Classroom Tools
LanSchool Offers Free iPad App for Classroom Management
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 04/06/10
LanSchool Technologies has developed a free iPad application that allows teachers to manage computer activities in the classroom from Apple's new device. The company has also released a new software development kit (SDK) and certification logo called EdApp Certified for iPad/iPod/iPhone app developers.
The Teacher's Assistant allows teachers to blank screens, limit applications, limit Internet access, and send a message to students. It also includes a built-in classroom response system called Voting. The Teacher's Assistant app pairs with an existing LanSchool teacher console. It works with both LanSchool Lite, which is free to K-12 and post-secondary educators, and the paid version of LanSchool version 7.4. The app can pair with either Mac OS X or Windows LanSchool teacher consoles.
"The Teacher's Assistant is just the beginning for our support of the iPad, iPod, and iPhone devices." said President Dana Doggett. "Very soon we'll release the Teacher's Assistant on the iPod touch and iPhone, and a student app for all of the devices. We are committed to helping schools adopt these platforms by allowing teachers to monitor, manage, and increase collaboration with students."
Although the LanSchool Teacher's Assistant is available as a free app from the iTunes App Store, in order to manage students, a valid LanSchool version 7.4 license is required. The Teacher's Assistant will work with LanSchool Lite, which is free to K-12 and post-secondary educators.
The free LanSchool EdApp Student SDK allows developers to embed classroom management features into their apps. The EdApp certification program identifies apps that allow users to perform the following functions:
- Discover and monitor student devices;
- View the current EdApp and last visited URL;
- Monitor student progress through an app or see a final score;
- See students' requests for help; and
- Monitor battery status of devices.
With the paid version of LanSchool teachers can also assess student understanding with a built-in classroom response system and send students messages.
LanSchool will publish a list of EdApp Certified apps on its Web site and allow app developers to use the EdApp certified logo in the marketing materials.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.