that in a moment.

Here is what’s coming based on Monica’s Lunch and Learn presentation:

1. Canva Sheets: Forget complex formulas. Canva Sheets brings the power of spreadsheets but adds AI magic. Need to generate feedback for students based on their grades? Just ask AI. Want to bulk-create certificates from a list of names? Sheets makes it easier than ever.You can even drag and drop graphics directly into your sheets.

2. All-in-One Visual Suite (aka “Doctopus”): This was a crowd favorite among attendees. Imagine creating an entire lesson(documents, presentations, whiteboard activities, posters) all within one single Canva file. No more juggling multiple files for one project. I couldn’t help but observe that this is a game-changer. What’s more, it makes juggling multiple documents a thing of the past for both teacher planning and student portfolios. The reason why is that you have everything organized in one place. For example, here’s a document with the NEW button featuring the ability to add all sorts of documents:

3. Magic Studio at Scale: Apply Canva’s AI ‘Magic’ features more broadly across your designs. You can do bulk image background removals for groups of images, for example.

4. Canva Code: Ready to build your own interactive apps, games, quizzes, or websites without being a coding expert? Simply tell Canva Code what you want. For example, Monica demonstrated creating a game in Spanish. She described it as “create a matching game matching animals to their ecosystems,” showing the results. Customize existing tools or create something entirely new. You can share these creations via a website link.

Here are some of the resources shared, although you will definitely want to watch Monica’s step by step demonstration:

Need some foundational background in Canva? Register for the Canva Educator and Canva Specialist courses (not yet updated for this next round of updates) so you will be ready. You can also connect with Monica, who represents Canva:

More Features Announced

In watching the Canva Create event, there were many more feature announcements. Here are some I hastily wrote down:

  • Easier diagram design
  • Highlighting word and more in Canva Docs
  • Send assignment to students
  • Video feedback tools
  • More slide transitions
  • Resize images in bulk
  • Subscript and superscript characters
  • Text to Speech
  • Voiceovers
  • Brand color option constraints

There were many more features announced, but these little changes add up to BIG change overall.

View document as a website

Why the Wait?

Monica explained the May 20th rollout allows Canva to test features currently in beta. The means that educators and students will get a stable experience rather than a buggy roll-out. It also gives educators time to explore the upcoming tools.

Get Ready to Explore

Even though the full release is a few weeks away, you can start exploring! Monica shared resources (check the TCEA community site for the recording and links shared in the chat!) where you can:

  • Learn about all the updates.
  • Play with interactive demos of the new features and earn badges.
  • Watch the Canva Create keynote and session recordings.

Everyone was buzzing about the potential of the all-in-one visual suite and Canva Code. Remember, all these powerful features will be 100% FREE under your Canva for Education account.

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Image of a wonder wall
Good Teaching

Transform Your Classroom with a Wonder Wall

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

A wonder wall is a transformative classroom tool that turns student curiosity into daily learning experiences. Wonder walls have the power to not only spark student’s curiosity, but also to get students to think critically and take charge of their own learning.

Whether you teach kindergarten or high school, a wonder wall can bring learning to life. Let’s explore how to set one up, keep it engaging, and use it to spark deeper learning in your classroom.

What is a Wonder Wall?

A wonder wall is a dedicated space where students post their questions about classroom topics. The space serves as a visual representation of student-driven learning. It encourages inquiry, discussion, and exploration. It can be a physical bulletin board, a digital tool, or a combination of both. The goal of a wall is to cultivate a classroom culture where curiosity leads the way.

Why Use a Wonder Wall?

There are many benefits of using wonder walls in your classroom. Let’s explore some.

  • Encourages curiosity: Students ask questions about topics that interest them, driving intrinsic motivation.
  • Builds Critical Thinking: Students think deeply, research answers, and make connections.
  • Supports Student Voice and Engagement: Every student has a place to contribute, ensuring that all voices are valued.
  • Promotes collaboration: Students share ideas, debate answers, and research together.

How to Set Up a Wonder Wall in Your Classroom

1. Choose a Space

  • Physical Wonder Wall: Use a bulletin board, whiteboard, or designated wall space where students can post their questions using sticky notes or index cards.
  • Digital Wonder Wall: Use tools like Padlet, Canva, or Google Slides where students can type their questions.

2. Introduce the Concept

  • Explain that the Wonder Wall is a place for all kinds of questions—big or small, related to the curriculum or beyond.
  • Model curiosity by adding your own wonderings. Example: “I wonder how astronauts sleep in space?”

