Vera Arcana LLC · vera-echo.com · Web only (Chrome / Edge recommended)

How to run Vera Echo with a real class

Vera Echo is a two-sided evidence exploration (Team A and Team B on each device) — not “only two people,” and not four software seats. A class of 24 usually means several kids sharing each side and a few devices running at once.

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Mission: You win when each side writes something they learned that the other side can agree is fair. You do not have to share the same view. Fair means fair to this match, not agreeing with the other side's whole view. If they cannot agree, that is still thinking, not a loss. Treat AI as a thinking tool to interrogate, not as an authority.

1. How it fits class

Best default: use Vera Echo to refine and explore a topic you already taught or discussed — cooperatively, not as a contest.

Pre-teach the claim or policy briefly.
Students ask evidence questions (who, when, sources, trade-offs), not slogans.
End with Learning check + whole-class debrief from the questions they asked.

Secondary use: introduce alternate framings with a teacher-chosen topic (room topic/instructions), not wild current-events roulette.

Avoid: unattended free play where kids treat every model answer as truth.

1b. Cooperative vs Claim Clash

Cooperative: students explore evidence together (two perspectives, shared learning).
Claim Clash: opposing claims are locked and stress-tested under challenge (adversarial mode).

Both feed source reputation for product quality: domains are scored on outcomes, context, and challenge survival. You can see rising and falling sources on the teacher portal after sessions close. This is not a student grade.

2. Layout: 24 kids, teams of 4, 3 devices

Classroom	Vera Echo
4 students on one side of a table	Team A (share one keyboard/screen)
4 students on the other side	Team B
One laptop or Chromebook for that table	One game session in the browser
Three tables exploring at once	Three rooms (or one room, three devices joined)
6 “teams of four” total	3 × (Team A + Team B)

You do not need six different software sides. You need two perspectives per device and multiple devices.

3. Before class (5–10 minutes)

1 Sign in at vera-echo.com/educators (no student accounts).

2 Confirm school AI is available for your class. No API keys required for teachers.

3 In Classroom, create a room: topic = the claim you’ll explore (fills the question box); optional instructions = AI guidance only — “steelman both sides,” “cite years,” etc. (not pasted as the question). Pick answer length (brief / medium / verbose) — it only restricts AI reply size via a hidden prompt; students never see that text. Keep this browser tab on Educators → Live monitor. Do not use /join for the teacher machine.

4 Write the join code on the board (or copy the join link).

5 After the classroom opens, go to Teacher's view or Classroom Map. Map is part of the classroom for any play mode (Cooperative or Claim Clash) — not solo practice. Generate a desk grid, drag seats, save layout. Teacher's view: send a note, set the next question, or refocus a group. Projector is optional.

Web only. Students use Chrome or Edge. No installer. If a device blocks installs, that is fine — the browser is the product.

4. During class

Student devices

Open vera-echo.com/join (or the join link you copied).
Enter the code · pick Team A or Team B · optional table nickname (not legal names).
Leave Use school platform AI checked unless you deliberately want personal API keys.
Join → topic appears in the question box; teacher instructions and answer-length rules guide the AI silently (banner note). Late joiners automatically sync Q&A already asked in the room.
Play: Ask → read the answer critically → other side uses Follow Up to take the turn.
Optional: toggle another AI and Query Selected, then Analyze Differences (great for AI literacy).
Near the end: Learning check — each side writes what they learned.

Teacher

Watch the room board, Live monitor, or Classroom Map (map works for Cooperative and Claim Clash rooms alike): green = active, “Now:” = current question, ask counts. Intervene when a group stalls or goes off topic (devices receive the note within about 25 seconds).
If a table stalls, visit and coach questions: “What would count as evidence either way?”
Remind: models can be wrong; disagreement is useful, not a failure.

Suggested timing (one period)

Minutes	Activity
0–5	Frame the claim; assign tables; join codes
5–25	App play (Ask / Follow Up / optional compare)
25–32	Learning check on each device
32–45	Whole-class debrief from the board / work packet

5. After the app (debrief)

Use the software as fuel for talk, not as the grade.

Project 2–3 student questions from the board or rollup.
Ask: Where did the AIs agree? Disagree? What would a primary source settle?
Open items marked NEEDS TEACHER REVIEW in Learning check.
Exit ticket: one claim they now trust more, and one they still doubt.

6. Data, IEP / 504, AI trust, sources

Vault: sessions auto-save with educator license / join; also Save to Classroom.
Teacher summary: short overview (questions + takeaways).
Full transcript: complete Q&A for work samples.
Class notes / room notes (ZIP): downloadable folder of saved work (teacher overview + full Q&A per device). Good after class or for IEP / 504 notes. Needs saved vault sessions first; live board alone is not enough.
No student accounts in this phase. Use table nicknames, not legal names of minors.
Source reputation: domains cited in closed sessions appear under “Sources earn their reputation here” on Classroom / portal (teacher-only product signal).
Current events: keep Classroom mode (Teacher options) so fluff/mashups are filtered.

AI trust: Multi-model compare is intentional. Students should see that models can diverge. You can audit everything in the vault afterward. That is the oversight loop.

7. Quick troubleshooting

Problem	What to try
No API key fields (and that’s scary)	Good — school AI is on. Keys only appear if someone enables BYOK.
Can’t create a room	Sign in on /educators, then open Classroom control.
Join works, topic empty	Hard refresh (Ctrl+F5); rejoin; confirm room still has a topic.
Board empty	Devices must finish join and load the game; wait ~30s for live heartbeat.
Ask fails	Confirm the school license is active, or use BYOK only if you intend to.
District blocks install	Ignore the Windows app; stay in the browser.

How to run Vera Echo with a real class

On this page

1. How it fits class

1b. Cooperative vs Claim Clash

2. Layout: 24 kids, teams of 4, 3 devices

3. Before class (5–10 minutes)

4. During class

Student devices

Teacher

Suggested timing (one period)

5. After the app (debrief)

6. Data, IEP / 504, AI trust, sources

7. Quick troubleshooting

Links