Lessons

Use the whiteboard during a lesson

Use the whiteboard during a lesson The whiteboard is the heart of every Class Spot lesson. You write, draw, and work alongside your student — in real time, in the browser, with no installs. This article is the high-level overview: where to find a board, what's on the toolbar, and how a board behaves between lessons. The deeper topics (adding materials, screen sharing, action control, downloads) each have their own article — see the Related section at the bottom as those go live. Three kinds of boards It's worth knowing which board you're on, because each behaves differently: | Where the board lives | Persistence | When to use | |---|---|---| | Recurring Class (Recurring Classes → [your class] → Settings → Board) | Permanent — same board across every lesson of this class. | Ongoing students, weekly sessions, anything you want to come back to. | | One-time lesson (top-right header One-time lesson button) | Ephemeral — blank board each click, no persistence after the lesson. | Trial lessons, prospects, single-session interviews. | | Board preset (Materials → Boards → + Board) | Saved as a reusable template you can load into any lesson. | Pre-built exercises, lesson plans you reuse with different students. | If you find yourself rebuilding the same activity for every student, save it as a preset under Materials and load it instead. Where each one lives in the cabinet: Recurring Class — Settings tab → Board section. Open the class, switch to Settings, scroll to Board. Click Open to enter the board, or the lesson auto-loads it when you click Start. Recurring Class Settings tab with the Board section visible One-time lesson — top-right header. The green One-time lesson button is in the page header, available from any screen in the cabinet. top-right "One-time lesson" button in the header Board preset — Materials → Boards. All your saved presets live here. Click + Create to make a new one, or open an existing preset to edit it. Materials → Boards page The toolbar — what each tool does Open any lesson and you'll see the toolbar along the side of the board. Drawing and writing - Pencil. The most-used tool. Adjust line thickness, write with a mouse or a graphics tablet. Good for formulas, free-form notes, corrections. - Color. A palette of ten colors. Use color to emphasize a point, mark mistakes in red, or highlight a key answer. - Geometric shapes. Circle, oval, square, triangle, line, arrow. Snap-to-grid keeps diagrams clean. If you need a shape that isn't there, upload it as an image (see below). - Text. Add typed text blocks for definitions, titles, and prompts you don't want to draw by hand. - Eraser. Erase pencil strokes precisely — useful for "fill in the blank" exercises where you erase part of a formula and ask the student to complete it. - Undo / Redo. The standard pair. Works during the lesson and during board preparation. the toolbar with each drawing tool labeled Navigation - Board scale (zoom). Zoom in for detail work or out to see the full board. The board canvas is large — you can plan two to six lessons worth of content on a single board and use only part of it per lesson. - Pan. Click and drag (or use the navigation tool) to move around the board. What lives in the lesson room beyond the toolbar A few more sets of tools live in the lesson room — each gets its own article so we can cover them properly: - Add materials to the board — files, study guides, flash cards, games, and the cloud library. Article coming soon. - Restrict student actions — pencil only, view only, no uploads. Article coming soon. - Share your screen. See Share your screen in a lesson. - Download or save the board as a preset. Article coming soon. How the board behaves between lessons This trips people up, so it's worth being explicit: - Recurring Class board: everything you draw or upload stays. Open the class next week and your notes are still there. Use this as a running notebook for the student. - One-time lesson board: the moment you close the room, the board is gone. Don't put anything on a One-time board you wanted to keep — save it as a preset before you leave. - Board preset: changes you make to a preset during a lesson don't overwrite the original by default. You'll be asked whether to save the changes back to the preset or keep them only for this lesson. Plan limits at a glance | Capability | Free | Solo Pro | Solo Max | Business | |---|---|---|---|---| | Whiteboard tools | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Screen sharing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Number of saved boards (presets) | up to 3 | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | | Share Whiteboard with another teacher | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Max lesson length | 40 min | extended | extended | extended | For the full plan comparison, see Compare Class Spot plans. Tips - Plan a few lessons on one board. The board canvas is wide. Lay out three or four lessons side by side, then use the zoom and pan to walk through one at a time. Easier than rebuilding every week. - Use color for feedback. Write your student's answers in their own color, then mark corrections in red. Visual continuity helps memory. - Don't fight the wrong board. If you opened a One-time lesson and started working, your notes won't be there next week. Save them as a preset, or switch to a Recurring Class so the board persists. Troubleshooting The board feels slow or stutters. - Refresh the page once (Ctrl/Cmd + R). Brings the board state into a clean local cache. - Check your internet speed — the whiteboard syncs continuously, so it's sensitive to packet loss. We recommend 5 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up minimum. - Remove large, unused files from the board. A 50 MB PDF that nobody is annotating slows the whole canvas. Something I drew has disappeared. - The student or co-teacher may have used the eraser or Undo. Press Redo to recover the last action. - Make sure you're on the same board view (zoom and pan state are per-user; the content is shared). The student can't see what I'm doing. - The board is shared in real time. If the student sees a blank canvas while you're writing, ask them to refresh. Persistent gaps usually mean a slow connection on their side — check the audio: if the audio is also stuttering, it's a network issue. I want to undo only my last stroke, not the student's. - Undo is per-user — your Undo only rolls back actions you made, not the student's. If your student drew something you'd rather they hadn't, ask them to undo, or use the eraser on that area. If nothing above helps Contact us: - In-product chat — click the green chat bubble in the bottom-right of your cabinet, then Start Conversation. - Email — info@classpot.com. Related - Start your first lesson in 2 minutes - Share your screen in a lesson - Troubleshooting your lesson - Compare Class Spot plans

