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This guide is for people coming from the previous version of Playlab. It will be retired in August 2026 once everyone has migrated. For current Playlab guidance, see Learn on Your Own or Feature Documentation.
Playlab keeps the workspace experience you knew and adds two things teachers asked for: better visibility into student activity and finer control over what students can do inside a workspace.

At a glance

  1. Workspaces still hold members and apps. The verbs you knew still work.
  2. Workspaces can pull in apps from across the organization. Building an app inside the workspace is one option among several.
  3. Workspace owners and facilitators see all member activity, including for apps they did not build.
  4. Building permissions are granular. You decide whether students can build, see each other’s work, or share beyond the workspace.

Workspace parity

If you ran a workspace before, the current version is recognizable. You still invite members, build or curate apps, and review activity. The same role structure carries over. A few details changed:
  • Workspace creation now includes a description field and building permissions on the form.
  • Adding members is split into Add Members (direct invite by email) and Create Invite Link (a shareable link).
  • The activity view filters by workspace, so a single app used in multiple classes shows segmented activity per class.
For the full walkthrough, see Creating and managing a workspace.

Curate apps as well as create them

Previously, a workspace held apps you created inside it. To use someone else’s app, you remixed it. Now you can add an existing app to a workspace without copying. The original owner keeps the app, you get to use it, and any updates the owner publishes flow through automatically. Activity from your students using that app shows up in your workspace, segmented from any other workspace where the app is used. For more, see Using an app across multiple classes.

See all member activity in your workspace

Workspace owners and facilitators now see activity for every member, on every app in the workspace, even apps they did not build. The new member detail page is the entry point. From the Members tab, click any member to see their full activity inside the workspace: which apps they used, the conversations they had, any flagged messages, and any apps they built. This view is workspace-scoped. To see activity across workspaces, use the org-level dashboard (admin role). See Workspace member detail and Reviewing student activity per class.

Granular building permissions

Previously, workspaces had one shared mode. Either everyone could build or no one could. Playlab now splits this into three toggles set per workspace:
  1. Whether members can build apps inside the workspace.
  2. Whether members can see each other’s apps and work.
  3. Whether members can share their apps beyond the workspace.
You set defaults at workspace creation and change them later. Different classes can use the same workspace permissions or different ones, depending on the unit you are running. For more, see Workspace building permissions.

What stays the same

Roles, invite flows, activity filtering, app templates, and the workspace home page all carry over. Existing workspaces migrate with members and apps preserved.

FAQ

Yes. Existing workspaces, members, apps, and activity history all carry over. Your roles map automatically. See Migrating to the new Playlab.
Yes. Permissions update from the workspace settings panel. The change applies going forward. Existing apps stay where they are.
No. Member detail is visible to workspace owners, facilitators, and org admins. Students see their own apps and conversations, the same as before.
Playlab apps can be the assignment. Share the app link with your class and ask students to use it. Activity views give you a record of engagement.
Playlab works with Canvas, Schoology, and Google Classroom through standard link sharing. LTI integration is on the roadmap.
Each student has their own session with the app. Students can share their conversation through Playlab’s export options or by copying it into a shared doc.

Last updated: 06-01-2026 Contact us at [email protected]