Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I add students to a class?
You can add students in four different ways, depending on how your district is set up.
Important
You cannot add students while a class is in session.
If your district uses Google Classroom, Clever, Canvas, ClassLink, Brightspace, OneRoster (SIS), or Wonde, sign in at teacher.blocksi.net using the matching sign-in option, then click the corresponding import button. You can import a class with its students already enrolled, and the roster continuously syncs from the source platform.
In you class, click Students to open the Classroom Students window. In the Search for a student… box, type a first name, last name, or the start of a student's email, then click the 
button. Click the 
button next to each student you want to add, then click Add Student(s).
In your class, click Students, then click Import Students from CSV file. Select your file and click Open, then click Add Students.
Each class has a code shown on the class tile and next to the 
button. Students go to blocksi.net, sign in as a student, enter the code in the Input Class Code box, then click Join Class.
Note
This option may be disabled by your Blocksi administrator.
2. How do I block or allow a website?
Blocking or Allowing URLs
In your class, click the
or 
button.Type the URL in the Input URL box. You can add more URLs at a time by clicking Add Field +.
Click Allow Page or Block Page to apply.
The Block Domain and Allow Domain checkboxes are selected by default. Leave them selected to block or allow the entire domain; clear them to act only on the specific URL you entered.
For example, entering www.google.com with Block Domain selected adds *.google.com to the Blocked URLs section, blocking the entire domain. Clearing Allow Domain lets you allow specific subdomains such as classroom.google.com and docs.google.com, so students can still reach those even though google.com is blocked.
Tip
Blocksi uses the asterisk (*) as a wildcard for one or more unknown characters (for example, www.google.* matches www.google.com and www.google.co.uk).
Managing Your Blocked and Allowed URLs
In your class, click the 
button at the far right of the Block/Allow bar to view your blocked and allowed URLs. From there, you can edit or delete individual URLs.
To carry these lists over to your next class session, select the Keep URLs on Next Session checkbox.
To reuse a list across your other classes, click the
button in the source class, then click the 
button in any other class to apply it.To share your URL list, click the
button. Another teacher can then import the list into their own class using the 
button.
3. How do I allow only a specific site (for an assignment)?
To restrict students to a specific site (for example, during a test) use Assessment mode. This locks down the student browser so they can only visit the websites you list, while letting them sign in, click links, navigate tabs, and play videos within the allowed site.
Click the class tile, then start your class.
Click the
button. The Create Assessment window opens on the Content tab.On the Content tab, configure the Assessment using one of the following options:
Enter URLs manually - In the Enforced URLs section on the left, enter the full URL of the web page you want to push out. In the Allowed URLs section on the right, allow the domain by using an asterisk before and after the domain name, for example
*edgenuity*,*classroom*, or*mathxl*. Click the
button in either section to add multiple URLs.Add a Web App or a Quiz - Click the
button and select an LMS environment or tool from the Web Apps Library, or click the 
button, select an Assessment from the Assessment/Quiz Library, and paste the quiz URL or code into the field.Load a preset - Select a preset from the Load Preset drop-down list. The enforced and allowed URLs, audience, and duration from that preset are applied.
Click Continue, then select Whole class or Specific groups on the Audience tab.
Click Continue, then set a duration for each group on the Time tab. Durations are not available for whole-class Assessments.
Click Continue, then check the summary on the Review tab and choose a start option: Start now, Auto-start in the next class, or Auto-start in every next class.
Click Confirm & start.
Anything not listed is blocked.
Tip
If you enter www.purple.com under Enforced URLs, enter *purple.com* under Allowed URLs.
4. How do I enable/disable student chat?
Click the class tile to open the class.
Click Student Options in the class header.
Select or clear the Enable Quick Chat Feature checkbox.
Click Confirm.
Messaging is restricted to teacher-student interactions only, students cannot message one another. Disabling this option also prevents students from messaging you.
Note
Chat is enabled per class, so it must be enabled or disabled for every class individually.
5. Can I schedule classes to run automatically?
You can schedule classes for the entire school year so they start and end automatically. For example, a 90-minute Chemistry set to 8:00 AM Monday through Friday runs automatically from 8:00 to 9:30 each of those days.
Setting Up the School Year
Click SHOW/HIDE SCHEDULE, then turn the toggle on.
Click Class Scheduler and select your First School Week and Last School Week, then click Set School Year.
Pick a template from the Select Week Template drop-down, then click each week you want to apply it to.
Click Save.