Share your screen in a lesson

Share your screen in a lesson Screen sharing lets you (or your student) show what's on your computer to the other side of the lesson — a webpage, a presentation, a document, anything. It's the right tool when the content you need to show isn't on the whiteboard. For most teaching material, the whiteboard is faster and more interactive; reach for screen sharing when the content lives elsewhere. Screen sharing is available to teachers and students on every Class Spot plan, including Free. How to share your screen 1. In the lesson room, find the screen-sharing button on the lesson toolbar. 2. Click it. Your browser will pop up a dialog asking what to share. 3. Pick one of the three options the browser offers: - Entire screen — everything on your monitor, including notifications and taskbar. - Window — a single application window (one Chrome window, one PowerPoint, one Word doc). - Browser tab — a single tab in the browser you're using. 4. Click Share. The other side sees your selection inside the lesson view. The board is still there — they can switch between the board and the shared screen as needed. the screen-share button on the Class Spot lesson toolbar [Screenshot: the browser's "Choose what to share" dialog with Entire screen / Window / Tab tabs] Which option should you pick? | Option | Use when | Watch out for | |---|---|---| | Browser tab | Showing a single website, online tool, or Google Doc. Cleanest option — only that tab is shared. | If you switch tabs in the browser, the student won't see the new one. | | Window | Showing a specific app like PowerPoint, Word, or a desktop video player. | Notifications inside that window are visible. Other apps are hidden. | | Entire screen | Demonstrating workflows that span apps, or showing system settings. | Everything is visible — incoming notifications, other windows, your wallpaper. Close anything you don't want the student to see. | For privacy, prefer Window or Browser tab over Entire screen whenever possible. Stop sharing There are two ways to stop: - A Stop sharing bar appears at the bottom or top of the browser window while a share is active. Click Stop sharing there. - Click the screen-sharing button again in the lesson toolbar to toggle it off. The shared view ends immediately for the student. [Screenshot: the "Stop sharing" bar at the bottom of the browser during an active share] Browser permissions — first-time setup The first time you click the screen-sharing button, your browser will ask for permission. Allow it. After that, most browsers remember the choice for the site. macOS On macOS, your browser also needs permission from the operating system to record the screen. If the share starts but the student sees a black rectangle: 1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording. 2. Find your browser in the list (Chrome, Safari, Edge). 3. Toggle the switch on. 4. Quit the browser completely and reopen it. Don't skip this step — macOS only applies the new permission after a full restart. 5. Try sharing again. [Screenshot: the macOS Screen Recording privacy panel with Chrome highlighted] Windows Windows usually doesn't require an OS-level permission for screen sharing — the browser handles it. If sharing fails, check that no antivirus or privacy tool is blocking your browser. Browser choice Use Chrome or Safari for the best results. Firefox has known issues with screen sharing during Class Spot lessons; if you're on Firefox, switch browsers before sharing. What the student sees Your student sees the shared content in their lesson view. They can: - Watch the share live, including your cursor movement. - Switch between the shared screen and the whiteboard at any time. They cannot click, type, or interact with your shared screen. Screen sharing is one-way display; if you need them to interact, switch to the whiteboard or have them upload the file there. Have your student share their screen Students can share too — useful when they want to show you their homework, a website they're reading, or a question they're stuck on. 1. Ask the student to click the screen-sharing button in their lesson room (same button as the teacher's). 