Adding Focus Sessions

Focus helps your students stay on task by restricting their internet access to a single resource you specify. This resource can be a website, URL (webpage), or signature.

While you can start a focus session for almost any resource, there are some special things you need to do to Focus on Google Docs and Drive or YouTube videos.

Starting a Focus Session

1. Start your class in Classwize.
2. On the classroom toolbar, select Class Tools > Focus.
3. On the Focus internet access dialog:
   • Select Students can only interact with the sites selected below to stop students from opening new tabs while the class is focused. For more information, see What happens during a Focus session?.
   • Deselect Students can only interact with the sites selected below if the Focus site requires login or opening of documents in new tabs. For more information, see What happens during a Focus session?.

     TIP
     You should start your Focus session with Students can only interact with the site selected below selected. This makes Focus sites and URLs open in their own tabs once you start the Focus session. You can then edit the Focus settings for sites that require logins or open documents on new tabs, such as Google or Office 365.

4. Enter the resource you want students to focus on in the Focus students on field. You can use a site, signature or URL:
   • Site (e.g. Khanacademy.org)
   • Signature (e.g. Khan Academy)
   • URL (e.g. https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-fifth-grade-math or https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=5LE_4UpvK7o)
5. Select Start Focus. 
   

Allow a few seconds for Focus to take effect. Once Focus starts, the Class is Focused button will appear on the toolbar. Select this button to edit or end your Focus session.

Starting a Focus Session for Google Drive and Docs

Google Docs and Drives has its own settings to ensure your students can open their Google documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. When you enable Focus for Google Drive and Docs, make sure to DESELECT “Students can only interact with the sites below”.

1. On the toolbar, select Class Tools > Focus. The Focus internet access dialog will appear.
2. On the Focus internet access dialog, deselect the Students can only interact with the sites selected below checkbox.
3. In the Focus students on box, search and select Google Docs and Drive.

5. Select Start Focus.

Starting Focus sessions for YouTube videos

You can Focus the class on individual YouTube videos while preventing students from accessing any other YouTube content. While the class is Focused, students can play the focused YouTube video, but they can't see ads or comments, and cannot open suggested videos.

To start a Focus session for Youtube videos:

1. Start the class.
2. On the class toolbar, select Class Tools > Focus.
3. On the Class is focused dialog, select the Students can only interact with the sites selected below checkbox. Selecting this option will:
   
   • Close any open tabs.
   • Open each YouTube video in full-screen on its own tab.
   • Stop the student from opening related or suggested videos, or see comments and advertising.
4. Enter the YouTube URL in the Focus students on field. You can enter multiple URLs.
5. Select Start Focus.

Troubleshooting Focus on YouTube

There are three main reasons why you might not be able to start a Focus session on a YouTube video.

• I can’t enter a YouTube URL into the Focus field

Your school may have Locked-Block rules for YouTube. Focus won’t let you add the YouTube URL if a Locked Block rule exists for the Youtube signature.

• Some students can’t access the video

If the publisher of the YouTube video doesn’t allow embedding of their videos in other sites, you won’t be able to add its URL in your Focus session.  Try to find another suitable YouTube video.

Editing a Focus session

You can edit an active Focus session by adding, removing, or replacing Focus sites.

You can edit an active Focus session by adding, removing, or replacing Focus sites and URLs.

1. Select Class is Focused on the toolbar.
2. Make your changes on the Class is focused dialog:
   • To delete a focus site, category or URL, select its Delete icon (X).
   • To add another focus site or page, search and select it from the Focus students on field.
   • To add more Focus URL, paste and select the new URL in the Focus students on field. If you’re adding more URLs, paste and select the URLs one by one.
3. Select Save.

What happens during a Focus session?

Chrome

Focus works differently depending on the device type and if you’ve chosen to limit students’ interaction to Focus sites. For Focus to work as intended, we recommend having just the default browser in students’ devices. 

Windows and macOS

Focus works differently between default and non-default browsers. Before starting a Focus session, ask your students to close all browsers, so when you select Students can only interact with the below sites when setting up your Focus session, the Focus sites and URLs will open in students’ default browsers immediately. The student’s default browser will also have an icon on their device’s taskbar (Windows only).

When Focus starts, a message will also appear on their screen: