In this supportive guide you will find resources on how to use this tool in your teaching.
- For general information about this tool, please see back to the tool's main page.
- For details on technical help with this tool, please refer to the support section on the main tool page.
Overview
Lucidspark is a collaborative whiteboarding tool that allows users to brainstorm and organize ideas on a digital, infinite canvas. Users can utilize a variety of tools such as sticky notes, shapes, and textboxes to express their ideas. It is integrated with the Canvas Learning Management System at USask, making it accessible for both instructors and students.
Lucidspark is a similar tool to Lucidchart, another tool available for use at USask through Canvas. To better understand the differences, please refer to the main tool page.
Main features:
- Collaborative whiteboards (Brainstorming)
- Interactive discussions
- Project planning and management
- Creative twist on presentations
- Great tool for formative assessment
Content created in Lucidspark can be embedded in Canvas to be used in places such as Pages, Assignments, Quizzes, or Discussions.
Teaching examples
Enhance
Lucidspark allows students to easily collaborate and share ideas through the visual medium of a digital whiteboard. This platform enables both students and instructors to engage with each other and the learning material in a space designed for active learning.
Example: Instead of having students post text in a traditional discussion board, the instructor can ask the students to complete a reading and then add their ideas to the digital whiteboard in Lucidspark. Although this approach may appear more chaotic due to the use of text-based sticky notes, it offers a space for creative and visual representation of ideas. This method provides a refreshing twist on text-based discussions and encourages students to actively engage with each other, rather than making a one-off discussion post.
Extend
Designed for collaboration, Lucidspark allows students to work as a group while still having the chance to demonstrate their individual skills. Students can use Lucidspark asynchronously to plan their group projects and track project progress.
Example: If the instructor assigns the class a group project, the groups can gather on Lucidspark to work together on their project. Using Lucidspark, students (and the instructor) can watch their projects grow over time, from brainstorming to sharing ideas and tracking their progress. Student contributions can be tagged with the student's name or NSID, allowing the instructor to see what content each person is contributing to the group. This enables the instructor to use Lucidspark as a formative assessment tool while encouraging students to take responsibility for their learning in an interactive environment.
Empower
Lucidspark is incredibly versatile for simply being labeled as digital whiteboarding software. Ambitious students who want to branch out from traditional methods can use Lucidspark to organize and visualize their notes, work collaboratively with peers on projects, and even create presentations.
Example: Similar to the "Extend" example above, a group of students has been given a final assessment in the form of an in-class group presentation. These students have been using Lucidspark in their study group to visualize their notes and share ideas throughout the term. They can easily transform these ideas into their final presentation and use Lucidspark to present in a creative way. Finally, reflection and growth are simple and straightforward because all of their work is in one place and laid out in an easy-to-digest visual format. Students will truly get to see their work grow throughout the entire term from their first set of notes all the way to their final assessment.
Resources to support
*The links below may require a USask NSID login to access.
| Vendor Support | Lucid Software Help Center |
Video Instructions:
For additional learning and practice, try out the Lucidspark courses on the Lucid Learning Campus.
Additional resource links:
- Access Lucid via Canvas: Instructions for accessing Lucid software
- Lucid for Education: A short course (30 minutes) on using Lucid for teaching
- Lucidspark Tutorial: An in-depth tutorial about using Lucidspark
- How to embed Lucid in Canvas: A video showing how to embed Lucid content into Canvas content
- Lucid Assignments in Canvas: A video teaching how to make assignments with Lucid in Canvas
This was created with the assistance of AI tools, as described in the GMCTL AI Disclosure Statement.