2. The browser asks them what to share. 3. They pick a window or tab and click Share. You'll see their selection in your lesson view. Use the Tracking tool on the whiteboard alongside their screen share to know exactly where they're looking. Audio during a screen share Sharing your screen does not automatically share audio. If you're playing a video or audio clip you want the student to hear: - Browser tab share: check the Share tab audio box in the share dialog before you click Share. Most browsers offer this option for tab-level sharing. - Window or full-screen share: audio sharing depends on the browser and operating system. Safari does not share system audio. On Chrome (Windows), you can sometimes enable it; on Chrome (macOS), system audio sharing is unreliable. For reliable audio of a clip, upload the audio file directly to the whiteboard instead — see Use the whiteboard during a lesson. Tips - Close personal apps first. Email, chat, and notifications can pop up over a share. Quit anything you don't want the student to glimpse. - Resize before sharing. The student sees the share scaled to their screen — make sure your text isn't tiny. - Mute notifications. On macOS, turn on Focus mode. On Windows, turn on Do Not Disturb. One badge from your bank during a share is a memory the student keeps. - Don't share the lesson tab itself. Sharing the same browser tab the lesson is in creates a recursive view that confuses both sides. Pick a different tab or window. - For PDFs and slides, upload them to the board. The whiteboard renders PDF and PPT natively and lets the student annotate alongside you. Screen sharing is a fallback when you can't get the content onto the board. Troubleshooting The "Share" button doesn't do anything. - Reload the page once (Ctrl/Cmd + R) and try again. Browser permissions sometimes hang on first use. - Check the lock icon in the address bar. Make sure classpot.com has permission to share your screen — set it to Allow if it's blocked. The student sees a black or frozen rectangle. - macOS: grant your browser screen-recording permission and restart the browser (see above). - The connection may be unstable. Check your internet speed (5 Mbps up minimum). If the connection is poor, screen sharing is heavier than camera-only — turn off your camera while sharing. My audio isn't coming through. - The default share doesn't include audio. Use Browser tab share with the Share tab audio checkbox enabled. - For prepared audio or video clips, upload the file to the whiteboard instead. I'm using Firefox and sharing doesn't work. - Firefox is not recommended for Class Spot lessons. Open the lesson link in Chrome or Safari. Sharing makes the lesson laggy for both sides. - Screen sharing uses more bandwidth than camera-only. If your connection is borderline, turn off your camera during the share and turn it back on after. - Share a Window or Tab instead of the Entire screen — both are lighter than full-screen sharing. Can the student stop my share or take over? - No. Each side controls their own share. You can stop your own share, the student can stop theirs. Neither can stop the other's. If nothing above helps Contact us: - In-product chat — click the green chat bubble in the bottom-right of your cabinet, then Start Conversation. - Email — info@classpot.com. Related - Use the whiteboard during a lesson - Troubleshooting your lesson - Start your first lesson in 2 minutes - Compare Class Spot plans

