Getting Started with PrepPanel

Head to the Chrome Web Store and click "Add to Chrome." A small dialog will ask you to confirm - click "Add extension" and you're done.

PrepPanel appears as a side panel on the right side of your browser window. You'll also see its icon in your Chrome toolbar.

Click the PrepPanel icon in your toolbar (or open it from Chrome's side panel menu). You'll see the welcome screen with four ways to get started:

• 1 Load the demo - Instantly fills PrepPanel with a sample 7th grade ELA class. Great for exploring during a planning period.
• 2 Take a guided tour - Loads the demo data and then walks you through every feature with on-screen prompts.
• 3 Set up manually - Enter how many class periods you teach, name each one, and add your own rosters.
• 4 Restore from backup - If you're moving from another device, import your PrepPanel backup file to pick up right where you left off.

Not sure which option to pick? Here's what we recommend:

• Want to explore first? Load the demo. It takes 2 seconds and shows you exactly what a fully configured class looks like. You can always clear it later.
• Want a guided walkthrough? Take the tour. It loads the same demo data and adds step-by-step tooltips that walk you through every feature.
• Ready to set up your own classes? Enter your section count and keep reading - steps 4 and 5 below walk you through the full manual setup.
• Switching devices? Import your backup file and you're immediately back to where you were.

If you chose manual setup, enter how many sections (class periods) you teach, then give each one a descriptive name. These names will appear as tabs in the side panel, so make them easy to tell apart at a glance.

After saving your sections, PrepPanel drops you into editing mode for your first class. You have two ways to add students:

• 1 Paste names - Copy names from any source (a spreadsheet, your LMS, or just type them). PrepPanel accepts commas, semicolons, or one name per line.
• 2 Upload a CSV - Have a roster file? Upload it directly. A multi-column CSV will create one section per column, using column headers as section names.
• 3 Current roster - Students appear here as you add them. Click the ✕ to remove anyone added by mistake.

Once your roster is ready, click "Done Editing Roster" at the top. PrepPanel switches to live mode and immediately shuffles your students into a random queue.

• 1 Up Next - The current student, displayed prominently so the whole class can see who's being called on.
• 2 On Deck & Getting Ready - The next students in line can see their turn approaching and start preparing a response.
• 3 Mark Complete - After the student responds, click this to advance the queue. The next student moves into the spotlight.

This is the core of PrepPanel's "warm calling" approach: students aren't ambushed - they see their turn coming and use that time to prepare a thoughtful response. For a deeper walkthrough of everything the lineup can do, see the Random Picker & Queue guide.

The side panel is what your students see - it's designed to be projected. The dashboard is your private teacher window, packed with powerful tools that students never see.

To open it: go to the Settings sub-tab and click "Launch Dashboard." It opens in a separate window that you keep on your laptop screen.

The dashboard has seven tabs, each with its own set of tools:

• Tracker - Log and review participation quality in real-time
• Grouping - Build student groups with smart rules (keep together, keep apart, distribute by ability)
• Seating - Drag-and-drop seating chart editor with auto-arrangement
• Targets - Set and display learning targets for each class
• Mastery - Track student progress toward learning objectives
• Pacing - Build and project lesson pacing guides with timers
• Reports - View participation analytics, filter by date, and export to CSV

Each tab gets its own guide - for now, the most important one to know about is the Tracker - which is where you'll log participation quality as you call on students.

Here's where the side panel and dashboard work together. When you click "Mark Complete" in the side panel, the dashboard's Tracker tab automatically shows that student so you can log how their response went - all without your students seeing a thing.

The flow looks like this:

1. A student responds in class
2. You click "Mark Complete" on the projected side panel - the queue advances
3. On your laptop, the dashboard shows that student's name with quality buttons
4. You tap the level that best describes their response
5. The log is saved. The next student is already up.

• 1 Current student - Updates automatically when you advance the queue from the side panel.
• 2 Quality buttons - One tap logs the response and you're done. These labels and colors are fully customizable.
• 3 Skip / Reset / Undo - Skip if a student isn't ready, reset for a fresh shuffle, or undo if you logged the wrong level.

All participation data is saved locally and available anytime in the Reports tab - where you can filter by date, section, and response quality, or export everything to CSV.

For a deeper dive into participation tracking, skipping, absences, and warm calling best practices, see the Random Picker & Queue guide.

The Settings sub-tab is your command center for managing PrepPanel itself - themes, class management, backups, and more. You'll find it as the fourth sub-tab on any section.

• 1 Launch Dashboard - Opens your private teacher dashboard in a separate window (see Step 7 above).
• 2 Theme picker - Choose between Classic Paper (warm, handwritten feel), Modern Clean (flat, contemporary), or K-5 (friendly, kid-oriented). Changes apply instantly.
• 3 Class management - Rename your sections, see student counts, or add up to 10 classes total - no need to redo your setup.
• 4 Help & Support - Restart the guided tour anytime, or reach out via email if you get stuck.
• 5 Backup & restore - Export your entire PrepPanel setup as a file. Import it on a new device to pick up right where you left off. Also where you can clear all data if you need a fresh start.

You don't have to stand next to your laptop to advance the queue. PrepPanel's Remote Clicker turns your phone or any device into a wireless remote control - mark complete, log participation, skip, undo, and switch sections while walking around the classroom.

Click the "Remote" button in the dashboard header, enter the room code on your phone at remote.preppanelclassroom.com, and you're connected. For the full setup walkthrough and troubleshooting, see the Remote Clicker guide.