3. Gather Student Questions

  • Give students time each week to write and post their questions.
  • Encourage different types of questions:
    • 🔍 Factual: “Why do leaves change color in the fall?”
    • 🤔 Conceptual: “What would happen if the sun never set?”
    • 🎨 Creative: “If you could invent a new planet, what would it look like?”

4. Keep the Wonder Alive

  • Select a few questions each week to explore as a class.
  • Pair students to research and share findings.
  • Tie questions to classroom lessons.

5. Showcase Learning

  • Dedicate time for students to present their discoveries.
  • Use Wonder Wall discussions as writing prompts, STEM challenges, or inquiry projects.
  • Create a “Wonder of the Month” display, celebrating standout questions and research.
Image of a wonder wall.
Image by Author from Canva Templates by Teach Cheat

Tech Tools to Enhance Your Wonder Wall

  • Canva: Canva is a collaborative space where students can post questions, images, and links. In addition, there you can search for Wonder Wall templates.
  • Padlet: Like Canva, Padlet is a collaborative board where students can post questions.
  • ChatGPT: ChatGPT can help students research their questions with AI-generated answers and resources.
  • Magic School AI: Magic School AI can generate discussion prompts or scaffold research for student inquiries.
  • Google Slides: Google Slides is a simple way to organize and categorize wall questions.

Bringing the Wonder Wall to Life Across Subjects

  • Science: Ask students to post “I wonder…” questions before starting an experiment.
  • ELA: Use the wall questions as writing prompts or discussion starters.
  • Social Studies: Encourage students to ask historical “What if?” questions.
  • Math: Explore real-world math applications through student inquiries.

Let Wonder Drive Learning

A Wonder Wall transforms a classroom into a space where curiosity is celebrated, questions lead to discovery, and students feel empowered to learn. By making inquiry a part of your teaching, you’ll nurture lifelong learners who approach the world with curiosity and critical thinking.

Ready to start your own? Share your ideas in the comments below!

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Canva Whiteboard
Canva

Canva Whiteboard Sticky Note Sorting

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Calling all Canva Educator Users! I bet you are ALREADY using Canva to create presentations because the elements are JUST so unbeatable. The close second thing on my “I LOVE CANVA” list is the thousands of educational templates available that you can modify with a click of a mouse. The third thing on my list is the Canva Whiteboard feature. For a basic rundown of this collaborative space, please check out my colleague Miguel Guhlin’s blog.

Canva Whiteboard Basics

A Canva Whiteboard is a collaborative space that offers infinite room to brainstorm, plan projects, or create interactive and visually appealing educational content . It includes the following features: 

  • Real-time cursors
  • Timers
  • Sticky notes
  • Images
  • Video
  • Audio
  • Stickers

The BIG NEWS!

Sorting by Topic

You can sort the sticky notes on a Canva Whiteboard and you have several options:

  • By color: Organizes sticky notes based on their color
  • By name: Arranges sticky notes alphabetically by their title or content
  • By topic: Groups sticky notes according to their subject or theme
  • By reactions: Sorts sticky notes based on the reactions or feedback they have received

These options help you keep your whiteboard organized and make it easier to find specific notes.

The Steps

  1. Click and drag to select the sticky notes you want to sort.
  2. From the toolbar, select Sort.
  3. Choose from the sorting options:
    1. By color 
    2. By name 
    3. By topic 
    4. By reactions

Canva Whiteboard’s Summary Form

And if that wasn’t enough, you can also create a summary from the sticky notes.

The summary will give you  a brief, concise overview of all thes sticky notes posted on the whiteboard. Thanks to Janet Corder for this feature shared in the TCEA Lunch and Learn Smackdown in December of 2024.

The Steps

  1. Click and drag to select the sticky notes you want to sort
  2. From the toolbar, select Resize
  3. Under Magic Switch, choose Transform into Doc
  4. Click on the ellipsis and select Executive Summary
  5. Click the purple button, Transform into Doc
  6. Click the purple button, Open Doc

Try it out today!

Incorporating Canva Whiteboards into your educational toolkit can help you collaborate and brainstorm with your students or colleagues. And if  you need to organize those sticky notes in the creative process or in the  learning – Canva has you covered.

