Why use Canva for Education
These are some of the features and benefits of using Canva in the classroom:
- Beginner-friendly and easy to use – teachers and students can create professional designs regardless of graphic design expertise.
- Versatility – some example resources that may be made through Canva include flyers, presentations, graphs, infographics, documents, certificates, collaboration boards, videos, checklists, books, planners, worksheets, reports or websites. You can export files in multiple formats.
- Time-saving – the vast template and media assets library can save you and your students time putting resources together in Canva. There’s no need to start from scratch and you don’t need to switch between different applications to create materials that need photos, clip art, text and more.
- Collaborative learning – work together on designs in real time with students and other teachers. Canva’s whiteboard feature is also a great collaboration and brainstorming tool. You can also find some helpful group work templates on the platform.
- Visual literacy development – teaching and using Canva supports the development of visual literacy skills. This enhances comprehension and communication in an era dominated by visual stimuli.
- Cross-platform accessibility – Canva’s cloud-based nature enables seamless integration across devices, promoting accessibility and continuous learning.
Considerations for use
- Data: Canva is an online platform. Users need to carefully consider which information they choose to upload and publish. You mustn’t use Canva for Education with photos that identify a department student or staff member.
- Informed consent: To use Canva with students under the age of 13 you must get permission from parents or carers.
- Curriculum and learning resources: Many resources on Canva don’t align with our South Australian context. Use judgement when selecting resources and modify accordingly.
Cyber Security assessed – low risk
By using this technology at your site, you accept the risk and acknowledge that you own the risk.
The department’s Cyber Security Unit has deemed Canva for Education - superseded as low risk.
No formal risk assessment is required.
This is advice only, based on the information provided to us at a point in time and for a specific use case.
Find out more about cyber security risk assessments.
Cyber Security assessed – moderate risk
By using this technology at your site, you accept the risk and acknowledge that you own the risk.
Review the department's cyber risk assessment for Canva for Education - superseded. [Add metadata field 'cyberurl' to use hyperlink we enter into metadata]
Before starting to use it, site leaders should:
- review and accept the risks in the assessment report
- implement the recommended mitigations.
Your site may wish to complete an independent risk assessment.
This is advice only, based on the information provided to us at a point in time and for a specific use case.
Find out more about cyber security risk assessments.
Step 1 – check the minimum requirements
Canva for Education doesn’t have special requirements. It:
- is a web-based app – it doesn’t need to be installed
- uses single sign-on (@schools email address)
- works on all laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Find detailed technical requirements and links to the apps on the Canva website.
Step 2 – Ask your site leader to complete or review the cyber risk assessment
Canva for Education has been assessed by the department’s Cyber Security Team.
Before you start using this software, your site leader must have reviewed and accepted the cyber security risk assessment – Canva for Education. It includes recommended strategies for mitigating risks.
You mustn’t use Canva for Education for editing photos which identify a department student or staff member.
Step 3 – Consider procurement requirements
All department staff and students with an @schools email address have free access to Canva for Education (which has the features of Canva Pro) via EdPass.
Step 4 – Optional: talk to your site tech about how to install the software
Skip this step if you want to use the web app (canva.com).
Canva for Education is also available as a desktop, iPad and Android application. You can sign in with the same details and sync content between apps.
Whether you want to use an app installed on your device or the web version depends on your preference. The main differences are that the downloaded app will take up space on your device, but you can set up notifications and pin Canva to your taskbar for easy access.
If you want to install the Canva app on your device or on student devices, contact your school IT to organise this. Use central deployment where possible.
Step 5 – Log in
Log into the EdPass portal and select the Canva tile. Your Canva account will automatically be created. You and your students will automatically be assigned into school teams through the Okta single-sign-on.
If you already have an account or have problems with your account, go to Canva for Education – overview and support (ICT Service Desk) for help.
First time user
Familiarise yourself with the available features and templates relevant to your subject area.
Main sections of Canva
You can also get to know the following main sections of Canva:
- Home – the main dashboard where you can find suggested projects, as well as a list of your completed projects or designs.
- Projects – organise all your design work here, including uploaded images. You can create folders to make it easier to locate current or archived work.
