Embed a classroom timer or board on your site

Iframe or link: quick decision

The usual reason to search for an embed is the same: one click from their class page to a running timer or board. The way to get that today is a link or a button, not an iframe.

Why not an iframe? Pages on myclassscreen.org tell browsers they may only be framed by myclassscreen.org itself. That is what the X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN setting does. Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox all respect it, so an iframe pointing at the board shows an empty box or a "refused to connect" message on any other website. A link has no such limit and gives you the full screen, full-screen mode and microphone access.

Link the board or one layout (code)

A button to the classroom timer

Paste this HTML wherever your site or LMS accepts code. It opens a ready-made timer layout in a new tab:

<a href="https://myclassscreen.org/board/?template=timer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Open the classroom timer</a>

A button to the full board

<a href="https://myclassscreen.org/board/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Open MyClassScreen</a>

Always include the slash after /board/ and use https://. Without the slash the link still works, but it takes an extra redirect first.

Ready-made layouts you can link to

Any board template opens with ?template= and its name. A few that teachers often link from a class page:

The full list is in the templates library.

Your own board, with Copy link

Build the layout you want on the free board, then press Copy link. The button changes to "Copied" and the link is on your clipboard, ready to paste into a page, an email or a calendar invite.

What that link carries:

• An untouched template produces a short ?template= link.
• A board you have changed produces a longer ?c= link that holds the layout itself: the widgets, their positions, their settings and the background.
• Very large boards are the exception. If the layout is too long to fit in a link and it started from a template, the copied link falls back to the plain template, and your edits are not included. Keep shared boards to a few widgets.

The link is a snapshot. If you change the board later, copy a fresh link.

Check names before you share. Widget settings travel inside a ?c= link, so a name picker or wheel copies its name list too. Anyone who opens the link can see those names. Remove student names, or use first names or numbers, before posting a link anywhere public.

Google Sites

Google Sites wraps embedded code in its own frame, so the iframe method fails there as it does elsewhere. Use a button instead:

1. In the Sites editor, open the Insert panel and choose Button.
2. Name it something clear, such as "Open the class timer".
3. Paste a link from the table above, or one you copied from your board.
4. Publish, then test the button from the live site, not the editor preview.

A text link works just as well. Highlight the words, press the link icon and paste the address.

Canvas and Schoology

Learning platforms are the most common place teachers try to embed the board. Linking is more reliable there too, and it suits how the board is used: the teacher opens it on the classroom computer, and students watch the projected screen.

• Canvas: add the board to a page with the link tool in the editor, or add it to a module as an external URL. Where Canvas offers the option, choose to load it in a new tab.
• Schoology: add the board as a link in your course materials, or put a linked button in a page.

Students do not need the link to follow along, because there is nothing for them to join. If you post it for them, say that it is the teacher's display so nobody expects a join code.

Why the noise meter should open as a link

The noise meter needs microphone permission. Browsers tie that permission to the site in the address bar, and a page inside a frame only gets the microphone if the outer page explicitly hands it over. Opening the board in its own tab avoids that problem completely.

To use it from a class page, link to the noise meter guide or straight to the board, add the Sound Level widget and allow the microphone when the browser asks. On a school-managed Chromebook the prompt may never appear because IT has blocked it. In that case, ask them to allow microphone access for myclassscreen.org.

Sound is measured inside the browser. It is not recorded or sent anywhere, as our privacy policy explains.

Embed videos and slides inside the board

Embedding also works the other way round. The board's Embed Media widget puts outside content on your board, next to the timer:

1. Add the Embed Media widget from the widget menu.
2. Paste a link or a full iframe embed code. The widget reads the address from the code for you.
3. YouTube watch links and short youtu.be links are converted to their embed version automatically.

Other sites appear only if they allow embedding, which is the same rule that stops our board being framed elsewhere. Google Slides decks published to the web provide an embed link made for this. There is also a Video Player widget for YouTube links, a PDF Viewer widget and a Link Button widget that puts a clickable link on the board.

Common pitfalls

• Blank box where the board should be: that is an iframe being blocked. Replace it with a link or button.
• Saved boards missing on another computer: boards are saved in each browser's own storage. Use Copy link to carry a layout to a different device, then save it there.
• Shared link opens without your changes: the board was probably too big for a link. Remove a few widgets and copy again.
• Noise meter not moving: the microphone is blocked in the browser or by device management.
• Students opening the link on phones: the board is built for the projected display, not for student devices.
• Mixed-content warnings: use https:// in every link.