Conferences
You can have conferences with your students, record these conferences, and view the recordings at a later time.
Click the CONFERENCE button. The Conference Display Option window opens.
Choose from one of the following three options:
See Using Dominant Speaker Layout for details on using this conference display option.
See Using Tile Layout for details on using this conference display option.
See Using Zoom Meeting for details on using this conference display option.
You can also use breakout rooms to hold conferences with one or more groups of students, or hold a private conference with a student.
Note
The window also displays the number of monthly conference minutes and monthly recording minutes that you have used and have available as well as the total number of minutes for each.
You can retrieve recordings you made of class conferences
To retrieve conferences
Go to the main Teacher Dashboard page and click the CONFERENCE RECORDINGS button. The All Conference Room Recordings window opens. This is a listing of all the conference recordings you have made for all of your classes.
From this window, you can download or delete your conference room recordings.
You can choose to hold a private conference with one student. To do so, create a student group with only that student in it.
To hold a private conference with a student
While a class is in session, click the
button. The Student Groups window opens.
Select the group that contains the student from the Group drop-down list.
Click the Start Conference for Group button. The breakout room window appears in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, as shown below.
Click the Connect button. You are now in a conference with that student.
While in a conference, you can start and stop your microphone and camera, as well as mute your student’s microphone.
Note
Your student has to enable their camera. As the teacher, you do not have control over the student’s camera.
Tip
To end the conference, click Disconnect From Group in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Then click Stop in the lower right-hand corner of the Teacher Dashboard.
For issues with conferencing, please refer to the Conference Troubleshooting article.
You can start video conferencing for one or more groups. These instances are referred to as breakout rooms.
To start video conferencing with one group
While a class is in session, click the
button. The Student Groups window opens.Select the group of students from the Group drop-down list.
Click the Start Conference for Group button. The breakout room window appears in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, as shown below.
Click the Connect button. You are now in a conference with that group of students.
While in conference, you can start and stop your microphone and camera, as well as mute your students' microphones.
Note
Your students have to enable their cameras. As the teacher, you do not have control over the students' cameras.
Tip
in the lower right-hand corner of the Teacher Dashboard.Stop in the lower right-hand corner of the scree. Then click Disconnect From GroupTo end the conference, click
To start video conferencing with more than one group.
While a class is in session, click the
button. The Student Groups window opens.Click the Start Conference for Group button. The breakout room window appears in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, as shown below.
Click the Connect button for each group. You are now in a conference with all groups.
While in conference, you can start and stop your microphone and camera, as well as mute your students' microphones.
Note
Your students have to enable their cameras. As the teacher, you do not have control over the students' cameras.
Tip
To end the conferences, click Disconnect From Group in the lower right-hand corner of the scree. Then click Stop in the lower right-hand corner of the Teacher Dashboard.
Select Dominant Speaker Layout. The Dominant Speaker Layout conference window opens on both the Teacher Dashboard and the student screen, as shown below.
In the Dominant Speaker Layout, the teacher sees only one student at a time.
The conference window appears in the lower right-hand corner of the Teacher Dashboard. In the conference window, the teacher’s audio and video are enabled by default. The teacher can click the green audio button and the green webcam button to turn off their audio and video.
The teacher appears in the top screen (the teacher’s username appears in the title bar of the screen). By default, the window does not show the list of students in the class. The teacher must click the blue left arrow to view the list of students in the class, as shown below.
The teacher clicks a student name and that student appears in the bottom screen, if the student has turned on their camera (the student’s name appears in the title bar of the screen).
In Dominant Speaker Layout, the student sees only the teacher in the Blocksi Conference window.
The Blocksi Conference window appears in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. From this conference window, the students can click the red audio button and the red webcam button to turn on their audio and video. The students also have the option to raise hand, which shows on the teacher’s dashboard letting the teacher know the student has a question or is requesting to speak (if muted).
The students can also make the teacher’s video full screen view by clicking the maximize full-screen icon on the Blocksi Conference window. or minimize the teacher’s video completely by clicking the minimize icon. To restore the teacher’s video on their screen, the student simply clicks the blue b at the bottom of their taskbar.
Note
To record conference sessions, select the Enable Conference Recording checkbox when starting the conference.
For issues with co please refer to the Conference Troubleshooting article.
Select Tile Layout. The Tile Layout conference window opens on both the Teacher Dashboard and the student screen, as shown below.
All the students in the class appear on the teacher’s screen. The teacher can click Toggle students list... to see a list of the students in the class. The list appears at the far right of the screen. From this list, the teacher can turn on or off each student’s video tile that appears to the left, as shown below. Note that student001’s video tile is turned off. Clicking that student’s tile hides the student list to the right; clicking it again restores the list.