Featured image courtesy of Grafikonteam, digital content creator for Canva

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Feature image by author.
Canva

Canva Updates for July 2024

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Do you love Canva? It offers a wealth of digital design tools that make the worst of our work look better. But keeping up to date with Canva and other digital tools can be tough. Let’s take a look at some of the upcoming changes making an impact in schools and offices. You need to pay attention, especially if you’re a long-time Canva user.

The Canvas of Creativity

Canva is gearing up for a significant update to its sharing features. These changes are set to take effect on July 31st, 2024. Like the Google links security update, they seek to enhance online safety. Per Canva’s announcement:

“We’re introducing several improvements to how designs are shared, which include renaming and enhancing share links, as well as introducing new features for websites.”

Let’s break down these changes and what they mean for you.

Screenshot by author.
Screenshot by author

A New Look for Sharing

View-only links will soon become “public view links.” The new public view links will display a badge showing the status of the design’s link. This badge will display who exactly has access to the shared document. Also, some new websites options are being rolled out.

Screenshot by author.
Screenshot by author

When you login to Canva, you will be prompted to make a decision. Canva has already checked which of your share links will be affected and will ask what you want to do with them: keep them as they are or convert them into public view links. After July 31, 2024, the share links won’t work anymore unless you take action to ensure they remain accessible.

Screenshot by author.
Screenshot by author

Website Wizardry

Making websites via Canva isn’t something I do often. Google Sites has me covered and remains my favorite website design tool on a budget. But Canva is upping its game with the introduction of a fresh menu and new features. You can see an example of a presentation as a website here, featuring the Amazing Lesson Design Outline (ALDO). Here’s a Canva doc as a website:

Canva updates

The new features include the following:

  • Custom domains
  • Password protection options
  • New scrolling functionality

Who knows what else they may add? What new features do you want to see for websites? Being able to drag and drop media, the same way you are able to do in Presentation docs, would be a worthwhile addition, in my opinion.

The Bigger Picture

These Canva updates reflect a broader trend towards more secure, feature-rich platforms that cater to the evolving needs of users. As you navigate these changes, tune into the TCEA TechNotes blog to stay informed and proactive. Whether you’re a seasoned Canva wizard or a unranked apprentice, these updates offer an opportunity to enhance your creative process and better protect your work.

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Image of various tech awards certificates from Canva template
CanvaEnd of Year

End-of-Year Certificate Templates and Student Tech Award Ideas

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

It’s the end of the year and time to recognize students for a variety of achievements. Yes, there will be an awards ceremony for the school in which students will be recognized for perfect attendance, UIL achievements, honor roll, etc. But typically, only a few students in your class will be recognized. Why not have your own in-class awards ceremony and print a certificate for each student? Some awards can be serious and some can be funny. Let’s explore some interesting technology-focused awards to consider for students. And, if you need a certificate creator, here is a 10-page Canva template with a variety of certificates already made! Just swap out the names and send them to the printer.

