Meru and LanSchool Partner to Provide WiFi-based LMS
Meru Networks, a provider of virtualized 802.11n enterprise wireless networking, and LanSchool, a provider of classroom management and monitoring software, are collaborating to deliver a new WiFi-based LMS suitable for classroom, school, campus, or districtwide deployments.
The new, unified solution enables teachers and students to use virtually any Wi-Fi enabled mobile device, from laptops, to tablets, to smartphones, including Apple iOS and Android devices, to access the system, while ensuring that teachers can monitor and control their students' online activity to prevent off-task Web surfing, gaming, instant messaging, and social networking. It also enables teachers and students to connect and collaborate with each other digitally using screen-sharing, chat, and mobility solutions from both Meru and LanSchool.
The partnership between Meru and LanSchool combines two products into a single solution that "helps schools deliver wireless access to students on any device, without losing the ability to monitor, manage, and collaborate," said Ben Cahoon, President of Stoneware, the company that owns LanSchool, in a prepared statement.
According to a press release from Meru Networks, the new solutions should also "simplify mobile device connectivity and Wi-Fi network operations" because Meru Networks uses a single-channel, virtual cell-based network architecture that "eliminates the deficiencies of multichannel, client-controlled architectures." Meru Networks claims that this approach to wireless networking provides more predictable and reliable connectivity that is optimized for delivering multimedia content, regardless of device.
To use the system, teachers require a LanSchool Teacher Console, which enables them to interact with the students through the Student Agents. LanSchool claims that their solution requires "between 5 and 20 percent of the bandwidth used by other solutions."
Further information is available at the Meru Networks and LanSchool sites.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].