A Session gives teachers a command center for monitoring student activity, guiding lessons, and keeping everyone on task. A session begins when you select Start Session for a class. The live session screen is divided into the Student View in the center and a sidebar that combines the Session Dashboard and Class Controls. This guide walks through each area.
What this guide covers
Before you begin: Start a session from the Classes page using Start Session. The session opens to the live monitoring screen, with the participant grid in the center and the dashboard and controls in the sidebar on the right.
The live session screen, with participant names shown here as masked examples.
Student View
The center pane displays every student in the active session. Each participant is shown as an individual card with their name and a live view of their screen.
The Student View, showing one connected and one disconnected participant.
Control | Description |
Participant | Search field to filter the cards by student name or ID. |
Connection Type | Filters the view by connection status. Connected users show a green checkmark and a screen image; disconnected users show a grey x and a blank screen. |
Pin | Pins a student to the top of the monitor list. |
Image | Refreshes the screen view for connected participants. |
Zoom (−/+) | Decreases or increases the size of the participant cards. |
View | Switches the layout between a grid and a list display using the grid/line icons. |
Participant Card Actions
Icons on each student’s card let you act on that student directly. The Take Screenshot button captures what is shown on the student’s screen, and the menu (⋮) on the card opens more options.
The card menu, opened from the icon on a participant card.
Action | Description |
Take Screenshot | Captures the content currently shown on the student’s screen. |
View History | Displays the student’s browsing history. |
Close Active Tab | Exits the tab currently displayed on the student’s screen. |
Remove | Removes the student from the current class session. |
Selecting a participant’s card opens further individual options, including Block (restrict navigation to a selected URL), Set Active (move a selected tab to the student’s view), Close (exit a selected tab), and Take Screenshot.
Session Dashboard
The sidebar gives an at-a-glance overview of the active session. The General area shows a countdown of the time left in the session — the session ends automatically when the timer runs out. End Session stops the monitoring session manually, and Share Screen lets you present to participants.
The General area, with the session timer, Share Screen, and End Session.
The Summary area provides key metrics for the class, including the number of Connected and Disconnected participants, Sub-Sessions, Unique Sites, and the Top Site activity.
The Summary area with the live class metrics.
Class Controls
The sidebar also provides class-wide management tools.
Scenes
The Scenes area applies site-access rule sets to all participants. Rule sets can be toggled on or off individually, and you can Create New, Add Existing, or Edit a scene from here.
The Scenes area, where rule sets are applied to the class.
Tabs
The Tabs area lists students’ open browser tabs for direct site management.
The Tabs area for managing sites open across the class.
Action | Description |
Open Tab | Submits a URL to force-open a site on connected students’ browsers. |
Block | Removes access to a site for the class. The site is added to the default scene configuration. |
Close | Exits the related site tabs open across all participants. |
Site | Selecting a site name offers options to Go to Url or View Participants. |
Chat
The Chat area lets the teacher send a message to all connected participants or to an individual student. A browser alert is displayed for the student’s initial visibility. With Bi-Directional Chat, students can send messages or reply to the teacher during the session; students access the discussion by clicking the extension icon.
The Chat area for messaging session participants.
Note on Share Screen: only one screen share can be active in a session at a time — a teacher and co-teacher cannot share their screens simultaneously. Connected students see the presentation open in a new window, and it will force-reopen if closed.
Related guides
Overview – Classes
Overview – Scenes
Overview – Google Classroom
Overview – Directory Accounts