Student Tech Awards Templates in Canva

Student Tech Award Ideas

  • AI Enthusiast – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their passion and knowledge in artificial intelligence, exploring the possibilities of AI to innovate and improve various processes.
  • App Development Ace – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their proficiency in app development, creating innovative and user-friendly applications for various purposes.
  • Coding Champion – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for their mastery of coding languages and their innovative programming skills.
  • Coding Maestro – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for their mastery of advanced coding concepts and their ability to develop complex software solutions.
  • Computer Whiz – [Student’s Name] is celebrated for their exceptional understanding and proficiency in computer science and programming.
  • Cybersecurity Expert – [Student’s Name] is celebrated for their knowledge and skills in cybersecurity, ensuring the safety and security of digital information.
  • Data Wizard – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their expertise in data analysis and interpretation, harnessing the power of data to make informed decisions.
  • Digital Citizenship Award – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for their responsible and ethical use of digital resources and platforms.
  • Digital Content Creator Award – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their talent and creativity in producing digital content, such as videos, podcasts, or blogs.
  • Digital Designer – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for their talent and creativity in digital design, creating visually stunning and engaging content.
  • Digital Entrepreneur Award – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their entrepreneurial spirit and innovative use of technology to create and launch successful ventures.
  • Digital Leadership Award – [Student’s Name] is celebrated for their leadership in promoting digital literacy and fostering a culture of innovation and technology adoption among their peers.
  • Digital Marketing Dynamo – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for their strategic thinking and creativity in digital marketing strategies, driving engagement and results.
  • Digital Storyteller Award – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for their ability to tell compelling stories using digital media, such as animations, interactive presentations, or digital storytelling platforms.
  • Game Development Prodigy – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for their skill and talent in game development, creating immersive and engaging gaming experiences.
  • Innovative Tech Integration Award – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their creative and effective integration of technology into learning activities, enhancing the educational experience for themselves and their peers.
  • Robotics Whiz – [Student’s Name] is celebrated for their expertise in robotics, demonstrating skill and creativity in designing and programming robots for various applications.
  • Social Media Maven – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their proficiency and strategic use of social media platforms to communicate and connect with others effectively.
  • STEM Star – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
  • Tech Ethicist Award – [Student’s Name] is celebrated for their thoughtful consideration of ethical issues related to technology use and their efforts to promote responsible digital citizenship.
  • Tech Guru – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their exceptional skills and knowledge in technology, demonstrating proficiency in various digital tools and platforms.
  • Tech Innovator Award – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their creativity and innovation in utilizing technology to solve problems and create solutions.
  • Tech Leadership Award – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for demonstrating exceptional leadership qualities in the field of technology, inspiring and guiding others to success.
  • Tech Savvy Scholar – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their excellent use of technology for learning purposes and their proficiency in digital tools.
  • Tech Support Superstar – [Student’s Name] is celebrated for their exceptional technical support skills, providing assistance to peers and teachers with technology-related issues.
  • Tech Trailblazer Award – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their pioneering spirit and groundbreaking contributions to the field of technology, leading the way for future generations of tech enthusiasts.
  • Tech Troubleshooter – [Student’s Name] is celebrated for their ability to troubleshoot technical issues and provide solutions with ease and efficiency.
  • Virtual Collaboration Champion – [Student’s Name] is awarded this certificate for their adeptness in collaborating with others using digital collaboration tools and platforms.
  • VR Visionary – [Student’s Name] is celebrated for their innovation and creativity in virtual reality technology, pushing the boundaries of immersive experiences.
  • Website Wizard – [Student’s Name] is recognized for their talent and proficiency in website development and design, creating user-friendly and visually appealing websites.
Access 10 Pages of Canva Certificate Templates!

Which awards did we leave out? Are there any that you would want added to the list? Drop us a line in the comments and let us know so others can consider recognizing students for that award as well!

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CanvaLibraries

Canva Templates for Librarians

by Sara Qualls
written by Sara Qualls

It’s time to break out the confetti and strike up the band because where would we be without libraries?! Let’s give a round of applause to those magical havens where every shelf holds adventures and where imagination knows no bounds: school libraries. But libraries wouldn’t be the community hubs they are if it weren’t for librarians! In their honor, I’ve dug through the masses of amazing templates that Canva offers specifically for librarians. And when you get to the end of this oh-so-magnificent list, take a moment to mark your calendars to be sure you’re celebrating librarians throughout the school year.

Canva Templates for Librarians

From eye-catching event posters to activities that can be done in your own library, these templates have customizable elements and vibrant visuals. The purpose of these templates is to empower librarians to showcase the magic of their libraries and inspire a new generation of readers. Don’t forget qualifying educators get a Canva Pro account for free! Just another reason to love Canva. 

Reminders and Events

Create reminders that teachers can pick up to hang in their classrooms or around the school.

Library Day Reminder

Book Fair Poster

Family Library Night

Learning Posters

Create posters that teach students about genres or library processes. 

Types of Literary Genres

Genres Mindmap

Dewey Decimal System

Processes and Expectations

Create posters that teach students about your expectations for the library. 

Library Rules

Meeting Room Rules

Library Expectations

Motivational 

Decorate and motivate your students in the library with motivational posters.

Dream Big and Create Your Own Story

Introverts Quotes

Reading Quote

Library Signage 

Create signage that directs students. 

Genre Signage

Return Books Here

School Library Welcomes You

Newsletters

Advocate for your library by spreading the word about everything you do! 

Elementary Library Newsletter

Library Menu Board

Classroom Newsletter

Activities

Canva’s templates make crafting exciting library activities like scavenger hunts, word searches, and more straightforward. 

Genre Scavenger Hunt

Design a Book Cover

Library Genre Word Search

Digital Citizenship

Many librarians are tasked with teaching digital citizenship to students. Canva has you covered.

Digital Citizenship Responsible Use Presentation

Five Tips to Identify Fake News

Digital Footprint Digital Citizenship Lesson 

Bookmarks

Create printables like bookmarks to give to your students. Add their name, your school motto, or mascot to personalize it.

