When students first enter your Digital Classroom in CTLS, the Class Board is already visible. Board Topics and Announcements help you set the tone, share important information, and create teacher presence from the start.
Big Idea: The Class Board gives you a visible space to engage, inform, guide, and support students throughout the course.
Students will see two types of entries on the Class Board: Board Topics and Announcements. Both help students know where to find information, what to pay attention to, and how to stay connected to the course.
Board Topics are designed for information students may need to revisit throughout the term. They are a good place to organize helpful resources, course reminders, support information, and other content students may need more than once.
Announcements are time-sensitive posts meant to get students’ attention right away. They appear on the student Dashboard and send a notification to the CTLS Parent app, making them hard to miss.
CVA will automatically post a Board Topic titled CVA News You Can Use in your Digital Classroom. This topic is updated regularly with program-wide information students may need during the term.
Directions: Use the arrows to click through the CVA News You Can Use posts.
Helpful reminders for beginning the course successfully.
Information about ways students can get back on track.
Information about available student learning support.
Resources from CVA departments and support teams.
Use a warm tone, quick video, or personal note to help students see the human behind the course.
Share timely articles, videos, or examples that connect directly to your course content.
Post district-vetted videos, readings, or practice opportunities to revisit challenging concepts.
Break down multi-step tasks, highlight common questions, or model expectations.
Celebrate student achievements or spotlight professional models to motivate learners.
Reinforce due dates, pacing suggestions, and study strategies to help students stay on track.
Announcements can be scheduled with a start and end date, and they automatically post to the Digital Classroom calendar. You can also limit visibility to specific students for targeted reminders, make-up work, or individual follow-ups.
Canva Design School offers quick ideas, tutorials, and design tips teachers can use to create more engaging classroom announcements. Click here to explore and learn simple ways to improve visual design, organize information clearly, and make announcements more inviting for students.