Focus Room gives teachers control over students’ computers in the classroom. Let students use the resources they need for their schoolwork, while anything else – like Snapchat or ChatGPT – is blocked.
Use Focus Room with Google for Education or Microsoft Education, on Windows, Macbooks or Chromebooks.
We’ve all been there: you have a well-planned lesson, but as soon as students open their computers, the focus disappears. One tab turns into ten. Notifications ping. Planned collaboration is quickly replaced by social media or games. It creates chaos and takes precious time away from learning.
That’s why we created Focus Rooms. Digital tools should enrich learning – not complicate it. To develop a tool that really works in the classroom, we enlisted the help of practicing teachers. Focus Room was designed in close collaboration with teachers and school staff – it’s clear to us that a tool for the classroom should be based on insights directly from the classroom.
A Trelson Focus Room can be described as a virtual room with digital walls that block out distractions – where the teacher decides which websites and services can be used on students’ computers. One of the major benefits of Focus Rooms is that you can keep your planning in Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams and let your students work on spreadsheets, documents or presentations, for example, but in a locked-down mode.
Digital whiteboard with real-time changes
The digital whiteboard is located in each Focus Room. You as a teacher control what is on the whiteboard, but it is also visible on students’ devices. If you wish, you can enlarge the whiteboard to full screen.
On the digital whiteboard there is a toolbar.
In the toolbar you will find:
Let students work in Classroom (Google)
When you create a Focus Room in Trelson, you will be prompted to select a Google Classroom to synchronize the Focus Room with (optional, but recommended). If you synchronize a Classroom, the students located in your chosen Google Classroom will automatically be added.
Then, in the resource list in the Focus Room, you will be able to select a specific task from your chosen Classroom for students to work on. All the links and resources you added to the Classroom can be worked on by students, but nothing else.
Let students work in Teams (Microsoft)
If you use Microsoft in your school, the teacher can add Microsoft Teams as an allowed tool in the focus room. Students will then be able to work on the tasks they have access to in Teams.
If you, as a teacher, have created a Teams assignment for students to write in a Word document, students will be able to work on that assignment in Word when the computer is locked down by Trelson.
Send students to a resource
Every student learns at a different pace, and sometimes it’s the small adjustments that make the biggest difference to learning. Using the ‘ask students to go to the resource’ feature, teachers can proactively guide stuck students straight to the next resource.
It’s not about rushing, it’s about providing the right support at the right time so that no one is left behind as the rest of the class moves on. A simple tool for more inclusive teaching.
Chat with your students
Chat with your students in Focus Room! Facilitate questions and help your students without disturbing the rest of the class. Students can start a chat with you or with other teachers in the Focus Room.
Good to know! Chat is restricted between you and students, students cannot chat with each other.
Conversations are deleted after two hours of inactivity after the last message.
An independent master’s student from Lund University investigated the impact of Focus Rooms in four eighth-grade classes. The study confirmed that Focus Room is not only a barrier against digital distractions, but a protective tool that helps students practice self-control and sustained attention.
Below are some of the key observations of the study:
On average, classes using the Focus Room had 4.71 fewer digital distractions between sessions than the control group. Distractions are contagious, and this tangible reduction created a more productive learning environment for all.
Both teachers and researchers observed that Focus Rooms created a calmer classroom. A simple functionality, such as asking the student if they really want to leave their work, helped many to stay on task.
The research showed that distractions such as games and irrelevant websites reduced a student’s chance of getting a passing grade by 42%. By limiting access to only necessary resources, Focus Rooms directly support students’ ability to succeed.
How is Focus Room different from regular tests and assessment tasks in Trelson?
Unlike assignments and tests where students write or answer questions in Trelson, in Focus Room students work with digital learning materials and Google/Microsoft creative tools, such as Presentations, Classroom/Teams and Spreadsheets. Focus Room allows for a flexible approach that integrates digital tools without losing control of the classroom.
When should Focus Rooms be used instead of assessment tasks in Trelson?
Focus Rooms are suitable for any occasion where devices are present in the classroom during regular lessons. It is suitable if students are collaborating on a group task, accessing digital learning materials, practicing vocabulary or writing a report or article, for example.
Two simple rules are:
Will students be assigned a non-graded task? If the answer to this question is yes, you may want to use the Focus Room to lock the computer and remove distractions while students are working on the assignment.
Is the student going to be assessed and you want to have a grade sheet? Always choose to create tests in “regular” Trelson.
Let technology become a support instead of a distraction. Book a demo with us and we’ll show you how to reduce distractions and boost results in your class – on your terms.
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