Impactful Features

Schools now have a greater investment in technology than ever before and the challenges of managing and monitoring its use, supporting teachers and protecting students continue to grow.

Helping schools worldwide, award-winning classroom management solution, NetSupport School, provides teachers with dedicated assessment, monitoring, collaboration and control features to leverage the full value of technology-led teaching and learning using best practice.

The solution saves teachers’ time and maintains students’ focus – all helping to improve learning outcomes .

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Manage

Instruct

Monitor

Assess

Security

 

 

 

Manage

with NetSupport School

Start-up

  • Power on or off and log in/log out all classroom computers from the teacher’s PC. more info
  • NEW – Teachers can choose from three user modes (Easy, Intermediate and Advanced) to make features accessible to suit their level of edtech confidence.more info
  • Blank all students’ screens to gain attention and also lock their mice and keyboards. more info
  • Automatically re-connect to students’ PCs if they are rebooted. more info
  • Use layouts of students on teachers’ screens to match the layout of the physical classroom.more info
  • Use individual teachers profiles to deliver the features needed by each teacher. more info
  • Use a one-click “Request Assistance” option from the teacher’s toolbar if technical support is needed. more info
  • Reset students’ system passwords without IT support. more info
  • NEW – Teachers can use Student Feedback to gauge how they feel, their confidence in a topic and whether they need extra support.more info
  • Flexible range of connection methods to student devices, including SIS integration via ClassLink OneRoster and Google Classroom. more info

Power on or off and log in/log out all classroom computers from the teacher’s PC.
To power on a NetSupport School Student, the workstation must have a Wake-on-LAN network adapter and a BIOS that will support it (consult your Network Manager), the Student must also be connected to the Tutor. The Tutor sends a Wake-on-LAN packet to the Student network adapter, which instructs the workstation to power on.

NetSupport School uses the Advanced Power Management (APM) features of the Windows Operating System (where supported), to provide Student power down capabilities. A Tutor can remotely power off a Student workstation using the NetSupport School Power Management function.

If a generic naming convention is used for the classroom PCs, the Tutor can automatically log the Students in, to save time at the start of a lesson.

Blank all students’ screens to gain attention and also lock their mice and keyboards.
When the Tutor instructs using the ‘Show mode’, the connected Students’ mice and keyboards are automatically locked. The Tutor can also lock connected Students’ keyboards and mice at other times (outside of Show mode). The keyboard and mouse can also be configured to lock separately if required and by default, a graphic is displayed on a Student’s screen when the Tutor locks a Student’s keyboard and mouse. The Tutor can also blank a/all Student screens as and when needed.
Automatically re-connect to students’ PCs if they are rebooted.
During an active session, a Student may inadvertently disconnect, for example, when they reboot their machine. Each time a Student disconnects a message will appear advising which Student has disconnected, the Tutor can dismiss this prompt or leave to timeout as it will allow them to carry on working (this message can be disabled if required). To automatically reconnect to Students when they become available, ensure that the Automatically Reconnect to Students option is selected in the Tutor User Interface Settings.
Use layouts of students on teachers’ screens to match the layout of the physical classroom.
Once the Tutor has selected a classroom or group, they can rearrange the individual Student icons in the Control List view to reflect the layout of the classroom. A background image can also be added to further customise the Control view. When using Room mode, the classroom layout will be automatically saved against the Room selected. When the Tutor console is started-up, the Tutor can select the Room and the layout will automatically load.
Use individual teachers profiles to deliver the features needed by each teacher.
NetSupport School allows multiple Tutor Profiles to be set-up for different Tutor users, each with a pre-defined set of options. On starting the Tutor program, if multiple profiles have been created a dialog is displayed that allows the user to select which profile to use. The main benefit of creating a profile is to be able to store ready-made lists of approved/restricted applications, websites and keywords rather than have the user create these at the start of each lesson.
Use a one-click “Request Assistance” option from the teacher’s toolbar if technical support is needed.
NetSupport School allows Tutors to request help from Lab Technicians and Network Managers. A ‘Get Support’ icon will be displayed on the Tutor console toolbar. Clicking the icon allows the Tutor to either chat or send a message directly to the Lab Technician or Network Manager.
Reset students’ system passwords without IT support.
NetSupport School allows the Tutor to manage users (reset and unlock passwords) that are part of Active Directory, allowing them to easily reset Student passwords at the end of a lesson, if required. They can see user accounts that have been locked, unlock the account or assign a new password. If non-domain administrators want to use this facility, they will need the appropriate rights provided to them.
Student Feedback mode.
There are several visible indicators to choose from to gauge feedback from the students.
Once the option has been selected, a dialog box opens to allow the teacher to enter the question and then send it to the class.
The chosen visual, along with the teacher’s question, will then appear on the students’ PCs so they can make their selection.
All the feedback results are then reported back to the Tutor in two formats: a list-style report (showing each student’s individual feedback) enables the teacher to drill down into each student’s mood/understanding – or a chart view helping the teacher to see the general mood/understanding across the class at a quick glance.
Blank all students’ screens to gain attention and also lock their mice and keyboards.
When the Tutor instructs using the ‘Show mode’, the connected Students’ mice and keyboards are automatically locked. The Tutor can also lock connected Students’ keyboards and mice at other times (outside of Show mode). The keyboard and mouse can also be configured to lock separately if required and by default, a graphic is displayed on a Student’s screen when the Tutor locks a Student’s keyboard and mouse. The Tutor can also blank a/all Student screens as and when needed.

