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Overview

Many instructors teaching online or blended (combination of face-to-face and online) courses will create icebreaker discussions as a way for students (and the instructor) to introduce themselves and learn about other members in the class. NWU Distance Learning offers this excellent article: The Importance Of Icebreakers In Online Classes ↗ that include resources at the end.

If you are new to discussions or need a quick review, refer to How do I create a discussion as an instructor 🐼

Canvas compilation of quick start guides on Discussions 🐼

Media Comments

To enhance an icebreaker discussion you can have students record media comments in the Rich Content Editor using their webcam. That way students can watch and listen to others, providing a more visible presence than communicating by text only. As an instructor you can assess student readiness to engage with audio/video recording technology in advance of other activities such as real-time Canvas (web) Conferences.

To add a media comment in the Rich Content Editor click Record Media [1].

Record Media icon in Rich Content Editor

Follow these steps to record audio or video with your webcam. 🐼

Media Comment in Rich Content Editor