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Your First 14 Days

This guide walks you through how to make the most of your free trial. By the end of 14 days, you will have a fully configured teaching setup and a clear sense of whether Loka is the right fit for your practice.

Day 1: Set Up Your Profile​

Start by making Loka yours.

  • Complete your educator profile -- Add your name, photo, bio, and teaching specialties. This information appears on your booking page.
  • Explore the dashboard -- Take 10 minutes to click through the main sections: Sessions, Learners, Schedule, Canvas, and Settings.
  • Set your timezone -- Loka uses your timezone for all scheduling. Double-check it under Settings.
First Impressions

Your profile is what learners see when they land on your booking page. A professional photo and a short bio go a long way.

Days 2-3: Configure Your Schedule​

Set up your availability so learners can book with you.

  • Set your weekly availability -- Go to Schedule > Availability and define your recurring open slots (e.g., Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm).
  • Block off exceptions -- Mark specific dates or times as unavailable for holidays, meetings, or personal time.
  • Connect your calendar -- Sync with Google Calendar to avoid double-bookings. Go to Settings > Integrations > Google Calendar.
  • Create a demo session -- Book a test session with your included learner test seat to see how the booking flow works from both sides.

Days 4-5: Run Your First Session​

Experience the core of Loka -- the live teaching session.

  • Start a session from your dashboard by clicking Start Session next to a booked lesson.
  • Try the Living Canvas -- This is your interactive whiteboard. During a session, you can:
    • Type corrections and vocabulary
    • Mark items as correct or incorrect
    • Add notes and examples
    • Organize content by topic
  • End the session and review the auto-generated Living Textbook entry that your learner receives.
Practice Solo First

You do not need a real learner to test the Canvas. Start a session with your test seat and experiment with the tools. This way you will be confident when a real student is on the other end.

Days 6-7: Invite Your First Real Learner​

Time to bring in a real student.

  • Send an invitation -- Go to Learners > Invite Learner and enter their email address.
  • Share your booking link -- Each educator gets a unique booking URL. Send it to your learner so they can choose a time slot.
  • Run a real session -- Walk through a full lesson using the Living Canvas. Pay attention to how corrections are captured and how the session summary is generated.
  • Ask for feedback -- After the session, ask your learner how the booking and session experience felt. This is valuable early input.

Week 2: Explore Advanced Features​

With the basics covered, dig into the features that set Loka apart.

Set Up AI Features​

Loka supports AI-powered lesson preparation and feedback using your own API key.

  1. Go to Settings > AI Integration
  2. Enter your API key for either Anthropic Claude or OpenAI (or both)
  3. Choose your preferred provider
  4. Try AI Suggest on the Canvas -- it generates contextual teaching suggestions during a session
  5. Review AI-generated session feedback after ending a lesson
Bring Your Own Key

Loka does not charge for AI features. You use your own API key and pay the provider directly. This keeps costs transparent and under your control.

Review Your Analytics​

  • Check Analytics on your dashboard to see session counts, learner activity, and teaching patterns
  • Review individual learner progress and their Living Textbook history
  • Look at your busiest time slots to optimize your schedule

Explore Canvas Features​

  • Export to PDF -- Generate a PDF of any Canvas session for offline review
  • Export to MP3 -- Convert Canvas text to audio using text-to-speech (powered by AWS Polly)
  • Voice Recording -- Record audio directly in the Canvas during a session

Day 13-14: Decide on Your Plan​

Before your trial expires, take stock of what you have built.

Ask yourself:

  • Did the session flow feel natural?
  • Are my learners finding the booking process easy?
  • Do I want the AI features for ongoing use?
  • How many learner seats do I need?

Your options:

PlanPriceBest For
DIY$6/monthIndependent educators managing everything themselves
DFY$29/monthEducators who want setup help and technical support
Aspire$199/monthEducators building a teaching business with founder coaching

See Upgrading Your Plan for a full breakdown of what each plan includes.

Your Data Is Safe

Everything you created during the trial -- sessions, learner records, Canvas history, settings -- is preserved when you upgrade. Nothing is lost.

What If I Need More Time?​

If 14 days was not enough, contact us and we will work something out. We would rather you make the right decision than a rushed one.

Next Steps​