How do I know when there are new chat comments?

Collaborate uses notifications to let you know what's happening in your session. These notifications tell you when there are new chat comments.

  • The Collaborate pop-up notification stays on the screen for a few seconds then disappears. It tells you if you have a new chat message, if there are more than one, and what chat channel the comment is in.
  • The audio notifications sounds like a thunk.
  • The browser pop-up notification, appears when you have another browser window, or application, open and active. Close the pop-up and return to the session to see the chat message.

If you have the chat panel open, you'll see a new comment alert.

You can also see when someone is typing in chat. Open the Chat panel and see if someone is about to ask a question or make a comment.

One person is typing

Several people are typing

Chat emoji

An important part of a classroom dynamic is the non-verbal communication. The look on a student's face or hearing their tone tell you a lot about how they are getting along in the class. Emojis bring that non-verbal communication to a virtual setting. Browse or search for the emoji that conveys exactly what you want to.

The emoji pack for Collaborate with the Ultra experience supports diversified emojis and Unicode 8 characters.

Use one of five supported skin tones on any human emoji. Use the Select skin tone button to change the skin tone of all human emoji at once. Or use Unicode characters to set the skin tone for the emoji when you use it.

  • Select skin tone: Select the Select skin tone button and choose the tone you want.
  • Unicode 8 characters: Add underscore, tone, and the supported tone number (1 through 5) to your emoji when typing. Don't forget the colons on either end of your emoji text. For example, :wave_tone5:

Chat history

Collaborate's chat history only has 50 messages displayed at any given time. Scroll through the messages or use the hidden keyboard controls at the top of the Chat panel if you use a keyboard to navigate.

Chat history keyboard controls

Chat history keyboard controls in Collaborate


  2. By default, the focus is on the Next chat message control. Press Shift + Tab to find the Previous chat message and First chat message controls. Press Tab to find the Last chat message control. Collaborate's chat history only has 50 messages displayed at any given time.

Chat messages in recordings

If a session is being recorded, chat messages in the Everyone channel are being recorded as well. Private messages and chat messages in breakout groups are not recorded.

More on chat messages in recordings

Private chat

Chat privately with anybody else in your session.

By default you see the Everyone chat when you first open Chat. Select Previous Panel by the Everyone heading. Then just type the name of the person you want to chat with and start chatting.

Be careful what you say in your private chats! Moderators may supervise private chats between participants to monitor for inappropriate language or bullying. There is a warning when moderators are supervising.

Moderators can limit who participants chat privately with. Moderators can choose to allow participants to only chat privately with moderators.

Moderators also have their own private chat already created for them. Participants won't see the Moderators chat channel.

If moderators want to supervise private chat, the option must be selected BEFORE the session starts. See Session Settings for more on settings you can set before and during a session.

Only the Everyone chat is included in session recordings.

Watch a video about private chat


Video: Private Chat shows you private chat in action.