User Modes
NetSupport School provides three user modes for the interface of the Tutor Console: Easy, Intermediate and Advanced. Advanced mode provides full access to all NetSupport School’s features and functions. Intermediate mode provides a more focused view and limits access to only frequently used features and functions. Easy mode pares back the available tools, leaving only one click access to basic classroom management features, making it accessible to even the most technology-shy teachers.

The three modes allow teachers to choose between the tools that suit their needs and level of edtech confidence, helping schools to maximise their edtech investment.

Easy mode includes:
• Lock/Unlock
• Blank screens
• Power on pcs
• Message students
• Student Feedback
• Block all internet
• Help requests
• ‘Mute Audio’ at student.
• Lesson Timer.

Intermediate mode includes:
• View students
• File transfer
• Lock/unlock students’ keyboards and mice
• Set the level of web access
• Show
• Power students on/off
• Login students
• Logout students
• Send a message
• Chat

Advanced mode includes: All NetSupport School’s features.
Teachers can easily switch between modes.

Flexible range of connection methods to student devices, including SIS integration via ClassLink OneRoster and Google Classroom..
The Class wizard enables the Tutor to select the connection mode that best suits their requirements. The Class wizard is displayed when the Tutor program is initially started and when a class is restarted. The connection methods available are:

• Room Mode- Connect to Student computers by room(s).
• PC Mode- Connect to a fixed list of Student computers by machine name.
• User Mode- Connect to a fixed list of Students (by logged on user name).
• Browse Mode- Browse the network and connect to Student computers with a specific machine name.
• SIS Mode- Connect to your SIS environment using ClassLink OneRoster or Google Classroom.

SIS

Printer and device management

  • Prevent students from printing in the classroom. more info
  • Limit printer use by number of pages. more info
  • Require teacher’s authorisation prior to printing. more info
  • Prevent individual printers from being used. more info
  • Display a real-time print indicator identifying which student is currently printing. more info
  • Show the number of paused print jobs requiring the teacher’s attention. more info
  • Prevent data being copied to or from USB storage and CDR/DVD devices. more info
  • Disable webcams on classroom devices.
Printing controls.
Print Management gives the Tutor total control over printer usage within the classroom. The Tutor can monitor and control all printing activity by connected Students or printers. Students can be prevented from printing, be assigned page limits or require Tutor authorisation to print. The print management feature supports multiple printers within a classroom, prevents the addition, deletion or modification of existing printers and provides printing usage summaries as part of the Student register.
Prevent data being copied to or from USB storage and CDR/DVD devices.
The Device Control feature allows the Tutor to protect against external sources during a Lesson. The Tutor can prevent data from being copied to or from USB devices and CD/DVD drives. In addition, the Tutor can provide read-only access, allowing Students to view files from devices but prevents them from copying files to them.

Student register

  • Request standard and custom information from each student at the start of the class. more info
  • Print the student register, including a total of any rewards or print jobs completed during the lesson. more info
  • Use customised icons for students. more info

Request standard and custom information from each student at the start of the class.

By default, NetSupport School will display the machine name of the Student workstation in the Control window. However, there may be times when the Tutor wants the control to display the actual name of the Student and request additional information. The Student Register option enables the Tutor to prompt the Students for their details…the Tutor can click ‘Register’ to send the form to Student machines and monitor progress as the Students respond. Once all the Students have signed in, the Student icon in the Control window will now display the registered name.

 

 

Print the student register, including a total of any rewards or print jobs completed during the lesson.

Student registration and printer usage details can be viewed in a report, but this will be lost when the Tutor disconnects.

If the Tutors wants to store a copy of the report, they must ensure that the ‘Auto Save Register’ option is enabled in the Student Register dialog when requesting the Student details. The report can be stored in CSV, HTML or XML format.

Use customised icons for students.

The Student and group icons displayed in the Control window can be customised to suit individual requirements. A choice of images can be used and applied to the machine name or the logged on user.

Hand out and collect files

  • Distribute files and folders from the tutor’s PC to multiple student devices. more info
  • Transfer files to and from selected or multiple PCs in a single action. more info
  • Hand out and automatically collect files with each student’s details appended. more info
  • Real-time feedback tells the teacher which students’ files are ready for collection and which students need reminding. more info

Distribute files and folders from the tutor’s PC to multiple student devices.
NetSupport School includes sophisticated File Transfer functionality that enables Tutors to transfer files to and from the Tutor and Student. With NetSupport School’s File Transfer it is also possible to copy files and folders between two Students. 

Transfer files to and from selected or multiple PCs in a single action. 
As well as enabling the Tutor to transfer files to and from individual Students, NetSupport School also allows them to distribute files to multiple Students simultaneously.

Hand out and automatically collect files with each student’s details appended. 
The Send/Collect Work feature enables Tutors to send a document or a number of documents to individual or multiple Student workstations. They can then collect Students’ responses on their workstation.

Real-time feedback tells the teacher which students’ files are ready for collection and which students need reminding.
Once work has been sent to the Students, the Tutor will be able to see the current status from the Send/Collect Work icon drop-down menu. They can toggle between showing Students who have completed their work or those with items remaining.

Here you can create the content that will be used within the module.

Student information bar

  • View lesson objectives and learning outcomes. more info
  • Provides real-time lesson information such as the lesson title; time remaining; any rewards they have been given by the teacher. more info
  • Request help from the teacher via the help button. more info
  • Access their digital journal. more info
  • Access their personal resources folder. more info
  • Review what restrictions are currently in place i.e. internet, application, printing, USB memory sticks. more info

Toolbar overview
The Student Toolbar provides feedback to the Student on the current lesson, time remaining, current websites and applications that are available, the status of print, audio and keyboard monitoring and quick access to initiate a Chat session and request help. Students can also access their USB memory stick, Student Journal, work items that have been sent and any resources from the toolbar. It can be set to be always visible at the top of the Student screen or to auto-hide.

NetSupport School provides the Tutor with the ability to ‘reward’ Students for good behaviour. During a lesson, a Tutor can give individual Students a reward, in the form of a star, which is reflected on the main toolbar. The number of rewards a Student has can be viewed by mousing over the Student icon in Normal view.

Access their digital journal.
NetSupport School provides a ‘Student Journal’, this is an electronic record of key information that has been covered during the lesson. The Student Journal is in the form of a portable PDF document, allowing Students to refer back to it after the lesson. Not only can the Tutor add notes and resources used during the lesson directly to every Student Journal, the Students are able to add their own notes making this a truly personalised document.

The unique Student Journal offers a welcome summary for any Students who were absent from a lesson as well as a structured summary of activity for the Tutor.

Access their personal resources folder.
Students can now easily access any resources required during a lesson. The Tutor can create a resource list and add links to websites, applications and documents, this list is then displayed in the Student Toolbar providing Students with a quick and easy way to access the required resources.

Technicians’ tools

  • NetSupport School also comes equipped with a Technicians’ Console to help the school IT team support users and manage devices across the school. IT technicians can perform powerful 1:1 PC Remote Control on any selected computer, capture screenshots, annotate the screen and provide direct technical assistance to any classroom teacher. And for comprehensive control, they can also apply school-wide settings such as internet and application restrictions that are ‘always on’.

 

 

 

Instruct

with NetSupport School

Being able to actively engage and keep the whole class on track within an IT classroom can be challenging at the best of times. NetSupport School makes it easier for teachers with real-time instruction, a virtual whiteboard and a bespoke teacher toolbar. Simplicity is the key and the creative possibilities are endless!

Real-time instruction (Show mode)

  • Show the Tutor’s desktop to all or selected students. more info
  • Show a student’s screen to the rest of the class (Exhibit mode). more info
  • Restrict Internet access to approved sites only during Show. more info
  • Show just a selected application to students. more info
  • Annotate the screen in either a Show or remote control session with a range of tools to aid in presenting (arrows, shapes, highlighters, text and more). more info
  • Show a Replay file (previous screen recording video) to selected students. more info
  • Show a video to selected students. more info
  • Leave a recording of your Show on the student’s PC for future review. more info
  • Use Audio mode to speak to students during a Show. more info
  • Deliver presentations optimised for both wired and wireless classrooms. more info

Show the Tutor’s desktop to all or selected students
While presenting, the Tutor can show their desktop to connected Student devices to help demonstrate a point or show students how to do a particular task, for example.

Show a student’s screen to the rest of the class (Exhibit mode)
With NetSupport School, it is possible to Show the Tutor’s screen to a number of connected Students. It is also possible to show an individual Student’s screen on selected or all Students’ screens. This is useful in situations when Student ‘A’ has produced some work which you wish to show to rest of the class.  Only the Tutor and the exhibiting Student will be able to change the screen.

Restrict Internet access to approved sites only during Show
The Tutor can only access websites that are on the Approved Site List, preventing inappropriate websites being displayed to Students during a Show Mode.

Show just a selected application to students
The Show feature enables the Tutor to display their screen to Students. However, if a number of programs are open at the Tutor end, there may be occasions when they want to show a single application in isolation. The application can be selected and shown to either all or selected students.

Annotate the screen in either a Show or during a remote control session with a range of tools to aid in presenting (arrows, shapes, highlighters, text and more)
While the Tutor screen is being shown, the Tutor may want to draw the student’s attention to a particular area. The Annotate tools can be used to highlight the relevant part of the screen. If the Tutor does not want the Students to see the screen being annotated in real-time they can suspend the show, enabling the Tutor to continue working in the background.

While viewing, the Tutor can use the annotate tools to highlight a particular area of the Student screen. In Share and Watch Mode, the Student can also use the Annotate toolbar options. The Tutor can still use the other tools while annotating such as Chat, File Transfer etc.

Show a Replay file (previous screen recording video) to selected students
When a Tutor remote controls a Student workstation they can record the screen, keyboard and mouse activity taking place. In addition, if the PCs are configured for audio, any narration that takes place can also be recorded. The information is stored in a file that can be replayed at the Tutor machine and, if required, shown to other Students. Activity on the Tutor’s PC can also be recorded.

Show a video to selected students
All standard video files, for example .avi and .mpg, are supported. The Video Player runs locally on each Student workstation and the video file can be accessed locally or from a network drive. If the video file to be played does not exist on the Student machine NetSupport School will automatically send it to the Student.

When the video file is launched, the Video Player Control Panel appears and standard operations are available, play, stop, pause etc. While the video is running, the Student workstations are locked.

Leave a recording of your Show on the student’s PC for future review
A Show session can  be recorded enabling Students to playback the demonstration at their convenience. NetSupport School Replay files can also be converted to video files allowing them to be played outside of NetSupport School on a range of media players.

Use Audio mode to speak to students during a Show
The Tutor can enable audio support. If the Tutor is showing to only one Student, both the Tutor and Student can speak. If the Tutor is showing to many, only the Tutor can speak (announce).

Deliver presentations optimised for both wired and wireless classrooms
NetSupport School is designed to work flawlessly over both wired and wireless networks with desktops, laptops or tablets and for use in traditional PC, thin client or virtualised environments. The ‘NetSupport Connectivity Server’ or ‘Name & Connectivity Server/Gateway’, is provided as an optional installation component. Its purpose is to provide a simple and reliable method of locating and connecting to Student PCs in LAN/Wireless network environments.

Virtual whiteboard

A full screen interactive whiteboard is integrated directly within the Tutor software and is supported by a wealth of drawing and annotation tools for improved collaboration within the classroom. It can be shown in real time to all students in the class and, when needed, they can all interact with it. more info

Virtual whiteboard
A full screen interactive whiteboard is provided, enabling the Tutor to use NetSupport School’s annotation tools to highlight the screen and show the results to a selected group of Students.

When Students are viewing the whiteboard, they cannot initially annotate the screen themselves. However, the Tutor can nominate a Student to be the ‘Whiteboard Leader’. This activates the annotation options at the selected machine. The Tutor can switch control to any of the other participants as required by selecting their icon in the Student list.

Group leaders

A nominated student can be assigned certain Tutor rights and act as a group leader until such privileges are revoked. This feature now includes a visual layout of leaders and their assigned group members. more info

Group leaders 
When working with defined groups of Students, the Tutor can assign ‘Group Leader’ status to a selected member of the group. The designated leader can then take control of the group, performing many of the tasks that the main Tutor can (chat, send/collect work, show screen, view and control screens and more). The main Tutor retains overall responsibility while a Group Leader is in place, and can remove and suspend the status at any time.

Chat 

Open a chat discussion that all or selected students can join, enter their comments and share with the rest of the class – now with emoticons! more info

Chat
Great for student collaboration and supporting students with their work, NetSupport School allows the Tutor to chat to any number of connected Students simultaneously. The Tutor can add or remove Students from the chat session as required. The chat diglogue box is displayed at each participating member’s machine and lists the progress of the Chat session. The content of the Chat session can be added to the Student Journal or saved for later use or copied to another application.

If required, a title or description for the subject to be discussed can be added in the Chat session. This will appear in the Title bar of the Chat window that is displayed at the Student machines. If left blank, the Tutor name will appear.

Audio Support

Audio support is included in all Show Screen and Remote Control sessions, allowing the teacher to transmit their voice during a presentation. more info

Audio Support 
NetSupport School allows the Tutor to use audible communications to connected Students, via microphones, headphones and speakers during the View and Show mode, allowing a two-way audible chat session. NetSupport School will only operate audio if the workstations have audio support installed.

