Overview
Use Lanschool as a tool for classroom management to restrict and monitor student activity in computer labs. Limit student access to websites, monitor student screens, and more.
Start LANSchool
- LANSchool should be open and minimized when you walk into an SVSU computer lab.
- To open the console which allows you to view and control student computers, click the LANSchool icon in your taskbar.
LANSchool View of Students
- Click the arrow next to View All – this will allow you to choose between viewing details about all the student computers in your class, or seeing a thumbnail of their screen. Select the size of thumbnail you would like the student view to be.
- Classroom Layout allows you to arrange the thumbnails in the order that your class is sitting, but this setting cannot be saved and will need to be laid out each class period.
- Show ToolTips and Magnify occur when the cursor hovers over a thumbnail. ToolTips include the username of the student computer, the computer name and what window the student currently has selected.
Share Teacher Screen
The Instructor Station’s monitor can always be projected from the projector on the ceiling. However, if you want to display the instructor’s monitor on all student monitors, there are two options.
- Click the arrow next to Show
a. Full Screen will display only the contents of the instructor's monitor on the student station and will not allow the students to minimize the window or use other windows.
b. Windowed will display the contents of the instructor's monitor on the student stations, but will allow students to multitask by minimizing the window or viewing 2 windows at a time.
Show Student Monitor to Others
- Click to select a thumbnail which you would like the other students to see.
- Click the Show Student button.
Vote/Poll Student’s on Content Covered
- Deselect individual students by clicking in the blank area surrounding the thumbnails.
- Click the Vote button to poll students on the material covered at regular intervals. This is useful in confirming if students are absorbing the information being presented.
- Type in a question and choose whether it is a True or False or Multiple Choice question. Verbally instruct students on what the answer choices for A, B, C or D are.
- Click Send to distribute the question to students.
- Feedback will appear at the bottom of the window telling you what percent of students chose which answer and how many total students answered.
Run a Program on a Student Computer
Click to select the thumbnail of the student computer on which you want the software to run. Then click the Run button. Note that the student computer needs the software installed on their machine. The student computer will not run software that is only installed on the instructor station.
Send an Instant Message to Individual or All Students or a Chat to Individuals
- To send a private message to an individual student, right-click the thumbnail for that student and select Send Student a Message. A message is one-sided and cannot be replied to. NOTE: A chat message can be replied to. Chat messages can only be sent to individual students and not the entire group.
- To send a message to all students, deselect students by clicking in the blank area which surrounds the student thumbnails, then, click the arrow to the right of the Message button and select Send Message.
Blank Screens
To blank one student’s screen, select that student’s thumbnail and click the Blank Screens button, otherwise, deselect individual thumbnails and click the Blank Screens button. The student monitor will be locked and a message will be displayed which says “Eyes to the front of the Classroom please…”
Limit Web Access
1. Create a list of all allowed web sites – for example if you want them to browse a site and evaluate it, enter that site into the Allow List. All other sites will be inaccessible. View how to Limit Website Use.
- Allow SVSU websites: To allow only SVSU websites, which would include Canvas, Email, etc, you can use wildcards (*) before and after the domain to block or allow sites. The asterisk after a site address will be allowed. To specify Canvas and email access make sure to have svsu.edu/* which is important for navigation purposes
2. Alternatively, it may be easier to block those sites you know to be a problem, i.e. www.facebook.com. Enter those known sites into the Block List. All sites outside of the blocked sites will be accessible.
- The asterisk before a site address such as *facebook.com, or *youtube.com will block all parts of navigation. If you wanted to block the SVSU website type *.svsu.edu follow the same for each website you want to block.
- If you wanted to block on website navigation click Block all web browsing.
NOTE: If a student tries to access a non-allowed site, they will see a screen that tells them what is allowed. Refer to the sample image below:
Limit Flash/Thumb Drives
This feature will limit only flash drives plugged into the CPU externally.
Limit Apps
- Open all the applications on teacher station computer that you want the students to be able to use.
- Click the small arrow to the right of limit apps.
- Click on the add button and select the programs from the list.
- To select multiple programs hold down the control key.
- Make sure to also allow Firefox and Adobe Reader if the students will be using the web. The exe to manually write Firefox is: “firefox.exe”, and Adobe Reader is: “acrord32.exe”.
NOTE: If a student tries to open an application that is not allowed, they will see a message that tells them the progam name has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Refer to the sample image below.
Limit Print
This button closes the Printer Spooler on an individual student’s or all student computers.
Clear Desktop
Stops all programs running on an individual student’s or all student computers.
Files
Send Files to students or collect files from students. The default location for files to be sent to and collected from is C:\LANSchool Files – You can have student set up a temporary folder in a different location on the computer, but NOTE that the folder will be removed when the computer is restarted due to Deep Freeze. Also, any files that are stored in the LANSchool folder will be deleted when the computer is restarted. If you need files to remain accessible, save them to the M-drive.
Shutdown
Shutdown, restart, log off individual students, or log off all student computers.
LANSchool Support Resources