- Templates – a collection of templates based on various categories, such as recommendations, trending, new, and recommendations based on your recent design projects.
- Brand – if your admin has set up your school branding you’ll find school fonts, colours and images here.
- Apps – section that shows the different apps that work with Canva, such as SharePoint. You can apply the apps to either an existing design on Canva or to a new design.
Note that the department has turned off access to some of these apps and they may not all work with your account. - Classwork – use this section if you’re assigning students work via Canva rather than another LMS such as Microsoft Teams or Google Classroom.
Canva design types
You can create different types of content with Canva using the different ‘design types’. (Think of them as individual apps of a suite of applications like Microsoft 365, Google or Adobe.)
- Canva Docs
- Canva Whiteboards
- Canva Presentations
- Canva Videos
- Canva Websites
- Canva Social Media
- Canva Print Products.
Built-in resources, online tutorials and self-help
Familiarise yourself with the available features and templates relevant to your subject area. To help you get started, check out the 11-video getting started with Canva for Education course.
Learn how to make the most of Canva's features with resources including:
- tutorials for teachers – short videos for how to create, communicate and engage your students with Canva
- teacher design playbooks – easily create engaging teaching resources
- ‘learn’ blog – in-depth articles and resources on topics like design, marketing, branding and teaching and learning
- lessons resources – browse by subject for learning ideas and resources.
Magic Studio and new Canva features
Note that Magic Studio is currently switched on only for teachers, but not students, unless your school has made the decision to switch this on through the school admin console.
Magic Studio and new Canva features – Canva is constantly evolving as a tool, so there are often new features to learn about and use. This is a selection of AI-enabled tools within Canva as of this time (26.03.2024):
- Magic Design – for general design work
- Magic Design for presentations – for creating slide decks
- Magic Design for video – for creating videos
- Magic Write – for creating and editing texts
- Resize and Magic Switch – for resizing and reformatting images
- Magic Animate – for adding motion to designs
- Magic Morph – for transforming words and shapes
- Magic Edit – for adding, replacing, or changing images
- Magic Grab – for making any image editable
- Magic Expand – for expanding any image or scenery.
These are some useful resources for the Canva AI tool:
- How to use Magic Studio safely and legally
- Teacher guides to wow your classroom with AI
- How to create presentations with Magic Design
- How to create videos with Magic Design
- How to edit images using Magic Edit.
Consider your school’s policy on the use of artificial intelligence (AI). You can find department advice on artificial intelligence in schools – use and considerations on EDi.
External training and professional development
To help you get started, check out the 11-video getting started with Canva for Education course.
Create and collaborate with Canva for Education and Microsoft EDU – online course on Microsoft Learn focuses on how Canva works with MS Teams.
In-house training by the department
You can register for department-led training for Canva on plink. Topics include:
- getting started
- collaborating with whiteboards
- saving time with Magic Write.
For support from other educators or the department, join the Canva Champions team in Microsoft Teams.
Other technology you can use with Canva
Canva integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams.
You can connect Canva to other apps like SharePoint from Canva’s ‘apps’ section.
Troubleshooting tips
Here’s a list of frequently asked questions on Canva. You can also check out Canva’s Help Centre for support.
Support resources
- Canva teachers community (Facebook login required).
- Canva YouTube channel – additional resources and video tutorials
- ‘learn’ blog– in-depth articles and resources on topics like design, marketing, branding and teaching and learning.
For technical support with your account go to Canva for Education – overview and support (ICT Service Desk).
Cyber risk assessment for Component
Resources within Canva
- Subject-specific education templates in the template library – use them as a starting point for creating assignments or guide students to choose templates that align with the curriculum requirements of your subject
- teaching resources – lessons, worksheets, activities, presentations and more, by subject or year level
- tutorials for teachers – short videos for how to create, communicate and engage your students with Canva
- template shortcuts (teacher cheatsheet) – resources that will help you prepare, create engaging lessons and empower your students with critical skills
- teacher design playbooks – easily create engaging teaching resources.
Setting up collaborative workspaces
You can create collaborative workspaces within Canva for each class or project. This means you can:
- collaborate in real-time
- monitor student progress.
Make sure you add students to the correct workspace to stay organised.