Libraries Are a Treasure Bookmark

Keep Reading Bookmark

Every Chapter Is a New Adventure Bookmark

Random Canva Librarian Finds

Search for Library Templates in Canva

Try clicking on the search terms below and begin to explore on your own:

Let’s continue celebrating the magic of libraries and fostering a love for learning and reading in every student, one template at a time.

Important Library Dates

School Library Month kicks off every April, thanks to the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). They’re the ones who decided to shine a spotlight on our fantastic school librarians and libraries all across the country in 1985. The idea? Well, it’s all about getting everyone in the school and community pumped to understand how libraries are essential to learning and education. But, there is more than just April when it comes to celebrating reading, libraries, and librarians. Read through the list and mark your calendars for these other worthy days.

More Librarian Reads

What Would a Librarian Ask ChatGPT? Turns Out…A Lot.
Makerspace Carousel: Putting a SPIN on our Campus Novel
10 Ready-to-Go Lesson Plans for Young Learners
Integrating the New Technology Application TEKS in the Library
Five Ways to Make Research More Engaging
Graphic Novels, Audiobooks, and More: Six Ways to Add Accessible Stories to Your Library
Finding the Perfect Book to Read Next
Two Tools that Make My Job as a Librarian Easier
A Librarian’s Approach to Tech Tuesday
How to Get Started with Python in the Library
Want to Boost Your Teacher-Librarian Relationships?
Five Ways to Engage Your School Community with eBooks?

Attend the TCEA Librarian Conference
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Artificial IntelligenceCanvaContent CreationLeadership

Use Canva Magic Studio to Amplify Your Message

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

As a school leader, who has time to create engaging content? You do. And you don’t have to be an expert. Embrace the role of storyteller-in-chief to pull back the curtain on the great things happening on your campus. Rely on the magic of Canva Magic Studio to transform how you connect with your school community. Make parents’ and students’ hearts beat with engaging content and storytelling. Let’s explore how to make that happen!

“The chief storyteller is skilled at crafting messages that evoke passion and establish audience connections. A chief storyteller is a skilled professional responsible for crafting and delivering a narrative that promotes an organization’s values, mission, and vision.”

Source: Chief Storyteller Career description, Western Governors University

Storytelling with Canva Magic Studio

Canva’s AI tools make your storytelling and community engagement easier. Of course, this is about using Canva Magic Studio in ways you may not have imagined.

Author-generated image with Canva

What’s more, you can use it as a content-sharing hub. This empowers you to reveal the positive stories happening in your academic community. Let’s discuss the importance of branding and amplifying your message before looking at some tips for doing so.

Note: You can obtain a copy of the author-generated images in this article via Canva. Feel free to adapt the checklists, media release forms, and other items shared, as needed, with no attribution required.

View the Canva document or get the template link to make your own.

Brand and Amplify Your Message

“You know great achievements happen at your school. Unfortunately, many of those stories stop at the school doors,” say the authors of BrandED. Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin go on to suggest you:

  • Brand yourself as your school’s storyteller-in-chief and amplifier
  • Improve relationships with key stakeholders
  • Foster a positive culture extending and influencing beyond the school grounds (source)

While they offer many more suggestions, these are three you can take advantage of right now. The problem? You may not be sure how to get this done. A whisper-quiet announcement just won’t do the trick. Amplify your voice with social media tools! Use them to build relationships with others.

To amplify your message, follow this checklist:

Make the Commitment

Are you ready to commit to being a storyteller-in-chief? Print out and sign this commitment form. You will see it has four key tenets:

A sample commitment form for Storyteller-in-Chief
Author-created document | View the Canva document or get the template link.

Now that you have an idea of what’s expected, as outlined in the commitment form, let’s explore how to get that done. Of course, you will be using Canva, a digital tool that’s free for schools. Canva’s Magic Studio brings powerful AI components to help you save time, spread your message, and create beautiful content easily.

Tip #1: Make Something Quick

Your smartphone is a fantastic, easy way to capture student and staff success. As storyteller-in-chief, it’s an invaluable aid to you. This can be a video interview with students, staff, or parents sharing. Pick stories that elevate the conversation and inspire others. Additionally, you can create a photo collage of learning and teaching as it happens. In a video or collage, you can show the following:

  • Students working together. Take pictures where students’ faces aren’t visible, blur them out for privacy, or send a photo/video release form home to get parent permission.
  • Teachers planning a lesson or event. Capture teachers working hard on a lesson or project. Explain how it connects to student learning and growth.
  • A parent highlighting a need or challenge that the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is focusing on. The PTA, also known as the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) or Campus Support Team (CST), may be planning a fundraiser event or instructional initiative.

