How to Message Students in LanSchool Air

Overview

LanSchool Air allows instructors to send messages to an entire class, chat privately with an individual student, receive student questions, and respond to raised hands.

Messaging is available after an instructor starts a class, subject to the organization's chat settings.

For a quick, 1-minute video demonstration of using the Messaging features of LanSchool Air, check out the video link below:

How to Message All Students in a Class

Instructors can send a message to all students who are online in the current class. Students can reply, and their replies are sent to the instructor as private messages.

Start a class in LanSchool Air.
Select the Show/Hide Chat icon in the upper-right corner to open the messaging sidebar.
Select Classroom from the drop-down menu at the top of the sidebar.
Enter your message in the Message to all students... field at the bottom.
Press Enter to send the message.

The message is sent to students who are online. Students who are offline will not receive the message.

How to Message an Individual Student

Instructors can send private messages to individual students who are online and enrolled in the current class.

Start a class in LanSchool Air.
Select the Show/Hide Chat icon to open the messaging sidebar.
Select the student's name from the drop-down menu at the top of the sidebar.
Enter your message in the Message [Student Name] field.
Press Enter to send the message.

To start a private conversation from a classroom message, select the individual student's message in the Classroom conversation.

Your messages and the student's replies will appear in the messaging sidebar.

How to Receive and Respond to Student Messages

Students can send a message or question to their instructor from their device.

When a student sends a message, a notification appears on the Show/Hide Chat icon and on the student's thumbnail in Grid View or in the student list in List View.

To respond:

Open the messaging sidebar by selecting the Show/Hide Chat icon.
Select the student's message or choose the student from the drop-down menu.
Enter your response and press Enter to send it.

The notification displays the number of messages the student has sent.

How to Respond to a Student's Raised Hand

Students can raise a virtual hand from their messaging window to request the instructor's attention.

When a student raises a hand, a notification appears in LanSchool Air.

To respond to a raised hand:

Locate the student with the raised-hand notification in Grid View or List View.
Select the student's name or open the student's messaging window.
Send the student a message if needed.
Select the hand icon in the student's messaging window to lower that student's hand.

To lower all raised hands, select the raised-hand icon in the upper-right corner of the messaging area.

Note: Students can still raise their hands when chat is disabled.

How to Disable Chat for a Class or Student

Instructors can disable student chat for an entire class or for individual students, depending on the available chat settings.

Open the messaging sidebar.
Select the View Actions menu in the lower-right corner.
Select Manage Chat Settings to manage the class chat settings, or use Disable Chat for all to disable chat for the class.
Re-enable chat when students need to message the instructor again.

Chat remains disabled until the instructor re-enables it or the class ends.

If chat is disabled for the entire organization by a Site Admin, instructors cannot re-enable it themselves. The Site Admin must change the organization setting.

How to Mute Chat and Raised-Hand Notification Sounds

Instructors can turn off notification sounds without disabling messaging.

Open the messaging sidebar.
Select the View Actions menu in the lower-right corner.
Select Turn off Notification Sound.

Chat and raised-hand notification sounds remain muted until the instructor turns them back on or the class ends.

How to Download a Student Chat Log

Instructors can download a chat log as a text file for their records.

Open the messaging sidebar.
Select the View Actions menu in the lower-right corner.
Select Download class chat log.
Open the downloaded text file from the browser's download notification or locate it in the computer's default Downloads folder.

Save any chat logs you need before ending the class. Unsaved chat sessions are not retained in the instructor's messaging sidebar after the class ends.

Administrator Chat History

LanSchool Air also provides a separate Chat History feature for Site Admins. Chat History is disabled by default and can be enabled in the organization's settings. When enabled, Site Admins can search and download chat records for up to 45 days.

For instructions, see Accessing Chat History.

How to Send Emojis in Chat

Instructors and students can use emojis in messages.

Open the messaging sidebar, select the appropriate classroom or student conversation, and choose an emoji from the available options.

Note: Students can copy and paste emojis, icons, symbols, and other characters from websites or other sources into chat messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send a message to all students at once?

Yes. Start a class, open the messaging sidebar, select Classroom, enter your message in the Message to all students… field, and press Enter. The message is sent to online students in the class.

Can I send a private message to one student?

Yes. Open the messaging sidebar and select the student's name from the drop-down menu. Enter your message and press Enter to send it.

Can students reply to a message sent to the entire class?

Yes. Students can reply to a classroom-wide message. Their replies are sent to the instructor as private messages.

Why can't a student receive my message?

The student must be online and enrolled in the class. Also, verify that chat has not been disabled for the student, class, or entire organization.

Can students message each other?

LanSchool Air messaging is designed for communication between instructors and students. Students can message their instructor, but they cannot use LanSchool Air to chat with other students.

Can students raise their hands if chat is disabled?

Yes. Students can still use the Raise Hand option to notify the instructor that they need attention.

How do I stop chat notification sounds?

Open the messaging sidebar, select the View Actions menu, and choose Turn off Notification Sound.

Does LanSchool Air automatically save chat messages?

Chat messages are not automatically retained in the instructor's messaging sidebar after a class ends. Instructors can download chat logs. Separately, Site Admins can enable the organization's Chat History feature to retain searchable chat records for up to 45 days.

Can I disable chat for the entire organization?

Instructors can manage chat settings for their classes, but only a Site Admin can disable chat for the entire organization. See Disabling Chat for the Entire Organization.

Why can students send inappropriate emojis or symbols in LanSchool Air chat?

LanSchool Air does not include inappropriate emojis in its built-in emoji options. However, students can copy and paste emojis, icons, symbols, and other characters from websites or other sources into chat messages.

If a student sends an inappropriate emoji or symbol, it was likely copied and pasted into the chat rather than selected from LanSchool Air's built-in emoji options.

If you have concerns about inappropriate content being sent through chat, contact your school's IT administrator or LanSchool Air Site Admin to discuss appropriate monitoring and usage expectations.