The teacher can mute and unmute all of the students using the Mute all/All muted button. The teacher can also mute each student individually using the audio button in the lower left-hand corner of each student’s tile.
While the conference is running, the teacher can physically see each student as well as monitor what each student is doing. The teacher can also use the commands offered on the Teacher Dashboard (i.e., push out assessments, share/enforce content, share screen, close tabs, etc.) For ease of use, the teacher can share their screen right from the conference window.
In Tile Layout, the students are able to see and hear the teacher as well as the other students in the class. From this conference window, the students can click the red audio button and the red webcam button to turn on their audio and video. The students also have the option to raise hand, which shows on the teacher’s dashboard letting the teacher know the student has a question or is requesting to speak (if muted).
Note
To record conference sessions, select the Enable Conference Recording checkbox when starting the conference.
For issues with conferencing, please refer to the Conference Troubleshooting article.
You can now use Zoom for classroom conferences.
To use Zoom for classroom conferences, you must install the Blocksi class meetings app on your teacher account. You can do this two ways:
From the Zoom App Marketplace
From inside a running Blocksi class
In the case of a first-time signin, the teacher must install the Blocksi class meetings app on their account.
To install the Blocksi class meetings app from the Zoom App Marketplace
Sign in to the Zoom App Marketplace at marketplace.zoom.us and search for the Blocksi class meetings app.
Click Install. You are taken to the Blocksi teacher sign in page or directly to your class, depending on whether you are already signed in.
To install the Blocksi class meetings app from inside a running Blocksi class
Select a class from the Teacher Dashboard.
Start the class.
Click the CONFERENCE button. The Conference Display Option window opens.
Click the Connect Zoom button to begin the installation process. You are brought to the Zoom Sign In page on the Zoom App Marketplace website.
Type your Email Address and Password in the appropriate fields and click Sign In. You are brought to the install Blocksi class meetings app page.
Click Authorize.
You are returned to the Teacher Dashboard. Note that the Connect Zoom button in the Conference Display Option window has now changed to Zoom Meeting.
Inside a running Blocksi class the teacher can start a Zoom conference.
To start a Zoom conference
Select a class from the Teacher Dashboard.
Start the class.
Click the CONFERENCE button. The Conference Display Option window opens.
Click the Zoom Meeting button. A Zoom meeting is created using the credentials associated with the teacher account. A Zoom window opens on the screens of all students participating in the class.
Note
The student must have an internet browser window open on their Chromebook to receive the Zoom meeting prompt.
Note
If Zoom does not open automatically on their Chromebook, the student must contact the administrator for access to Zoom.
The student is prompted to open their Zoom app and join the meeting.
The student can enter any name or log in with their Zoom account to join the meeting.
The student clicks Launch Meeting. A Zoom installation prompt appears.
The student clicks Cancel on the prompt.
The student clicks LLaunch Meeting a second time and the student is prompted to attend the meeting from their browser.
When a student arrives late to class and a Zoom meeting is already in progress, you need to message that student with the Zoom meeting URL.
To access the URL
Click the Meeting Information icon (green shield with checkmark) in the upper left-hand corner of the Zoom Meeting window.
Click Copy Link below the Invite Link. This copies the URL to the clipboard.
Return to the class and send a message to the student who just arrived. Include the copied URL in the message.
The student receives the message and clicks the URL link in the message. You receive a prompt to admit the student to the meeting.
Click Admit.
There are times you may need to uninstall the Blocksi Class Meetings app from your account or change the Zoom account associated with the teacher account.
Important
You are uninstalling the Blocksi class meetings app from your account; you are not uninstalling the app itself.
To uninstall the Blocksi class meetings app
Sign in to the Zoom App Marketplace at marketplace.zoom.us.
Click Manage > Installed Apps or search for the Blocksi class meetings app.
Locate the Blocksi class meetings app and click Uninstall to the right. A confirmation prompt appears.
Select the reason for uninstalling the app and click Uninstall.
To change the Zoom account associated with your Blocksi account
Uninstall the Blocksi class meetings app from your personal Zoom account.
Install the Blocksi class meetings app to your teacher Zoom account.
Ensure that you are using the correct Zoom account
You may be signed into their personal Zoom account when attempting to install the Blocksi class meetings app.
In this case, the app is installed to your personal Zoom account.
To remedy this, do the following:
Uninstall the Blocksi class meetings app from your personal Zoom account.
Sign off of your personal Zoom account.
Install the Blocksi class meetings app to your teacher Zoom account. Because you signed out of your personal Zoom account, you are prompted to sign in to your Zoom teacher account when installing the Blocksi class meetings app.
Note
You may also be prompted for a Zoom sign in if you haven’t interacted with Zoom inside the browser you are using.