Class Stream is a new addition to the classroom experience, providing educators and students with a dedicated space for organizing all classroom resources, student work, activities, tasks & deadlines (planned for a future update), and communication.
It brings everything together in one place, helping keep the class organized and connected. All of these updates will also be available on the mobile apps the following week.
Configuring Class Stream Settings for Teachers
Class Stream Settings can be configured for all programmes via the Settings > Select Programme > Class Stream pages.
These settings closely mirror the existing Portfolio settings, with a few key differences:
- Content types cannot be disabled.
- Goals & Reflections settings have been removed, as they are not supported in the Class Stream.
- By default, parents have Read-only access to the Class Stream. They can view posts but cannot add content.
- By default, students have Read-only access but can be granted Full Access to post to Class Streams.
- By default, likes and comments are enabled for both students and parents. These can be adjusted in the Access & Permissions tab.
Populating the Class Stream in Classes
The Class Stream is accessible via the Class Stream button on the top navigation bar of the Class Overview page. The Class Stream is accessible to teachers, students, and parents.
Teachers and students can add content to the Class Stream by selecting the Add Content button at the top of the Class Stream page. This opens a modal window for uploading various forms of media, including images, videos, files, documents, websites, and notes.
For example, when adding Files the following expanded modal window appears:
Teachers and students can add content to the Class Stream by dragging and dropping a file (1), adding a Title (2) for the submitted file, and selecting the Add to Class Stream button (3).
For more options, they can select the Add Details button to include a description, set the date added, or adjust privacy settings.
Additional Details options
Description
Add any additional details about the file that will be visible with the Class Stream post.
Add Audio Recording
Record an audio to share with your class. The recording will appear as part of the Class Stream post and can be played directly by students, parents and teachers.
Date Added
The Class Stream is a chronological collection of all class activities. Posts appear in the order of the selected "Date Added".
Student Tagging
Teachers can tag students by selecting the Enable Student Tagging option. Only tagged students will see posts they are tagged on.
The left student list also differentiates the Class Stream view based on tagged students per post. By default All Students is the Class Stream view. If teachers select a specific student from the list, then only those posts where the student is tagged will appear. In the above example Wesley's view of the Class Stream from the teacher perspective would only show the Note and not the post Risa made.
Student Portfolios
Teachers can add Class Stream posts to students’ Portfolios by selecting the Add to Student Portfolios checkbox. Posts added by students are automatically included in their Portfolios.
Class Stream posts on student Portfolios will display the class name and tagged student avatars, making it easy to identify which posts originated from the Class Stream.
Privacy: Who can see this?
Use the available radio buttons to select whether Students, Parents and Teachers, Parents and Teachers or Teachers only are able to see the post in the Class Stream.
Engaging with Class Stream posts
Depending on configurations and access permissions granted for Class Streams via the Programme Settings (see above), students, parents and teachers can engage with posts in the Class Stream in various ways.
Teachers, students and parents can use the emoji buttons to react to posts and comments. They can also comment on Class Stream posts using the speech bubble icon and comment field.
Class teachers have editing access to all Class Stream posts. Students can post to the Class Stream if granted permissions and have editing access for their own posts. Parents have read-only access to all Class Streams.
Standards tagging
Teachers can use the Learning Connections button for a post to identify connections to learning components like IB Learner Profile, Approaches to Learning or Curriculum outcomes and Standards.
With this function, teachers can browse through organized tabs for all standards available on ManageBac, including:
- Scope & Sequences for PYP Standards
- Standards for MB Standards
- Syllabus for Atlas Standards
To start, teachers must select the units they would like to tag standards from. Once units are selected, the standards associated with those units will be displayed below. Teachers can either select standards individually for a more thoughtful and intentional connection, or use the Select All link to quickly tag all standards covered in the selected units.
After changes are saved, the tagged units will appear directly on the resource card, giving teachers, students, and parents clear visibility into the units connected to students' work. Tagged standards, however, remain visible only to teachers on the Learning Connections page.
If teachers would like to only tag the units, they can save changes without tagging any of the standards. This is especially useful for teachers who simply want to show the alignment between student work and the units being taught.
Class Stream Post Moderation
This feature gives teachers control over student posts. It allows them to approve or return submissions, enabling students to make any necessary edits and resubmit for review before they appear publicly in the Class Stream.
Enabling Post Moderation
In Settings > [Programme] > Class Stream > Access & Permissions, you can select the "Enable Post Moderation" checkbox.
- When enabled, all student posts will require teacher approval before being published.
- By default, if Full Access is enabled for students, the Post-Moderation setting is automatically enabled at the Programme level.
Reviewing Posts
When students add new posts, all teachers in the class receive a notification indicating that a new post is pending approval.
An alert banner appears at the top of the Class Stream, displaying the number of posts pending approval and returned posts. The alert also includes quick filters and an Approve All button to streamline moderation.
Each pending or returned post is highlighted with an orange border. You can click the Approve button to instantly approve the post, or click the arrow button to open a popover menu where you can add comments and choose whether to approve or return the post. After adding a comment, click on the Submit button to save it.
Once a post is approved or returned, the student receives a notification along with any comments provided by the teacher.
Important: Previously, Class Stream posts published by students were only visible to the student, their parents, and teachers. With the introduction of post-moderation, once a post is approved, it becomes visible to everyone in the class. This applies even if post-moderation is disabled.
Deleting a Post
If a post is not approved and does not require further review, you have the option to permanently remove it from the Class Stream. To do so, click the three dots menu on the right-hand side of the post and select Delete. Please note that once a post is deleted, it cannot be recovered.