Harmonize is a discussion tool in which students respond to a top-level prompt, each response starting a new thread within which instructor and students can reply with additional comments. Harmonize has very strong multimedia features, including annotation of images and video files within posts. It also contains integrated chat and videoconference features, which could allow discussions to shift back and forth between synchronous and asynchronous.

Harmonize organizes response threads as Pinboard-style cards under the prompt, and discussion can thread further within each ‘card’. Some courses may find this a more useful arrangement than the single stream of responses in Yellowdig, or the indented threading of Canvas Discussions.

Instructional Uses

Asynchronous Course Discussion

Because they each start from a prompt, which can include text, files, links, and images, Harmonize boards lend themselves well to discussions of particular topics or material.

Journals or Portfolios

Each response to the starting prompt creates a separate thread, which appears as a “card” in the Harmonize board. This can give students an increased feeling of ownership for their own thread or card, which lends itself well to each thread/card becoming a student’s own set of reflective entries or cumulative ‘portfolio’ style entries. Using a Harmonize board for this means that students can easily visit and read each other’s journals or portfolios, and even comment.

Collaborative Knowledge Building

The Pinboard styling of a Harmonize board makes it a good option to use as a collection of knowledge that students build as a group, for example by adding websites, videos, images, or other artifacts students find during research on a given topic.

Getting Started

Harmonize is already integrated with Canvas!

Any LSA instructor can enable an ungraded Harmonize discussion board in their Canvas course navigation by enabling Harmonize Discussion in the course settings.

Graded Harmonize discussion boards can also be added by creating an Assignment and selecting the External Tool option under Submission Type. 

If you need assistance using Harmonize in your course, please contact LSATSLearningTeachingConsultants@umich.edu.

Refer to the Faculty Guide for more detailed information on using Harmonize.

You can take a video tour of Harmonize here, and the Harmonize Resource Guides are very in-depth. Instructors can contact Harmonize support directly at harmonize-support@42lines.com for technical issues.

Schedule a Training

Training for individuals or departments can be arranged by request.

Instructors may also contact the regional Harmonize rep directly:
Darren Wacker
507-837-0765
darren@42lines.net
Schedule a videoconference.

We recommend instructors start with contacting the LSA Learning and Teaching Consultants, though.