We present an introduction to the canonical quantization of gravity performed in loop quantum gravity, based on lectures held at the 3rd quantum geometry and quantum gravity school in Zakopane in 2011. A special feature of this introduction is the inclusion of new proposals for coupling matter to gravity that can be used to deparametrize the theory, thus making its dynamics more tractable. The classical and quantum aspects of these new proposals are explained alongside the standard quantization of vacuum general relativity in loop quantum gravity.

56 pages. Contribution to the Proceedings of the 3rd Quantum Geometry and Quantum Gravity School in Zakopane (2011). v2: Typos corrected, various small changes in presentation, version as published in PoS