Sharing Instructor Screen with the Class

Sharing Instructor Screen with the Class

Overview

LanSchool Air allows instructors to share their screen with students during an active class. Instructors can share their entire screen, a single application window, or a specific browser tab.

Screen sharing is useful for demonstrating lessons, presenting instructional materials, and guiding students through activities directly on their devices.

AlertImportant: Sharing the instructor's screen displays the instructor's selected content to students. It is different from viewing or monitoring student screens.

Watch the video demonstration to learn how to share your screen using LanSchool Air.


Starting a Screen Share

To share your screen with students:
  1. Open a class and click Start Class.
  2. In the classroom toolbar, click Share Screen.
  3. Select what you want to share:
    1. Entire Screen: Shares everything displayed on the selected screen.
    2. Application Window: Shares a single application window.
    3. Browser Tab: Shares a specific browser tab.
  4. Click Share to begin broadcasting to the class.

When screen sharing starts, a notification appears on the instructor's device, along with a preview window in the lower-right corner of the screen.

Students in the active class will see a window displaying the shared content. They can also use the available chat and raise-hand features.


Important information:

  • Audio playing on the instructor's device is not broadcast to students.
  • If the chat sidebar is open when screen sharing begins, it is minimized to help prevent conversations from being shared accidentally. The instructor can reopen the chat sidebar while sharing.
  • Choose the appropriate sharing option carefully. Sharing an entire screen may expose other windows or information visible on that screen.

Lock Students into Viewing Full Screen

By default, students can minimize or resize the window displaying the instructor's shared screen.

To make the shared content occupy the entire student screen:

  1. Start sharing your screen.
  2. Enable the Full Screen option using the toggle on the screen-sharing controls.
  3. The shared-content window expands to fill the student's screen. Students cannot resize or close the window while Full Screen is enabled, but they can still use the available chat and raise-hand features.

To allow students to minimize or resize the shared-content window again, disable Full Screen.

Stopping a Screen Share

To stop broadcasting your screen:

  1. While sharing, click Stop Sharing in the lower-right corner of the instructor's screen.
  2. The shared content stops displaying on student devices, and the student window returns to the LanSchool Air chat dialog.

Screen-sharing sessions automatically end after 30 minutes. If you need to continue sharing, start a new screen-sharing session after the current session ends.


Troubleshooting Screen Sharing

Unable to Start a Screen Share

If you receive the error message:

"We are unable to start your screen share. Please retry and if the issue persists, contact support."

Follow these steps:

  1. Close the error message.
  2. Wait 90 seconds.
  3. Try sharing your screen again.
  4. If the error continues after several attempts, contact the LanSchool Air Support Team.

Enable Screen Recording Permission on macOS

If you are using macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later, your browser may need Screen Recording permission to share your screen.

To check the permission:

  1. On your Mac, open System Settings or System Preferences, depending on your macOS version.
  2. Navigate to Privacy & Security or Security & Privacy.
  3. Open Screen Recording (or the equivalent screen-capture permission setting).
  4. Enable permission for the browser you use to access LanSchool Air, such as Google Chrome.
  5. If prompted, quit and restart the browser.
  6. Return to LanSchool Air and try sharing your screen again.

If the browser does not appear in the permission list, or screen sharing still does not work, contact your IT administrator for assistance.

Check Network Firewall or Content Filter Settings

Network firewalls, proxies, or content filters may block the connections required for screen sharing.

Ask your IT administrator to verify that the following destinations and ports are allowed on the network:

Required destinations and IP range

  • chime.aws
  • *.chime.aws
  • *.amazonaws.com
  • 99.77.128.0/18

Required ports

  • TCP 443
  • UDP 3478

Your IT administrator can use the Amazon Chime Check to test network connectivity.

For additional technical details, refer to the Amazon Chime network requirements.

Share Screen Button Is Unavailable

If the Share Screen button is disabled:

  1. Confirm that you have opened and started the class. Screen-sharing controls are unavailable until the class is active.
  2. If the class is active and the option is still unavailable, contact your LanSchool Air Site Admin.
  3. Ask the Site Admin to verify whether screen sharing has been disabled for the organization.

Site Admins can disable screen-sharing functionality in the organization's general settings.

If the setting is enabled and the problem persists, contact LanSchool Air Support.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I share my screen with students in LanSchool Air?

Start a class, click Share Screen, select your entire screen, an application window, or a browser tab, and click Share. Students in the active class will see the shared content on their devices.

Can students see my screen when I monitor their devices?

No. Viewing or monitoring student screens does not, by itself, share the instructor's screen with students. Screen sharing is a separate feature that an instructor starts by selecting Share Screen and choosing what to broadcast.

If students report seeing the instructor's screen, check whether a screen-sharing session is active.

Why can students see my screen in LanSchool Air?

Students can see your screen when you start a screen-sharing session. The content displayed to students depends on whether you selected your entire screen, an application window, or a browser tab.

To stop sharing, click Stop Sharing in the screen-sharing controls.

Can students see everything on my computer when I share my screen?

Students see the content included in the screen-sharing option you selected. If you share your entire screen, other windows and information visible on that screen may also be displayed. If you only want to show a particular application or website, select the application window or browser tab option instead.

How do I stop students from seeing my screen?

Click Stop Sharing to end the current screen-sharing session. If you do not want to share your screen, do not start a screen-sharing session.

Can I prevent instructors from sharing their screens with students?

Yes. A LanSchool Air Site Admin can disable screen-sharing functionality for the organization through the general settings in Admin Settings. Screen sharing is enabled by default.

Contact your Site Admin if the Share Screen option is unavailable.

Why can't I share my screen on a Mac?

The browser may not have the required Screen Recording permission. Check the screen-capture permissions in your Mac's privacy settings, enable access for the browser you use with LanSchool Air, and restart the browser if prompted.

If the issue continues, ask your IT administrator to check network firewall, proxy, and content-filter settings.

Why does LanSchool Air display an error when I try to share my screen?

If you receive an error stating that LanSchool Air cannot start screen sharing, close the error message, wait 90 seconds, and try again. If the error persists after several attempts, contact LanSchool Air Support.

How long can I share my screen?

A screen-sharing session lasts up to 30 minutes and then automatically ends. You can start another session if you need to continue sharing.

Can students resize or close the shared-screen window?

By default, students can minimize or resize the shared-screen window. When the instructor enables Full Screen, students cannot resize or close the broadcast window until Full Screen is disabled.

Students can still use the available chat and raise-hand features.

Why is there no sound when I share my screen?

LanSchool Air screen sharing does not broadcast audio playing on the instructor's device. Students will see the shared visual content, but audio from the instructor's device will not be transmitted through this feature.

What should I do if screen sharing still does not work?

First, check the browser's screen-capture permissions if you are using a Mac. Next, verify that your class is active and that screen sharing is enabled for your organization. If the problem persists, ask your IT administrator to check the network requirements listed in this article. If you still cannot share your screen, contact LanSchool Air Support.