The VHS EdTech Report – May 7, 2025, Issue #4
Bringing Canvas, Artificial Intelligence, and Tech Updates to the Pack
📢 Welcome to The VHS EdTech Report!
Each edition will highlight Canvas insights, AI developments, EdTech tools, and upcoming PD opportunities to keep you ahead of the curve.
🔍 What's Inside This Report?
  • Canvas Report: Data and reporting from periodic Canvas observations alongside campus goals.
  • AI News & Implementation: A look at AI’s expanding role in research, education, and automation, featuring updates and insights from OSU, Waymo/Toyota, AI Researchers, and the White House.
  • EdTech Tools & PD Opportunities: This issue’s featured tool, Canva Code, an AI-driven feature in Canva for creative projects. EdTech appointment booking and PD opportunities are on the last page.

by Dane Jacobson

🚀 Canvas Goal of the Term: Feedback
Campus Goal: Achieve a level 3 or greater in Feedback by the end of Term 4.
Why Feedback in Canvas Matters
Effective feedback helps students understand where they are, where they need to go, and how to get there. It’s one of the most important ways to drive learning and growth. With the support of AI, feedback can now be more immediate, consistent, and personalized without adding to teacher workload. AI-driven feedback allows students to receive meaningful guidance in the moment, encouraging reflection and revision. It isn’t a shortcut—it’s a scalable way to support learning with targeted clarity and purpose. Start using it!
Proficiency Scale for Feedback
Note: Feedback scales have been updated. Incorporating AI-driven feedback now makes it easier to achieve a Level 3 and is now an expectation to achieve a Level 4. SBG is still the driving focus of all levels.
Strategies to Reach Level 3+
Connect SBG rubrics or target proficiency levels to all assignments
Convert all standalone videos or articles to Brisk Boosted activities
Avoid vague feedback like, "Good job, very creative!" or "You still need to finish problem 5 and 7!"
Use tools such as Brisk or ChatGPT with uploaded SBG context to drive targeted feedback.
📊 Canvas Insights: Data & Trends
Here’s a snapshot of how our campus is using Canvas effectively, now with growth tracking to measure progress over time.
Overall Average:
2.08
Teacher Standard Deviation:
0.84
Understanding the Data
Averages
Feedback still remains our lowest average, but it is creeping up. Digital feedback is a huge, systematic shift. This one will take time.
Standard Deviations
Standard deviations are still on the rise. Maybe that summer mode is already kicking in for some of us?
Growth %
Growth in most areas is slowing, as expected. If more of us experiment with Brisk Boost, I could see Feedback and Tech Tools continue to increase.
Thought-Provoking Perspective
“Everything that moves will be autonomous someday, whether partially or fully. Breakthroughs in AI have made all kinds of robotics possible, and we are working with companies around the world to build these amazing machines.”
– Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
Note: Think about what this means for our students' future careers.
🤖 The Impact of AI: What's New?
Recent AI Developments
(Thank you, Adam, for the OSU study!)
AI Boosts Student Creativity
A new study from Oregon State University shows that students produce more creative writing when guided by instructors using AI tools. The research emphasizes the importance of teacher involvement in maximizing AI’s educational value.

Newsroom

AI improves creativity in student writing when supported by instructor guidance, study finds

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study from Oregon State University indicates that artificial intelligence can significantly enhance creativity in student writing, but only when instructors provide guidance about how to incorporate it into the creative process. Researchers in the university’s College of Liberal Arts found that when students receive instruction on how to use AI, there is a significant increase in creativity over both their original writing and their AI use without instruction.

Waymo and Toyota Collaborate on Autonomous Vehicles
The strategic partnership plans to develop a new autonomous vehicle platform, potentially advancing the deployment and commercialization of self-driving cars.

Waymo

Waymo and Toyota Outline Strategic Partnership to Advance Autonomous Driving Deployment

Toyota Motor Corporation (“Toyota”) and Waymo reached a preliminary agreement to explore a collaboration focused on accelerating the development and deployment of autonomous driving technologies.

AI-2027 Explores the Future of Artificial Intelligence
The independent research site AI-2027 offers deep dives into what AI might look like by 2027. From education and medicine to governance and ethics, it explores future-forward scenarios and expert opinions.

ai-2027.com

AI 2027

A research-backed AI scenario forecast.

White House Launches AI Education Initiative
A new executive order aims to promote AI literacy among American youth by integrating AI into K–12 education, providing comprehensive training for educators, and fostering early exposure to AI concepts.

The White House

Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Background.

Overview: How the 2025 AI Executive Order Could Impact School Districts
Grant Prioritization for AI
Federal education grants will give preference to proposals that include AI-related curriculum, tools, or training.
Public-Private Partnerships
New collaborations with tech companies and universities will create free or low-cost AI learning platforms for K–12 students.
Presidential AI Challenge
A national competition will be launched to encourage student and educator engagement in AI education.
AI Apprenticeship Programs
The Department of Labor will develop registered apprenticeships in AI-related careers to support real-world skill development.
Teacher Training in AI
Funding will support professional development to help teachers effectively use and teach AI in the classroom.
🔧 AI/EdTech Tool of the Report: Canva Code
(Thanks again, Adam!)
What is ​Canva Code​​?
Canva Code is a new AI-powered code generation tool built into Canva that helps users quickly generate and embed clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code blocks into designs or projects — without needing a programming background. Whether you're creating interactive content for lessons, embedding dynamic visuals into webpages, or exploring code snippets for student-facing tools, Canva Code makes it fast and accessible.
It’s especially useful for teachers or students working on web-based projects, portfolios, or interactive resources inside Canva.
Why Use Canva Code?
No Coding Background Needed
Just describe what you want and Canva Code generates clean, customizable applications instantly.
Creative Integration
Enhance your Canva projects with interactive elements like tabs, accordions, animations, and more — all generated by simple prompts.
Educational Projects
Great for any educator wanting to integrate interactive content into lessons or student assignments.
Cost
Included with Canva — no extra subscription or app required. (For now.)
📅 Upcoming EdTech PD & Support
Workshops & Training
Potential Monday PD on EdTech stuff for next year.
Need Personalized Support?
📌 Schedule a 1-on-1 session with me!
📩 Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you'd like to see in future reports!