  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.