Using the Announce Function, the Tutor can also send an audio announcement to all the selected students headphones or speakers. They will be able to hear the Tutor but will not be able to speak back.

Teacher toolbar

When the Tutor application is minimised, a convenient toolbar is provided for quick access to key features within NetSupport School. This toolbar is optimised for use with interactive whiteboards. more info

Teacher toolbar
The Tutor Toolbar provides details of the current lesson to the Tutor and access to key NetSupport School functions when the Tutor program is minimised. The Tutor can mute sound from all of the Students, add notes to the Student Journal, Scan, Chat, Message, Announce, Show, Lock/Unlock Students, Blank Student screens and block all Internet access by clicking the relevant icon. When the Tutor program is maximised the Tutor Toolbar will disappear and any settings applied will show in the main console screen.

In the main console screen, NetSupport provides two modes to view the user interface in: full, which provides full access to all NetSupport School’s features and basic, which provides access to a selection of frequently used teaching tools. Tutors can switch between these modes by clicking the Basic Toolbar/Full Toolbar icon on the toolbar.

Supporting social distancing/respecting students’ personal space

Maintaining social distancing or simply just respecting students’ personal space in schools can be so important. With NetSupport School’s classroom management tools, teachers can deliver instruction, monitor, assess and interact with students all at a safe and respectful distance – whether they are all in one classroom together or spread out over separate rooms. Click here to learn more. 

 

 

Monitor

with NetSupport School

Being able to monitor student activity is the cornerstone of good classroom management software. Not only does it ensure students stay on task, but it is also a key foundation for an effective e-safety implementation. NetSupport School ensures a teacher can easily monitor student screens, the applications they are using, the websites they are visiting, what they are typing and who they are collaborating with.

View student screens in real time (Monitor mode)

  • Monitor the entire class in a single view with adjustable thumbnail sizes. more info
  • Overlay additional information, including active application or active website. more info
  • Zoom in on a selected student for an optimised high-definition thumbnail. more info
  • Remote control the student’s screen to instruct or remedy activity.more info

Monitor the entire class in a single view with adjustable thumbnail sizes
Monitor mode enables the Tutor to view multiple Student screens simultaneously. A convenient thumbnail view of each connected Student screen is displayed to the Tutor, providing a quick and easy method for monitoring Student activity. While in Monitor mode, the Tutor still has access to the full range of NetSupport School features such as View, Chat and File Transfer.

When mousing over a thumbnail, the Tutor can zoom into that screen. Double-clicking on a thumbnail will open a view session to the selected Student, right-click and they can select from the full range of available features. For example, by selecting multiple thumbnails, they can invite those Students into a Chat session. Depending on how closely they want to monitor Student activity the Tutor can adjust the frequency at which the thumbnails are refreshed.

Overlay additional information, including active application or active website
When ‘Show active application’ is enabled, an icon will appear in the top right of each thumbnail indicating which application is currently active at the Student machine. In addition, if the Tutor has created approved and restricted application lists, a green (approved) or red (restricted) border will appear on the thumbnail, alerting them to any potential misuse of applications.

Meanwhile, the ‘Show active website’ displays an icon in the bottom right of each thumbnail indicating which site the Student is currently visiting. If the Tutor has created approved and restricted website lists, a green (approved) or red (restricted) border will appear on the thumbnail, alerting them to any potential misuse of the Internet.

Zoom in on a selected student for an optimised high-definition thumbnail
When mousing over a thumbnail, the Tutor can zoom into that screen, plus Student thumbnails can be resized to suit personal preferences. This is particularly useful when connected to large numbers of Student machines. Also, using ‘Auto-Fit will automatically adjust the size of the displayed thumbnails to fit the window.

Remote control the student’s screen to instruct or remedy activity.
NetSupport’s Remote Control is a feature-rich component in its own right. It provides a range of customisable options enabling the Tutor to tailor each Remote Control session to suit specific requirements and conditions.  The Tutor has the option of applying settings globally or, in some instances, at individual Student level.

  • View
  • Keyboard/Mouse
  • Replay Files
  • Audio
  • File Transfer
  • User Interface
  • Tutor
  • Student
  • Tutor Assistant
  • Group Leaders
  • Student Toolbar
  • Journal
  • Show

Application and internet monitoring

  • Monitor all students’ application use. more info
  • Monitor all students’ internet use. more info
  • View both foreground and background applications and websites.
  • Remotely launch or close applications or web pages on all selected PCs in a single action. more info
  • Record a full history of application and internet use for each student. more info
  • Allow only approved applications or websites to be used or simply prevent restricted ones from being opened.
  • Force SafeSearch on for supported search engines, preventing inappropriate content being returned within search results. more info

Monitor all students’ application use
The Application Control module is used to monitor and control the applications used by connected Students. A record of applications used in a session can be stored and, if required, the Tutor can restrict or approve the use of applications. Restrictions can be applied to individual Students or all connected Students and Students can view the current restrictions in the Student Toolbar.

