No matter whether you have just found us (hi there!) or are a seasoned Pro, there is always something new to learn. We're passionate about making our platform even better for teachers, so these quick tips are here to simplify your daily tasks as much as we can. This guide includes some of our most hidden gems that’ll transform how you use Classroomscreen. Let's uncover these gems together!
Ever found yourself in a situation where you need to hide your screen momentarily from students' view? Whether it's to conceal instructions, a brain break, or maintain an element of surprise, this is the answer. Simply press '1' on your keyboard, and hey presto - it’s gone! Students remain engaged until you're ready to reveal the content with a simple keystroke or mouse click.
In a cluttered digital environment, every inch of screen real estate matters. When faced with too many necessary widgets, finding extra space without sacrificing essential elements can be challenging. Using your mouse or touchscreen, just drag widgets off-screen so you can have the breathing room you need to focus on what matters most. A button will appear on the edge of the screen, so you can just press this button to get this widget back in no time.
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Sometimes, all it takes is a spotlight to direct attention where it's needed most. The Spotlight setting does just that, allowing you to highlight specific content or areas of interest with ease. Just select ‘Spotlight’ in the widget options to expand it, letting it take center stage. Hit ‘Esc’ to shrink it back down again.
Consistency is key, especially when it comes to instructional materials. With the "Pin" setting, you can effortlessly maintain continuity across multiple screens. Whether you're navigating between different sections of your lesson or transitioning between activities, pinned widgets duplicate on all the screens in that collection, ensuring seamless transitions and a cohesive learning experience for your students.
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Effective collaboration often begins with strategic pairing. Did you know you have the superpower to exclude specific combinations or do some strategic pairing when generating groups? This feature allows you to create balanced and dynamic partnerships, combining chance with your knowledge of your class and which combinations work best. Head over to the student settings in any name list, or visit our help center for more details.
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Resizing text may not sound revolutionary, but knowing this tip about our oldest and most popular widget is vital. If you are not happy with how much space is around the text in the widget, head to the widget options and click ‘Resize to fit’ and voila! Your text widget now displays all of your text without the additional spacing.
Many of our users create their screens on their computers which are then projected onto a bigger screen (either an interactive whiteboard or a projector) for students to see. This can create some size problems, as whilst your screen looks wonderful on your computer, the screen aspect ratio is most likely different on your display and so all the widgets have moved!
We offer three different screen aspect ratio options; 4:3, 16:9, and fill screen. If this has happened to you, or if you are prepping screens in advance, make sure to pick one of the fixed aspect ratios like 4:3 or 16:9. Read more about this in our help center article.
A lovely benefit of having a Pro account is that you can not only save your screens, but personalize them in a whole new way. In just a few clicks, you can create your own color theme for all your widgets! Choose your accents, text color and background and save them to your account as a personal theme. Whether you want to have theme days, match your classroom aesthetic, or just really like purple, this one's for you!
This relatively new gem is a super fun one, as it enables you to set up scheduled backgrounds on rotation. If you have the same screen all day, why not change the background automatically every hour to help your day flow? Explore this exclusive Pro feature in the settings of the Background widget, where you can select your favorite images or patterns to be used in your slideshow.
Whether you're a newcomer to Classroomscreen or a seasoned Pro, there's always something new to discover and master. We're dedicated to continuously improving our platform to simplify your daily tasks and enhance your teaching experience - are you ready to jump in?
