Canvas Publish Feature

As we welcome back students to a new year of learning, we are moving forward with our use of Canvas at the secondary school level in Canyons District. Many of you took the time to join us for our first ever Canvas Cookout and got to practice with some of the fantastic features Canvas has to offer.

One of the newest and most useful features this year is "Draft State" which offers a publishing button . This addition in courses allows teachers to have more control over the creation and release of classroom content to students.

What does it look like? 
Inside the new Canvas courses, you will notice little gray "clouds" next to all items that can be activated with the publishing feature. As long as the cloud is gray, the content contained there can not been seen and is not accessible to students. To change this and publish the content, simply click on the cloud so that is turns green. Any items with a green cloud are actively published and can be used by students!

Green Clouds = Published 

What if I want to un-publish something? 
To un-publish, or make something inactive so students can't access it, simply click the green cloud so that it turns back to gray. *Please note: for assignments and quizzes, once a student has submitted something, it can't be un-published. 

Why is this helpful? 
The publish option is great because it allows you to develop and edit course content without students "watching." As a teacher, this gives you the ability to plan ahead and make adjustments to your course and allow students access only when you are ready.

If you have questions about Draft State and publishing in Canvas, please contact your Ed Tech for help.