In ‘Applications’ Mode the Tutor can view details of approved or restricted applications and use the available icons to:

  • Turn on/off a central policy that has been created in the Tech Console.
  • Revert back to unrestricted access if application restrictions have been in place
  • Activate the “Approved Applications” list. The Student will only be able to run applications that are in the approved list. All other applications are blocked.
  • Activate the “Restricted Applications” list. The Student will not be able to run applications that are in the restricted list but will be able to run all other applications.
  • Switch between large icons and Details view in the List view.

In the List view, an icon is displayed next to the Student icon informing the Tutor of the current application in use.

If the application is currently listed in the approved or restricted lists, then a visual green (approved) or red (restricted) identifier is shown surrounding the application icon to make identification easier.

If the List view is in “Details” layout, then a list of all other applications running on the Student workstation is also displayed.

If a Student is currently running an application included in the activated restriction list, an Application Blocked dialog will appear on their screen, stating the application that has been blocked by the Tutor. This will also appear if a Student attempts to run any of the applications included on the restriction list.

Monitor all students’ internet use
The Web Control Module is used to monitor and control the websites visited by connected Students. A record of sites visited in a session can be stored and, if required, the Tutor can restrict or approve the use of specific websites. In addition, the Tutor can temporarily suspend all Internet access. Restrictions can be applied to individual Students or all connected Students and Students can view the current restrictions in the Student Toolbar.

In ‘Web’ Mode, the Tutor can view details of approved or restricted websites and use the available icons to:

  • Turn on/off a central policy that has been created in the Tech Console.
  • Revert back to unrestricted access if restrictions have been in place.
  • Activate the “Approved Site list”. The Student will only be able to view websites that are in the approved list. All other websites are blocked. When the Student accesses the internet, they are forced to choose an approved website rather than being able to surf at will.
  • Activate the “Restricted Site” list. The Student will not be able to view websites that are in the restricted list but will be able to view all other websites.
  • Restrict all access to the Internet.
  • Activate “Safe Search” mode. Stops inappropriate websites being displayed while Students are using search engines.
  • Activate “Block FTP” sites. Block Students from accessing FTP sites.
  • Switch between large icons and Details view in the List view.

In the List view, an icon is displayed next to the Student icon informing the Tutor of the current Student activity. This icon will be the default Internet Explorer icon or a personalised website icon.

If the website is currently listed in the approved or restricted lists, then a visual green (approved) or red (restricted) identifier is shown surrounding the website icon to make identification easier.

If the List view is in “Details” layout, then a list of all other website’s running on the Student workstation is also displayed.

If a Student is currently viewing a website included in the activated restriction list, they will be redirected to a message stating that the website has been blocked by the Tutor.

Remotely launch or close applications or web pages on all selected PCs in a single action
This feature allows the Tutor to execute or open a software application, on a Student or a group of Student workstations without actually remote controlling them. For example, after showing Students how to use a MS Office application the Tutor might want to start the application on their workstations.

Using ‘Quick Launch’, also enables the Tutor to launch an application or website to Students without having to direct their way through the drop-down menus.

Record a full history of application and internet use for each student
The ‘Web History’ feature in the Web Control Module enables the Tutor to monitor the websites being visited by connected Students and, if required, store or print a permanent record.

The ‘View Application History’ feature in the Application Control Module enables the Tutor to monitor the applications being used by connected Students and, if required, store or print a permanent record.

Force SafeSearch on for supported search engines, preventing inappropriate content being returned within search results
The SafeSearch feature overrides the search settings for most leading search engines and prevents inappropriate content being returned within search results.

Keyboard monitoring

Keyboard monitoring is an important building block in detecting e-safety issues and can be used to identify inappropriate behaviour.Designed to be used in conjunction with application control, this component provides teachers with a concurrent insight into student activity and topic understanding. During a lesson, while all students are working using any approved application, the teacher can monitor the entire class and see quickly and easily their typed content and activity levels.NetSupport School also provides “target” keywords for tracking of student understanding, as well as a full history of keyboard use by student and application.NB: Keyboard monitoring does not record data entered into password fields. more info

Keyboard monitoring
It allows the Tutor to monitor Student’s keyboard usage while using any approved application. The Tutor can monitor the entire class, quickly viewing any typed content and keeping an eye on Student activity levels. To further enhance the monitoring process, a Tutor can create ‘target’ and ‘inappropriate’ word lists, and when a Student types a word on the list it will be immediately highlighted to the Tutor.

