The lesson screen has plenty of tools, but everything has its place. Take this tour once before your first lesson, and after that you'll be hitting the right button with your eyes closed (almost).
At the top: lesson info
On the first line of the screen:
- "Live" and a timer: how long you've been teaching.
- The class name.
- Who's present: "9/12 present" in the app, or "9 of 12 here" in the browser. In the app, tapping it opens the students list.
- A lock: only shows if you've locked the door. On a phone it's just the lock icon, and on a computer it says "Door locked". See Lock the lesson door.
- A connection notice: like "Weak connection", only shows when your connection gets weak. See Weak or dropping internet.
On an Android phone (the app)
On a phone, the buttons are circles with no words under them, so the picture gets the space. Here's what they mean, in order:
| Looks like | Button | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A mic | Mic | Turns your sound on and off. If the icon is red with a line through it, it's off. |
| A video camera | Camera | Turns your picture on and off. |
| A pen | Whiteboard | Shows and hides the whiteboard for your students. |
| A "?" sign | Quick question | Ask your students a multiple-choice question. |
| Three dots | More | The rest of the tools. A number on it = new chat messages. |
| A red phone | End | Ends the lesson for everyone (it asks you first). |
Not sure what a button does? Press and hold it, and its name pops up.
Inside "More"
When you tap the three dots, the "Lesson tools" menu comes up:
- Share screen: shares your phone's screen. Whether it's there depends on the video service your lesson runs on, so you might not see it.
- Students: who's here, and raised hands.
- Chat: messages with your students.
- Lock the door (when it's locked: Unlock the door): nobody new can join.
- Phone camera: another phone becomes a camera for your notebook.
Students on the screen
- Under the main picture you'll find small tiles for your students: their camera if it's on, or the first letter of their name.
- Whoever is talking gets a colored frame around their tile with "Speaking" on it, and anyone with a raised hand shows "Hand raised".
- If there are lots of students, the last tile says something like "+4 more". Tap it to see everyone.
- Turn your phone sideways and the picture and the board get bigger, with the buttons moving to the side.
Your phone's back button doesn't throw you out straight away: it asks "End the lesson for all students?". If you pressed it by mistake, choose No, keep going.
On a computer: the browser or the Windows app
On a computer, every button has its name written under it, and students and chat are in a panel on the side.
The buttons at the bottom: Mic, Camera, Share screen, Board (Whiteboard in the Windows app), Quick question, Students, More, End.
- In the browser: the Students button opens and closes the side panel, and the number on it = how many hands are raised. The panel has two tabs: Students and Chat. In the Students tab, each student has a speak button (to let them speak, or to move them back to watching if they're speaking) and a remove button. And in More: chat, Lock the door, Phone camera, and Camera, mic and speaker.
- In the Windows app: there's no "Students" button at the bottom. The panel opens from "9/12 present" at the top, and each student in it has the same two buttons: speak (or move them back to watching if they can speak) and remove. And in More: students, chat, Lock the door, Phone camera, and Audio settings.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+D | Turns the mic on or off |
| Ctrl+E | Turns the camera on or off |
| Ctrl+Z | Undoes the last line on the whiteboard (in the browser) |
The browser on a phone
If you teach from a phone's browser, there are only five buttons at the bottom: Mic, Camera, Students, More, End. The board, quick question and chat are inside More. And screen sharing isn't available from a phone's browser.
Labels you'll come across
- "You" is written on your own picture, and "Your phone" on the phone camera's picture if you've connected one.
- "Tap to hear your students" (in the browser): some browsers only play sound after you click once. Click it once and you're set.
- "Turn your phone sideways for a bigger board": a tip, not an order.