Let students into your lesson

Let students into your lesson Students don't drop into your lesson unannounced. When someone opens your lesson link, they wait in a lobby until you let them in — so you decide who joins and when. What the student sees After clicking your link, the student sees "Waiting for teacher" if you haven't opened the room yet, and "Connection request — Waiting for teacher's permission to connect to the lesson" once you're in. They stay on that screen until you act. Admit a student When a student knocks, a notification appears in your lesson (with a sound): 1. The card says "Waiting for connection" with the student's name. 2. Click Connect to let them in — or Reject to turn them away. the "Waiting for connection" notification with Connect and Reject buttons in a live lesson If several students are waiting, the notification collapses into one card — click Show to review them individually, or Connect to admit everyone at once. Manage the queue from the Participants list Click the Participants list icon in the bottom-right of the lesson. The panel groups people into "Waiting to connect" and "In lesson", and gives you bulk actions: - Connect everyone — admit all waiting students in one click. - Disconnect everyone — remove all connected students. the Participants panel showing a student under "Waiting to connect" and the Connect everyone button A badge on the Participants icon shows how many students are waiting, so you won't miss a request even with the panel closed. Tips - Scheduled lessons open shortly before the start time. A student who clicks the link too early sees a message that access opens a few minutes before the lesson. - Keep the sound on. The join request plays an audio cue — helpful when you're looking at the board, not the notification corner. - Removed someone by mistake? They can knock again with the same link; just click Connect when the request reappears. What to do if it doesn't work A student says they're stuck on the waiting screen. Open the Participants list and check "Waiting to connect" — the request may have arrived silently. Click Connect next to their name. I don't see any request but the student clicked the link. Make sure they used the current lesson's link and that you're inside the lesson room. If the lesson hasn't been started yet, the student is waiting for you to open it. I rejected a student by accident. Ask them to open the link again — a new request will appear. If nothing above helps Contact us: - In-product chat — click the green chat bubble in the bottom-right of your cabinet, then Start Conversation. - Email — info@classpot.com. Related - Invite students to your lessons - Start your first lesson in 2 minutes - Use the whiteboard during a lesson

What is a Recurring Class and why use one

What is a Recurring Class and why use one A Recurring Class is your home for ongoing lessons with the same student — or group. Instead of spinning up a fresh room and a new link every lesson, you set a Recurring Class up once — and your board, notes, student roster, schedule, and join link stay exactly where you left them. In the sidebar it lives under Class → Recurring Classes. A Recurring Class vs a one-time lesson A one-time lesson is a throwaway: a temporary board and a temporary link that reset when the lesson ends — perfect for a trial or a one-off. A Recurring Class is persistent. Everything carries over between sessions: - One permanent link. Send it to your student once; they can bookmark it and use the same link every week — no "where's today's link?" before each lesson. - A board that remembers. Last week's notes, drawings, and tasks are still there next time. - A saved roster of students, with per-student board rights. - A recurring schedule — set the weekly slot once. the Recurring Classes list showing classes with Name, Student(s), Next lesson, Scheduled and Completed columns Individual and Group classes - Individual — a regular 1-on-1 with one student. - Group — a regular online group lesson. Group classes need a plan that allows more than one student: Solo Max (up to 10 students) or Business (up to 20). Individual classes work on every plan. On the Free plan you can keep up to 3 Recurring Classes; every paid plan makes them unlimited. Inside a Recurring Class: the Settings tab Open a Recurring Class and switch to Settings to manage everything in one place: - General — the class name and an avatar. - Board — the persistent board (open it, see when it last changed) and Board access for students: Available only to students, or lock it so nobody but you can edit. - Schedule and lessons — the permanent Lesson connection link (copy it here) and a colour for the class in your Schedule. - Students — each student's board role: Editor, Reader (view only), or No access. the Class Settings tab showing General, Board access for students, the Lesson connection link, and per-student board roles What your students see Students don't manage classes, but they get their own read-only My classes view — their teacher, classmates, the next lesson, and an Enter button when the lesson is live. One link, always the same. Reminders Class Spot reminds everyone before each lesson: an in-app countdown in the cabinet and, once connected, messages from the Telegram bot. See Get lesson reminders. Managing classes - Duplicate a class to clone a proven board + roster into a new one. - Archive a class to hide it without losing anything — restore it later from Archive. - Delete is available after archiving and removes the class and its board for good. Tips - Send the link once. Because the join link is permanent, a bookmarked link removes the most common cause of late starts. - Set the board up ahead of time. Whatever you leave on the board is what your student sees next lesson — prep once, reuse every week. - Reader role for young students. Set a student to Reader if you want them to follow along without editing the board. What to do if it doesn't work My student says the old link doesn't work. Open the class → Settings → copy the current Lesson connection link and resend it. Archived or deleted classes stop accepting connections. I can't create a group class. Group lessons need Solo Max or Business. On Free and Solo Pro, classes are one-to-one. I archived a class by mistake. Open Archive in the sidebar and restore it — nothing is lost until you delete it. If nothing above helps Contact us: - In-product chat — click the green chat bubble in the bottom-right of your cabinet, then Start Conversation. - Email — info@classpot.com. Related - Schedule a recurring class - Edit or delete a repeating lesson - Compare Class Spot plans