In ‘Typing’ mode the Tutor can view details of target or inappropriate words and use the available icons to:

  • Create a new word list.
  • Load an existing word list.
  • Monitor Student typing activity.

The current application will be displayed along with the text the Student is typing and any target or inappropriate words will be identified with either a green (target) or red (inappropriate) visual indicator. A count of how many target/inappropriate words that have been typed by each Student will also be displayed.

(Keyboard Monitoring is not available in the following languages: Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Japanese and Russian.)

Real-time audio monitoring

Ideally suited for the modern foreign languages classroom. Simultaneously view all student screens and see in an instant which computers have live audio activity. Select one of the displayed student thumbnails to listen to the audio being played on that PC. Listen to a student’s microphone feed and correct pronunciation, chat or simply engage with each student individually without disrupting the lesson. more info

Real-time audio monitoring
Audio Monitoring allows the Tutor to monitor audio activity on all Students’ workstations. The Tutor is instantly alerted to any microphone or speaker/headphone activity at the Student and can select one of the displayed Student thumbnails to listen to the audio being played on that PC. Audio activity can also be recorded and played back to Students.

(A thumbnail of each connected Student screen is displayed and the microphone or headphone icon will indicate that there is audio activity at the Student workstation)

 

 

Assess

with NetSupport School

NetSupport School also provides a selection of flexible formative assessment tools, ranging from an informal classroom discussions and surveys, peer assessment tools, to more structured testing with automatic scoring. The unique Q&A Module gamifies the lesson, encouraging participation and competition, who’s first to answer, team play or simply a random auto selection of the next student to question, just to keep them paying attention. It provides a range of instant question types to be delivered on the fly to help to reinforce key learning points and instantly gauge students’ lesson comprehension – all while keeping them fully engaged!

Student testing

NetSupport School’s Testing tool is a powerful utility that enables teachers to design tests and examinations with the minimum of effort. Incorporating an intuitive Test Designer, it allows the teaher to set customised tests including text, picture, audio and video questions. Once the specified students have completed the test in the pre-set time, the results are automatically collated, marked and made available to the teacher to view.

  • Create a library of resources and questions that can be shared.
  • Create any number of tests using questions from your library.
  • Now utilise up to 8 different question styles.
  • Create questions with between 2 and 4 possible answers.
  • Set examination grading levels (e.g. over 75% = A grade).
  • Track student progress and see question success or failure in real time.
  • Auto-mark the test so results are available as soon as it is completed.
  • Display individual results back to each student.
  • Deliver results (including highlighting the correct answers) to the class.
  • Install the Test Designer on a standalone system.

Survey mode

The Student Survey tool enables the teacher to get instant feedback from students during or at the end of a session, helping to instantly capture students’ understanding of a topic. The teacher can send all or selected students a question, together with a selection of pre-defined responses, so students can ‘vote’ on the correct answer or statement. The students responses are gathered for the teacher to see, with the results shown as an overall percentage and by individual student. Results can also be shown to the students in the form of a pie chart, but the students must respond before they can view the results.

Students can also be temporarily ‘grouped’ by response enabling the teaher to see in an instant who selected the same answer. This could be useful if a quick follow-up question or message to particular students was required.

Question and Answer (Q&A) module

The Q&A module is an exclusive collaborative tool that enables teachers to reinforce key learning points and instantly gauge students’ lesson comprehension.

Built around current teaching practices for the continual assessment of learning, it allows a teacher to verbally ask questions to the class, gauge students’ responses, introduce new questioning styles to the lesson (such as basketball questioning), and develop peer assessment opportunities – as well as track rewards against both the individual and, where appropriate, teams.

The module provides the following options:

  • First to Answer
    When a question has been asked, the teacher can set a ‘thinking time’ after which students indicate if they know the answer, with the teacher’s desktop showing the order in which they answered. The teacher can choose the ‘top x’ fastest responders and the quickest student is asked for their answer. The teacher confirms whether it is right or wrong and then has the option to bounce the question to subsequent students. Points can be awarded or deducted.
  • Enter an Answer
    The teacher enters the answer to a question in advance and students are prompted for their responses. Results are instantly displayed to the class and points awarded or deducted.
  • Pot Luck
    An alternative to First to Answer, the teacher can involve a number of randomly selected students.
  • Team Mode
    Students can be placed in teams, allowing them to compete for rewards as a group. Teams can be created randomly or students can pick a team to join. Each team member enters their answer and the group’s combined total is displayed.
  • Peer Assessment
    This encourages students to give feedback in response to an answer given by one of their classmates. They indicate if the answer given was correct or incorrect and the teacher’s screen displays the results.

