Mediathread FAQs

General

1. Who can use Mediathread?
   Stanford Canvas users where all users have active SUNet IDs. Those with a Stanford Canvas account but no SUNet ID will not be able to fully access Mediathread.
   
   
2. How do I access Mediathread?
   Mediathread access is only possible through Canvas. Instructors who would like to use Mediathread must contact the Canvas team to install Mediathread in their Canvas course. Submit a request to canvashelp@stanford.edu.
   
   Once Mediathread is installed in your Canvas course, a link will appear in the course navigation menu. The first time you click on Mediathread, you will see a Connect Now button. Click on Connect Now, then Launch Mediathread. Students are added to the Mediathread roster after they first launch Mediathread through Canvas.
   
   
3. What are the system requirements for Mediathread?
   Mediathread is supported in the latest versions of Chrome and Safari. Other browsers may work with Mediathread, but it is not guaranteed.
   
   Note: To collect media off the Internet, Chrome is required since the extension is only supported in Chrome. 

Canvas Integration

1. How do I create a Mediathread course?
   Instructors and Course Admins are able to create a Mediathread course by going to Canvas and clicking on Mediathread from the lefthand course navigation menu. There will be a button to 'Connect Now'. Currently, TAs are not able to create Mediathread courses. Once created though, TAs will have the same permissions within Mediathread as instructors. 
2. Which Canvas roles cannot access Mediathread?
   Course Content Share, Designer, Grader, Librarian, and Observer.
   
   
3. Can Mediathread passback grades to Canvas?
   At this time, grades entered in Mediathread are not communicated to Canvas. Grades must be handled separately between Canvas and Mediathread.
   
   
4. How can I embed Mediathread selections in Canvas?
   You can embed Mediathread selections anywhere with the Rich Content Editor (RCE), such as in Pages, Discussions, Assignments and Quizzes. To do so, follow the steps below.
   1. 1. In the Canvas RCE, select the Apps icon then Mediathread. 
         • If Mediathread does not display, select View All to find Mediathread.
           
      2. Use the fields to search for content from your Collection and use the arrow to choose what you want to embed.

4. Can I sync the Canvas roster with the Mediathread roster?
   No, not at this time. Students are added to the Mediathread roster when they first launch Mediathread. 

Mediathread Collection

1. How do I view assets in the Mediathread Collection?
   By default, the Collection tab only displays assets you’ve added or contributed to (e.g., added an annotation to a video your instructor uploaded). To view assets uploaded by your instructor and other students in the course, find the Owner filter and select All Class Members or a specific class member. 
   
   
2. How do I search for collected media?
   Once you have media in your Collection space, you can search for specific items. You can search via:
   • Title of the media
   • Name of person who added it to the collection
   • Tags associated with it
   • Date it was added
     
     
3. What resources are recommended?
   Recommended resources include:
   • • 9/11: A Television News Archive
     • British Museum
     • Calisphere
     • Digital Tibet
     • Flickr
     • Getty Search Gateway
     • Library of Congress Digital Collections
     • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online
     • NYPL Digital Gallery
     • OU View (Open University)
     • Public Domain Review Collections
     • Smithsonian
     • Southside Chicago
     • Stanford Libraries
     • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
     • Vimeo
     • Wikimedia Commons
     • William Blake Archive
     • YouTube

Assignments

1. How do I see my list of assignments?
   From your Mediathread course, select the Assignments tab. If you have more than 10 assignments, there will be multiple pages.
   
   The table has eight different columns, five of which are sortable. 
   1. 1. Due Date: The due date of the assignment.
      2. Status: Whether your assignment is in draft form or shared with the class
      3. Title: The title you set for the assignment. 
      4. Responses: The number of students who have submitted responses / the total number of students (possible responses) in the class.
      5. Authors: The teaching team member who created the assignment.
      6. Assignment Type: There is only one for Stanford’s instance of Mediathread, Selection Assignment.
      7. Last Updated: The last time any activity was done on the assignment (an instructor has created the assignment, an instructor has edited the assignment, or a student submitted a response)
      8. Delete: Any assignment with 0 responses can be deleted. Select the Delete link to delete the assignment.
2. How do I review submissions for an assignment?
   From the Assignments tab, select the Title of the assignment. All assignment submissions are viewable at once. You can organize the annotations by clicking on the View Options drop-down menu. 
   
   
3. How do I edit assignments?
   Select the Title of the assignment in the Assignments tab. Once loaded, select the Edit Assignment button to go to the assignment wizard. You can use the assignment wizard to edit the fields and settings for the assignment.
   

Other questions?

Contact canvashelp@stanford.edu.