Harmonize is a discussion tool with advanced features that promote interactivity and engagement in online courses. Harmonize discussions allow instructors to add multiple due dates with milestones, communicate in real-time with chat, use polls to gauge understanding, and add annotations to PDFs, videos, and images. Other features include integration with Chat GPT to help generate rubrics and discussion postings.
Accessing Harmonize in Canvas
The best way to create a Harmonize Discussion for your course is as an assignment in Canvas. Once you create an assignment, scroll down to the submission type, select External Tool from the dropdown, and then click Find.
Once you've clicked on Find, scroll down to Harmonize Assignment to open up the tool picker
Select the component you would like to add: discussion, poll, or PDF annotation. After selecting the component, click on the Select button.
`
The dialogue box will close and you will be redirected to the Canvas assignment where you can add your assignment due dates and Save or Save & Publish the assignment. Your Harmonize assignment has now been created. You will now be redirected to the Harmonize Edit Topic page where you can configure your assignment using the Wizard.
For additional instructions on how to use the Wizard, you can go to Configuring Your Discussion using the Wizard.
What tools are available to use?
As mentioned above, Harmonize is an alternative discussion tool with many features not available in the native Canvas discussion tool. For example, Harmonize offers a social annotation tool, a polling tool, as well as a chat feature, and a Q&A posting board.
Learning how to use a new tool can cause some cognitive overload at times but the resources below will help you to quickly learn how to use and incorporate Harmonize into your course.
Discussion Basics:
Annotations:
Polling:
Communication:
Additional Resources:
How do I get help?
If you have any further questions or run into any errors, you can reach out to the Harmonize support team at support@harmonizelearning.com.
Additionally, if you'd like further assistance, you can reach out to your SLCC eLearning Support team at elearningsupport@slcc.edu.