LANSchool Notes
Tips on Using
Copy and paste these handy commands into the Administer / Run Program menu command of LANSchool's Teacher Console to get the results listed below. [Note: drag from LEFT to RIGHT to highlight each line of code. For some reason, dragging right to left often results in an improper copy, at least on Windows. Try it for yourself.]
Computer Labs/Carts. Highlight Appropriate Command to Run below, then copy to your clipboard using control-C (command-C for Macs). In LANSchool, choose Administer, then Run Program on Student Machine... Click into the textbox below "Select Browse...". Key control-V (command-V for Macs) to paste the command from your clipboard. Then click "OK".
Important: 1) Be sure to copy and paste the quotation marks as part of the command, if they are present. Both Windows and OS-X require these to execute the command correctly. 2) For best results on Windows, highlight the command below from left to right before copying and pasting. No kidding--not sure why? Maybe related to Windows support for middle-eastern languages written right-to-left, but that's speculation.
| Desired Effe ct on Student Machines |
Windows If command is in red, copy & paste. DO include quotation marks, if any. |
Mac If command is in red, copy & paste. DO include quotation marks, if any. |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Chrome to Hamilton Home Page | "C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe" --app=http://lbhamilton.schoolloop.com/ | /Applications/Google Chrome.app |
| Maximize Open Chrome Browser Window |
With browser already open: 1) Enter remote control. 2) Key alt + spacebar. 3) Key the letter "x" twice. 4) Exit remote control. |
/LANSchool Files/maxchrome.app |
| Close Chrome | "taskkill /f /t /im chrome.exe" | if application "Google Chrome" is running then tell application "Google Chrome" to quit |
| Launch Firefox | "c:\Program Files ( x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" | /Applications/Firefox.app |
| Close Firefox | "taskkill /f /t /im firefox.exe" | if application "Firefox" is running then tell application "Firefox" to quit |
| Open Firefox to CORE Survey | "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -url "https://surveys.panoramaed.com/longbeach/login" | /LANSchool Files/takesurvey.app |
| Delete student files from desktop. | "c:\LanSchool Files\Send\cleanup.bat" | |
| Open Chrome to Student Portal |
"C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe" --app=https://studentlbusd.lbschools.net/LoginPolicy.jsp |
|
| Open Firefox to Student Portal | "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -url "https://studentlbusd.lbschools.net/LoginPolicy.jsp" | |
| SBAC Testing | "C:\Program Files (x86)\CASecureBrowser\CASecureBrowser.exe" | /Applications/-LBUSD CASB.app |
Capabilities, Weaknesses, More Info
The LANSchool lab management software, developed by Stone-Ware software and now owned by Lenovo, is intended to help teachers monitor and manage student computer use in large labs. LBUSD licensed LANSchool for all our schools in 2015. An introductory video worth watching, called "Take The Tour", is posted on the Stone-Ware website.
LANSchool requires that software to be preinstalled in each managed lab. The system involves two programs ("modules") that interact over the network--the "teacher module" and the "student module".
LANSchool engineers wanted to make LANSchool compatible, to the extent possible, with every operating system and hardware configuration that a school district might possess, as well as to give teachers a large and useful set of commands. They were largely successful in making LANSchool run on multiple platforms, but had variable success implementing individual features. As a result, LANSchool does a few things very well and reliably. Support for other features, however, is problematic or lacking (see "Strengths" and "Weakneses" below).
The "teacher module" is installed on only just one computer in each lab, namely the teacher's workstation. [On the carts, the teacher's module is pre-installed on a laptop marked "Teacher".] In all labs the program icon for the teacher's module looks like a string of pearls. The teacher's module starts up automatically on the teachers' workstations when they are booted.
Important Note On The Teacher's Module: Occasionally, after being used for several periods, the teacher module will freeze, and you may have to manually exit and re-start it . Fortunately, LANSchool was designed so that the teacher's workstation can itself be shut down and restarted without freezing or otherwise affecting the student workstations.
The "student module" is installed on every student workstation in each lab, but has been made inconspicuous so that students are not encouraged to tamper with it. It too starts automatically when the student boots up. It gives you, the teacher, control of and visual access both to individual student workstations and to the class as a whole.
Strengths
The best things LANSchool does are simple. Every teacher should learn how to:
- Blank student screens and lock student keyboards/mice.
- Mute sound on all student systems.
- Log in and/or shut down all student workstations at the same time.
- Manually stop and re-start the Teacher's Module, and/or reboot the teacher computer while the lab is in operation, if necessary.
More advanced features require teacher training, individual experimentation, and gradual familiarization with the system before they can be leveraged with confidence, for example:
- Share the teacher’s screen or a student's screen with the class.
- Allow access only to specific websites while blocking others.
- Allow use only of specific programs on the students’ machines.
Weaknesses
Teachers need students to be able to see and hear instruction and (of course) to be alert and pay attention. In the same way LANSchool needs workstations unburdened with system-hogging tasks and with unimpeded access to its signals.
- Student Workstations cannot be started up automatically in the Mac labs (but they can in room 116, our PC lab). The reasons are unclear, but so far we've found no workaround. Fortunately, LANSchool does fine at shutting everything down.
- LANSchool, and indeed most other software, cannot be used effectively when Windows updates are occurring. This is primarily a problem in 116, and we have worked to defeat automatic updates on system restart as well as to schedule regular updates at times when students are not in the lab.
Resources
Kim Anderson, Amy Becker, and Melinda Clare of our District have assembled this LANSchool QuickStart Guide, which you may like to consult as you are getting started. Full user's manuals for all versions of LANSchool are available as PDF downloads.
