Once you get organized and learn how to manage the participants in your chatrooms and direct messages area of your mobile app's chat feature, you are ready to do what the chat was made for: connect and collaborate!
This is a Chat for Teachers article helping teachers with everything they need to communicate via chat with parents and guardians. Teachers are at the Chat Manager Level.
Not a teacher? Check out Chat for Parents & Guardians or Chat for School Leaders for more personalized help!
In this Article
Chat in a chat room
Are you a visual learner?
Skip straight to the video tutorial!
The top half of your chat screen in your mobile app includes a list of all of the chatrooms in which you are either a Chat Manager or Chat Participant. As Chat Manager, you can set the scene, creating a positive and engaging environment for all participants. For any questions about your chat role, reach out to your main site admin or check out the article for School Leaders, "Assign chat roles, create rooms, and manage members."
- Click to read messages in chat rooms with a notification bubble next to them. This means you have Unread Messages.
- Once inside a room, start a chat message by typing text into the Message box at the bottom.
- Upload from Photo Library, Take a Photo or Video, and/or Choose Files.
- Format your text.
- Click the send icon to share this message with the chat room.
- Hold down on a message to open up the quick action menu where you can:
- Reply and send send files such as images, documents, and more.
- React with an emoji so that everyone feels seen and heard!
- Report inappropriate communication to your district and school admins.
Quick Tutorial: Chat in a chat room
Here's an interactive tutorial
** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) **Create chat rooms
Rooms will be created during implementation, but sometimes it's necessary to create more rooms manually once you have a better idea of your class and community's needs.
Real-World Scenario
For example, an after-school tutorial is started up later in the semester. A chat room would be great for parents, guardians, and any teachers who will be assisting to serve as a place to share resources, time and date reminders, and so much more!
Who can create chat rooms?
Teachers are typically in the Chat Manager role and do have the ability to create new chat rooms.
Important Note
Before creating rooms, be sure to check with your main district or school admin for best practices on naming and adding members according to how your district has set up this feature.
How to create a new chat room
Let's walk through the process for creating a chat room.
- Step 1: Click on the Chats icon in the bottom toolbar
- Step 2: When entering into the Chats window, each role will see chat rooms that they've been assigned to. If you are a Chat Manager, you should see a + sign to the right of the Chat Rooms section.
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Step 3: Click the + to open the Create chat room window.
- Add a Chat room name. In your chosen name, remember that spaces can't be used in room names. Any spaces left in the field will be replaced with hyphens (-).
- Select your Posting permissions. This will determine who will be able to post messages in this chat room: Everyone or School moderators only. Some chat rooms have posting permissions of School moderators only when they are more for announcements than collaboration.
- Step 4: Click Next. In the next screen, choose the participants who will be members of this chat room.
- Step 5: Once you have populated the chat room, click Create chat room. This will take you directly to the new chat room where you can confirm membership and Create your first message!
Send and receive direct messages
- Create a new direct message.
- Reply to direct messages.
- Message multiple parents at once.
- Send files, photos, and fliers.
- Send links, files, photos, and fliers.
- Increase engagement with emojis!
- React to a chat message or direct message.
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