Don’t be afraid to celebrate actions, no matter how small, that move your campus culture and students forward. Here is a sample media release form that is customizable to meet your needs:

View the Canva document or get the template link.

Tip #2: Create Your Media Sharing Templates

Now that you have collected your media in the form of video and images, you’re ready to put them together. Canva’s Magic Studio makes it easy to “switch” the format of a document. You can start with a short document write-up with inserted images, then ask it to change it to any option shown:

More importantly, you can export to a custom size, including Instagram or Facebook. You can follow the steps shown below and then post to Instagram using a Canva-generated QR code. Once in Instagram, you can add music to your image. This simplifies the process of posting images with context.

Then, you can post to Instagram from your phone. You only need to have both the Canva and Instagram apps loaded on your smartphone. This is what that post will look like:

instagram post screen
Screenshot by author of iPhone Instagram app

This means you can create in Canva and take advantage of Magic Switch to create multiple types of social media posts. Your social media options include Instagram posts and reels, Facebook videos, and more. You can also use Magic Switch’s Translate option to translate your English document into any language your end users need.

Tip #3: Framing Your Video Creations

Use Canva to upload your audio, photos, or video. Then turn them into a video collage, Facebook video, or Reel. You can add music or other audio by clicking “Elements” in the left menu and searching “music” or whatever audio type you’re looking for under the “Audio” tab.

You can upload your own audio, or you can record yourself by clicking “Uploads” in the left menu and then “Record yourself.” Beat Sync will time your audio to sync with the different pages and elements in your video.

Canva's BeatSync option
Screenshot by author of beatsync tool in Canva

voice recording addition
Author’s screenshot showing Voice Recording addition as an audio track on video

Put together, you have a product you can share via YouTube, Facebook, or other venues. See a draft video (Disclaimer: Unscripted audio recorded on the fly) here:

Three Bonus Tools

Ready to fill in or modify a PDF form or document? You can use the Canva PDF editor, a free tool that allows you to directly edit a PDF document! Even if the PDF is a scanned document, you can modify the text. If your PDF is primarily pictures, you’ll be able to use photo editing tools like Magic Eraser or Grab to adjust images.

Diversify Your Options

With the inconstancy of social media options, you can use Canva’s Magic Studio to create and share content in a variety of social media formats. Use its Magic Studio AI tools to enhance photos, videos, and audio. Here are a few TechNotes articles for further reading:

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Canva Hacks typed over a colorful background with shapes, confetti, and Cavna's magic shortcuts menu.
Canva

Five Canva Hacks for Fun, Creativity, and Productivity

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Are you getting started with Canva? It’s an amazing digital creation tool. If you’ve not yet been verified for a free Canva for Education account, I’d highly recommend doing so! Once you’re in and exploring all the amazing features, you might appreciate these productivity hacks I stumbled upon as I got to know Canva. Let’s take a look at a few tricks on everything from editing your uploaded PDFs to masking images.

Did you know?

A few colleagues didn’t know that Canva has an app that works on Windows or Mac computers. Using the Canva app can improve your creation speed. I knew there was an app for smartphones and tablets, but I didn’t know there was one for my desktop. It’s now my favorite way to interact with Canva!

Get Canva’s Desktop App

Hack #1: Importing Presentation Templates to Canva

Want to import amazing content from SlidesMania into Canva? Sure, Canva has tons of great templates, but they don’t have everything. SlidesMania, SlideCarnival, and SlidesGo offer a variety of presentation templates you can use within Canva. Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Don’t worry, there are plenty of other sources of templates available online!

With that in mind, from your Canva Projects home page, you can import presentation templates you find elsewhere.

  1. Click Add new in the top right corner.
  2. Select Import from app in the drop-down menu.
  3. Import your saved template.
Screenshot by author, Canva.com

What you may not know is that Canva supports other import formats besides PowerPoint. This is good because exports of PowerPoint files don’t often import well into Canva. You may need a simpler, intermediary format, like an ODP presentation. But the simpler the format, the more likely fancy animations will fail. That’s alright, though, since Canva offers its own magic.

