BYL Teacher Training and Resources

Please use this resource to understand how we resolve tech problems and our expectations of you/the family that you are working with:

Enable Screen Sharing Permission for macOS Catalina (10.15) and later

Apple introduced new security and privacy features with macOS Catalina. Learn how to enable screen sharing for Lessonspace. 

If you are running macOS Catalina — version 10.15 or later — you must grant access to the new Screen Recording Permission to share your screen during an online lesson.

This is a macOS/Apple security setting; we apologize, but we do not have control over this setting.

How to enable screen sharing for Lessonspace

• When you first join a Lessonspace Space on macOS Catalina, you’ll be asked to enable the Screen Recording permission for Google Chrome.

Screensharing PowerPoint presentations and other documents

The easiest way to share a PowerPoint presentation with your students in the Space is by using the screen share function.

• First, open the presentation on your computer and start screen sharing from your Space. Ideally, choose to share only the window or browser tab of your presentation.

• Then, start presenting by either clicking on Slideshow or pressing Alt+F5, depending on the presentation software you use. Now your student will see your presentation in the Space like this:

Why can't my student screenshare?

If your student is having trouble screen-sharing, try asking them to enable screen-sharing permissions.

First, establish which browser they are using:

• Enable screen-sharing permissions on Chrome

• Enable screen-sharing permissions on Firefox

• Enable screen-sharing permissions on macOS

Opening a Cobrowser

• Ensure you have Leading mode access (You will have a crown on your name).

• Open a whiteboard and select the Library option.

• This will open the Apps panel. Click on Web Browser.

This tool is most effective for helping students make sense of a large task or assessment criteria, but by bringing the information back into the space, you can highlight the key areas the student needs to focus on together.

The screen-sharing icon is on the right-hand side of the communications dock. You or your student can click on it and share your screen without installing any plugins (Note: we recommend using Lessonspace with Chrome or Firefox for the best results).

• Click on this icon to begin on the right-hand section of the Lessonspace controls.

• A menu will pop up asking if you would like to share your Screen, an Application Window, or a Chrome/Firefox tab; select your choice. Here's how to enable screen sharing for macOS Catalina (10.15) and later.

Picture in picture: float students' video

Chrome and Safari:

Use this feature when you want to visit another website or document, but still want to see students, or when you are sharing your screen with participants. Here's how:

When in a Space, click on the three dots on any participant's video feed. Here, click the option "Pop Out Video". This will pop the video out, allowing you to freely drag and move the video around your desktop and other applications.

You can now move to any other application or website, and your student's floating video will be visible on your screen, like this:

Infinity mirror effect with screen sharing on Lessonspace

Please note that this article explains how to prevent the infinity-mirror effect on the Lessonspace platform, but the same principles apply in all screen-sharing applications.

When sharing your screen, one common interaction is the so-called "infinity mirror" effect

This happens when you share your (entire) screen, and your Lessonspace space is open and visible in the screen share.

Screen Sharing Issues

Screen sharing in Safari

If screen sharing is blocked in Safari, follow the steps below to enable it:

• Click Safari > Settings for this website:

• Check that the Screen Sharing field is not set to Deny. Set it on Ask or Allow:

Enable Screen Sharing Permission in Lessonspace on Chrome

Chrome is the browser we recommend using for optimal lessons using Lessonspace. Please ensure you are always using the latest version of Chrome to ensure the smooth running of your online lessons.

How to enable screen sharing on Chrome in six steps

• Ensure you have given permission to your browsers to allow for audio and video. When you join a Space, you will see a pop-up that asks you to allow access. Click “Allow”.

• If you mistakenly block the camera and microphone, you will see a little red cross through your camera in the URL bar at the top. Click on that. Now you’ll be asked to allow Lessonspace access to your camera and microphone here. Select “Always allow” and reload your page. Once reloaded, you’ll rejoin the Space, and everything should work.

Click on the "share screen"  icon on the right-hand side of the comms dock. The icon looks like this:

After your student has shared their screen, their screen share window will appear as a small video. If they double-click it to present it, they might receive the following message.

This happens if you (the teacher) have Leading Mode on. This is the default mode at Boost Your Learning.

You (the teacher) need to double-click the shared screen to present it to all participants.

Expectation: Boost teachers can adapt to the needs of the student in the lesson. Sometimes, this means searching for something useful to respond to unanticipated student needs.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This video didn't show where you can access downloads from. If you download a resource mid-lesson from another website, it will appear here. Simply click on the file and drag and drop it into the lesson space.

You will be prompted to select the pages you would like to upload to the space:

How to use:

Expectation: This is a minimum requirement for teaching online.

NB: You must be using a whiteboard tab to upload PDF files

This video covers:

Uploading PDF files

‘I have something I think will help with this. Give me a moment while I upload this to our whiteboard.'

Basic troubleshooting checklist

In case you're having some technical issues in a Space, please follow the checklist below to troubleshoot the problems. Most issues are indicated in the Troubleshooting menu in the Space. If you cannot resolve the issues, please reach out to support@thelessonspace.com and provide the details listed here, and cc operations@boostyourlearning.co.nz

All troubleshooting issues will be itemised here:

You can click on your own profile and your students to find out more about the issues

Expectation: This is a minimum requirement to be able to share your screen and to show students how to share their screen.

Examples of effective screensharing in your lessons:

‘Can you share your screen for me to show me what it says in your one note?’

‘Let me share an example with you from this exemplar, so you can see the difference between achieved and merit.’

Screen Sharing

This takes less than one minute and will give you the confidence that your microphone, speakers, and camera all work well.

Make sure you can communicate how to do this to your students if they encounter any sound or video problems.

Be careful to ensure you select to allow or always allow your camera and microphone to access the space, and encourage your students to do the same.

If a student or you accidentally block your camera, you can unblock this using the following steps (click the button below):

This is a very important resource. Please refer to this PDF for Set Up and also to help troubleshoot any tech issues you may be experiencing.