section to create a classroom
Classrooms are private groups on YWP which are made by "Educator" accounts. They are only accessible to whoever the educator gives out the access code to. People who join the classroom can interact with other "students" via a chatroom or direct messaging. On the chatroom, the "educator" can make certain topics. Once an educator account is made, the screen will look like any other YWP account homepage, except there will be a button that says to make a classroom.
Access Code[]
An access code is automatically selected for the classroom, and only people who know the code can join the classroom. The codes are eight characters long, and consists of all capital letters. Nobody can change them. They can be entered in when a "student" (a normal YWP account) or another educator is on their homepage, and there will be a section to join a classroom and enter a code.
example of a classroom chatroom
Classroom Features[]
Statistics
The educator who creates the classroom can change its statistics at any time while on the "messages" section. After clicking on the small wrench icon in the box to the left on the screen, a pop-up will appear. The title, school name, and description can all be edited, given that they are under 150 characters (special characters can also be used). A grade level, kindergarten through 12th, can also be selected. This can also be edited at any time.
Messages[]
Each classroom contains an instant chatroom feature that only people who join the classroom can use. The educator can control the posts, or messages as they are formly called, by highlighting them (making the background of the post appear yellow instead of white). Students in the classroom cannot do this but they can edit their own posts. There is no character limit. When there is a new, unread message, it's lower left corner will be highlighted blue (if posted by a student, or green (by an educator account). The topic it is posted under will also earn a number within a highlighted circle.
If too many posts build up in the chatroom, it can load very slowly on some devices, especially mobile ones (this is also known to affect the keyboard).
Topics[]
The educator who creates the classroom can suggest specific topics to sort the chatroom messages under. The topic titles can also have different colors. The default topics are "Announcements," "Assignments," and "Novel Chat," respectively. Their default colors are "water" (which is a light turquoise color), "sky" (a light blue), and "sun" (a bright yellow hue), respectively.
Topics can be edited and added, and can have the same color and name. If a student posts under a specific topic, that message can only be seen under that topic by clicking on the topic title in the box on the left. Other than the water, sky, and sun colors, there are also "moss" (a light green), and "plum" (a dark purple). There is also a box to check if you only want an educator to post under the topic. An educator can delete the topic by clicking on the topic title and then the small tool icon on the right of it.
Direct Messages[]
Students can privately chat with another student in the same classroom. To select this, you must click on the profile picture of the person you wish to chat with. These profile pictures are located to the left under "Direct Messages," not under the chatroom posts. Once you click it, it will say at the top "Direct message [other person's username]."
The format is the same as on the chatroom. When the other person sends a new message, there will be a number in a highlighted circle next to that person's profile pic under the Direct Messages section.
example of a class list
Class List[]
Classroom Word Count Under the Class List button, the classroom keeps track of all the students' and educators' word goals and current word count. The total amounts will be displayed to the right of the classroom statistics.
Classroom Members List[]
Underneath the statistics and total classroom word count, there is a vertical list of educators and young writers that have joined the classroom. The educators are at the top and the young writers below.
The first feature shown, in horizontal manner, is everyones' usernames under "Usernames." Second is their real names under "AKA." Third the name of the novel they entered in under "Novel." Fourth current word count/percentage of their goal under "Progress." Fifth is under "Win." If an invidual person reaches their word goal, a trophy symbol next to them will be a gold color instead of grey. Sixth is "Tools."
Leaving the Classroom[]
If you look down the class list and find yourself, there will be an X under "Tools," and you can have the option the leave the classroom. Click on the X then a loading screen will appear. You can then join a different classroom or re-join anytime.