Canvas by Instructure, the open online learning management system (LMS) that makes teaching and learning easier, has created a skill for Amazon Alexa to make it easy for students, teachers, advisors, and parents to ask questions, perform quick tasks and get information from Canvas on their Alexa-enabled devices. This skill, announced today at InstructureCon, marks the first of many as Canvas fuses with voice services to help ease the learning and instruction process.
“Even when it is short, the time we spend just clicking through technology can be extraneous to teaching and learning,” said Jared Stein, vice president of Canvas higher education product and strategy at Instructure. “We’re excited to be collaborating with Amazon Alexa because it makes basic tasks more natural and instantaneous. This not only keeps people connected, it saves time and energy for the work that matters most."
With the new Canvas Skill for Alexa, students, teachers, parents and advisors can link their Canvas account in the Alexa app, then simply ask Alexa for details about their courses, whenever they want, wherever they have an Alexa-enabled device. The voice service will then respond with the needed information according to the individual’s personal account. As the integration matures, Canvas will eventually enable voice services and digital assistants to help with more sophisticated tasks, such as helping users craft a new announcement, provide feedback to students or check in on at-risk students.
The Canvas Skill for Alexa gives Canvas users another way of connecting to essential course information to help them plan their day -- all without having to log in through a browser or open a mobile app. Instructors and students are provided with essential course information, simple updates about each course to help plan their day and alternative ways to interact with Canvas. Parents and advisors are also provided with critical information to know if students need prompting, encouragement or praise.
“Canvas and Amazon are two brands that believe in leveraging technology to make customers’ lives easier,” said Rob Pulciani, Director, Amazon Alexa. “With the new Canvas skill for Alexa, customers can stay organized by asking Alexa for information and details on their courses.”
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