 

The Student Journal

The unique Student Journal ensures all relevant information from a lesson is recorded for future review – from lesson content and teacher/student notes, to assessment results. Used as both a revision aid for students and a record of content covered for teachers, it helps ensure all information is stored in one place. All key actions and events during the lesson can be added to a journal file, and these can include:

  • Details of the lesson objectives.
  • A class attendance register.
  • Specific notes, resources and screenshots taken or used during the lesson.
  • Survey and test details and results.
  • Question and Answer module scores.
  • Lists of approved websites for research.
  • “On the fly” screenshots during a demonstration (teacher or student).
  • Details of any homework set.
  • Individual notes can be added by each student whenever they are required.
  • Target words/topics used for any comprehension or research assignments.
  • Transcripts of any electronic chat conversations.
  • Copies of any NetSupport School inbuilt whiteboard sessions.

View a pdf of all the features in the Journal

 

 

Security

with NetSupport School

NetSupport School is used throughout educational establishments across the globe. With the level of desktop control and management available within the product, protecting its configuration and use is key to delivering the best possible standard of instruction, without the fear that the technology is open to abuse.

NetSupport School features a wealth of security features to ensure its correct and authorised use:

  • Apply a unique “security key” to make your copy of NetSupport School incompatible with other copies of the software. more info
  • Restrict connectivity across the enterprise to only systems carrying a matching software licence.
  • Secure Tutor profiles, each allowing customised levels of functionality as required. more info
  • Use Active Directory profiles to limit which users are able to run the NetSupport School Tutor or Technicians’ software.
  • Use Active Directory profiles to force approved configurations for both Tutor and Client software installations.
  • Control the access to (and use of) portable media devices within the classroom. more info
  • Automatically re-apply a classroom session and restrictions on reboot of a student computer.

The Windows Tech Console (V11+) also allows you to apply security policies. All PCs can be checked against a pre-defined set of policies, instantly identifying any computers that are without, for example, anti-virus, Windows updates or internet protection. In addition, a Policy Management tool allows for NetSupport School restrictions to be defined and applied across the school permanently.

Apply a unique “security key” to make your copy of NetSupport School incompatible with other copies of the software.
A security key can be set that will ensure only Tutors and Students with matching keys are able to connect (this must be set at both the Tutor and the Student).
Secure Tutor profiles, each allowing customised levels of functionality as required.
NetSupport School allows multiple Tutor Profiles for different Tutor users, each with a pre-defined set of options. On starting the Tutor program, if multiple profiles have been created a dialog is displayed that allows the user to select which profile to use. The main benefit of creating a profile is to be able to store ready-made lists of approved/restricted applications, websites, keywords, layouts, surveys, client lists, group lists, the location for storing test results, exams and class lists; rather than have the user create these at the start of each lesson.
Control the access to (and use of) portable media devices within the classroom.
The Device Control feature allows the Tutor to protect against external sources during a Lesson. The Tutor can prevent data from being copied to or from USB devices and CD/DVD drives. In addition, the Tutor can provide read-only access, allowing Students to view files from devices but prevents them from copying files to them.

Optional components

Cloud-based In-School and Remote Learning

IT Management

ServiceDesk and Ticketing

Mass Notification and Alerting

 

 

Cloud-based In-School and Remote Learning

with classroom.cloud

classroom.cloud is a focused teaching, classroom management and online safety tool. Cloud-based and easy to use, it helps teachers monitor and instruct in a school classroom and with remote learners – while the school can create a safe learning environment. It also comes with a Technician Toolkit, helping the IT team to maximise their school’s technology.

 

 

IT Management and Tracking

(optional with additional cost) from NetSupport

Keeping track of technology and ensuring students are safe online are two of schools’ largest EdTech concerns today. With NetSupport DNA, you can track, monitor and manage how efficiently your school’s existing solutions are being used – all while providing a protected online environment that gives your students the freedom to learn and make mistakes in safety. 

 

 

 

 

ServiceDesk and Ticketing

(optional with additional cost) from NetSupport

Easily integrated into your existing IT infrastructure, NetSupport ServiceDesk delivers the processes needed to help you effortlessly track, organise, manage and answer the toughest support challenges. Its fully customisable and intuitive browser-based interface supports both desktop and mobile platforms and delivers robust workflow processes. It also supplies a wealth of management reports as well as providing a customer-friendly self-service portal – all the tools needed to help technicians deliver support effectively.

 

 

Mass Notification and Alerting

(optional with additional cost) from NetSupport

Schools are fast realising the benefits of using mass notification solutions such as NetSupport Notify to boost school communication and support their emergency and lockdown procedures.

Using NetSupport Notify, schools can communicate effectively with staff and students using one-way alerts and notifications – sending them to desktop users and large information panels in halls and foyers. Alerts automatically take screen focus, meaning they can’t be hidden, ignored or saved for later (even on locked screens). The notifications can even be targeted to select groups and scheduled for maximum impact.