A weekly template grid appears, with all weeks set to the Custom Template (orange) by default.
Setting Up Week A and Week B Templates
In the Class Scheduler window, click the Week A or Week B tab.
Choose a class from the Select Class drop-down.
Select all the weekdays the class runs and add a start time.
Click Add Class, then repeat for each class.
Click Close when finished.
Important
If your school does not use a block schedule, use Week A for your standard weekly schedule and leave Custom weeks for holidays or breaks.
6. Can I block a site for just one student?
Several methods are available to restrict a single student.
Enforce Page
The most direct way to lock a student to specific sites is the Enforce Page feature.
In your active class, click the
button on the student's tile.Enter the URL in the Input URL… box. You can add more URLs at a time by clicking Add Field +.
Click Enforce Page.
Set a duration in minutes, then click Confirm.
All other open tabs close and the student is restricted to the enforced URL until the timer expires or you cancel the action manually.
Assessment Mode
You can apply Assessment mode to an individual student to limit their browsing to a specific set of sites.
In your active class, click the
button on the student's tile.Enter the site you want the student to use in the Enforced URLs section, then allow the same domain in the Allowed URLs section on the right, using an asterisk before and after the domain name.
Click Confirm.
Any site not listed is blocked.
Group Policy
You can assign a different filtering policy to a group containing that student. The policy must be created in advance, with the specific URLs you want to block or allow added to its Exception List.
Penalty Box
The Penalty Box lets your Blocksi administrator apply a dedicated policy with custom URL restrictions to a single student from the Admin Dashboard.
If you need this level of restriction, contact your IT administrator.
7. Can I lock my students' devices?
You can apply Heads Up to an individual student or to all students in the class to lock their devices and prevent the students from using them, which is especially useful when you need students to pay attention to in-person instruction.
Click the class tile, then start your class.
Click the
button to open the configuration window.Enter the duration in minutes.
Click Confirm.
Heads Up ends automatically when the timer runs out, or you can end it early.
8. How do I remove a student from a class?
Students can be removed from your class permanently or temporarily.
Removing Students Permanently
To remove a student permanently, click the student's tile, then click the 
button. A confirmation prompt appears - click Yes, and the student is immediately removed from the class.
Removing Students Temporarily
To remove a student temporarily, click the 
switch in the top-right corner of the student's tile, next to the student's name.
9. Can I add another teacher to my class?
You can add up to three co-teachers to a class, though not while a class is in session.
In your class, click Teachers to open the Add Co-Teachers window. In the Search teacher… box, type the first part of the teacher's email address, then click the button. Click the button in the Add column next to the teacher you want to add, then click Save.
10. How can I view class or student history to see what a student has been doing?
To review what a student has been doing, you have two options, depending on whether you need analytics or a playback of their session.
Viewing Student Analytics
If the class is currently in session, click Insights inside your class. You can search for a specific student from the top of the panel.
If the class has already been dismissed, click the 
button on the class tile on your Teacher Dashboard, then select the session you want to view analytics for.
Replaying Student Sessions
Blocksi keeps a record of every student screen viewed during in-session classes from the last 30 days.
To replay them, start a class, click inside a student's tile to enlarge the view, then click the 
button on the left. Select the session you want from the Select Session drop-down, click Replay Session, then click the play button to start the replay.
11. Why can't I see student screens?
Make sure you have started your class session by clicking the 
button.
If you cannot see your students' screens, the next step depends on the color of the Wi-Fi icon above each affected student tile. Refer to the following image to determine the color.
Gray Wi-Fi Icon
means the Blocksi extension was not pushed to the student's device, or is currently not active.
Ask the student to log out of their device and log back in to re-authenticate.
If that does not work, check whether the Blocksi extension is installed on the student's browser. It should appear when you navigate to
chrome://extensions, or under the puzzle icon in the top right of the browser.If the extension is missing, your IT administrator needs to deploy it to the student's user account from the Google Admin Console.
Note
Your Blocksi administrator may have disabled the chrome://extensions page on student devices.
Green Wi-Fi Icon
means the extension is working, so missing screens are usually caused by a setting on the administrator's side.
There are two things you can try on your end:
Exclude and include the student - Exclude the affected student from the class, then include them again using the
switch above their student tile.Reboot the device - Ask the student to shut down their device completely, turn it back on, and sign in again. This re-authenticates the student account and restarts the extension.
If neither resolves the issue, reach out to our support team through chat or open a support ticket at blocksi.net/support so that we can assist you.