Screenshot by author, Google Slides

Hack #2: Hide, Blur, or Add Effects to Pages

Hiding presentation slides isn’t anything new. You can do it in Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. But if you “skip slide” in Google Slides, the skipped slides are visible if you share the link. In PowerPoint Online, the skip slide will obscure the slide from presentation view. But, you can still print them to PDF to see any slides the author chose to hide. Canva makes it easy to hide presentation slides (called “pages” in Canva), and you can hide many at once!

  1. Click the arrow in the bottom center of the editor to Show pages in your presentation.
  2. Select the page you wish to hide (it will outline in purple) or press and hold control to select multiple pages.
  3. Hover over a page and click the three dots in the top right corner.
  4. Choose the Hide pages option in the menu.
Screenshot by author, Canva.com

A neat feature in Present mode on Canva? You can use Magic Shortcuts to blur content or add effects. To enter Present mode, just click the full screen icon in the bottom right corner of the editor.

Entering Present mode in Canva

You can “hide” content in a presentation by blurring it until you’re ready to discuss it, and you can add special effects like bubbles and confetti! To access this menu in Present mode, click the keyboard icon in the bottom right of the screen.

Screenshot by author, Canva.com

Hack #3: Clean Out Uploaded Items

Want to easily clean out your uploaded items in Canva? Use the Select items tool to choose multiple items.

  1. Click Uploads in the side panel.
  2. Select an image and click the three dots in the top right corner.
  3. Choose Select items in the menu.
  4. Select all items you’d like to delete.
  5. Click the trash can at the bottom of the Uploads pane to send them all to trash.

Screenshot by author, Canva.com

This allows you to keep your uploaded items area tidy. Trashing items from your upload tray does not remove them from any documents you put them into. That means, unless you are planning to use those items again, it’s fine to select and delete them.

And, remember, items stay in the Trash for thirty days. If you need to restore a trashed item, you can always recover it:

Screenshot by author, Canva.com

Hack #4: Edit PDFs with Canva

Wish you could edit a PDF? While one of my favorite tools is PDF Reader by XODO for forms, give Canva a try. You can drag and drop the PDF file into the Canva Projects home area. When you start to drag it over, it will look like this:

Screenshot by author, Canva.com

Then, once Canva has uploaded your PDF file, you can begin editing it right away. What’s amazing is that Canva converts the text in a PDF to become editable, so you’re able to make changes and adjustments.

Here’s a form adapted from a school district’s form available in PDF:

Screenshot by author, adapted from source via Canva.com

All the text in this PDF is edit-friendly. If I need to add content and images or make corrections, I can do that.

Hack #5: Masking Images with Frames

Wish you had an easy way to drop an image or photo into a shape? Canva offers pre-created “frames” you can use. These allow you to mask an image, hiding parts you don’t want people to see. The benefit? You can frame an image into a particular shape, like a cut-out.

To frame an image, first open a Canva project document or make a new one. Then, select Elements in the side panel. You’ll notice a menu at the top of the elements pane. Choose Frames to explore all the options. You’ll find a variety of them to choose from:

Add one of the frames to your document, then import an image or find one in Canva’s Elements. Drag the image into the frame, and it will merge to take the frame’s shape. Double click the image to move it within the frame.

While there are various programs that allow you to do this (Google Slides has a “crop to shape” option), Canva offers a variety of frames. There are more frames available via Mockups in Canva’s Apps area. Watch the video below to see how you could use them, along with Canva’s QR Code generator, to put your QR code or image on anything!

Wouldn’t it be neat to match any image to any shape? Or convert any simple shape to a frame you could use? There are ways, but that will have to wait for another day.

Bonus Hacks!

If you’re a classroom teacher, you can do any of the following:

Additional productivity hacks:

What Are YOUR Canva Productivity Hacks?

Now that I’ve shared some Canva hacks with you, which ones do you plan to try? Maybe you’ve already discovered some tips and tricks of your own. Share them in the comments so we can all reap the benefits!

Explore TCEA Canva Courses to Ramp Up Your Work!

Check out TCEA’s up to date, self-paced, online course: Canva Specialist! This course will make you an expert in Canva’s new Magic Studio AI tools. You’ll also get updated on all the educational features Canva has to offer. Don’t miss it!

Sign Up Now for Canva Specialist Course!

Need a Canva intro course?

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Check Out TCEA’s $39 Canva Educator Course!
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