Lincoln High School, Florida
On task, online
Internet access for students has become a fact of life in today’s schools, and with it comes the need to manage that access. Schools that use the Internet in classrooms and media centers have a covenant with parents – to ensure that access is used safely, wisely and for educational purposes. At Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Netop Vision classroom management software has made Internet control seamless and non-intrusive.
Tom Vogelgesang, Lincoln’s technology coordinator, said that more than 75 percent of the school’s 1,900 students have Internet access at home, which means they’re well acquainted with all of the non-educational distractions the web offers. It’s imperative for the school to have controls in place to keep students focused on assignments and off non-instructional websites. Vision allows the teachers and media specialist to monitor computer use without resorting to policing tactics.
“With Vision, we know what the students are doing on the computers, and we’re also able to direct their attention to what they need to pay attention to,” Vogelgesang said. “It’s one more tool in the toolbox to teach students that they need to stay on task.”
Invisible management of Internet access
Vision classroom management software is particularly helpful in Lincoln High School’s media center, where media specialist Donna Shrum oversees student use of 35 computers.
With the implementation of Vision classroom management software over the past four years, student behavior transformed.
“The first year or two that I had Vision I had more than 90 offenders,” Shrum said. “This year I have nine for the whole school year. The students are very comfortable with it. They understand that we’re not an Internet café.”
Shrum keeps a log of students who have improperly used the media center’s computers, taking screen shots for documentation in case discipline is required. “It took a while for the kids to understand that I could really see what they were doing,” Shrum said. “Now, after four years I have very little problem with students doing anything outside of instructional purpose.”
“It’s a deterrent for the students,” Vogelgesang said. “Just the idea that they’re being watched tends to solve most of the problems. With Vision, I would say 90-95 percent of our problems with Internet misuse have gone away.”
Shrum likened Internet access to going on a field trip. “We’re here to fill an educational use,” Shrum said. “I have an obligation to the students’ parents and the school system to make sure the resources are being used appropriately.”
Benefits for teachers, students, parents
Using Vision to manage student computer use has improved the interaction between teacher and student at Lincoln High. Vision gives teachers control over student Internet access, enabling them to guide and supervise student computer activity, help students be safer and more productive on the web, and keep promises made to parents about the Internet access their children will have at school.
“It’s an obligation of ours to use as much prudence as we can to keep the kids on task,” Vogelgesang said. “We have gained the confidence of the parents because we don’t have problems. They say you can’t be everywhere at once, but with Vision, teachers can.”
“Vision allows me to focus on the positive interactions I want to have with students,” Shrum said. “It’s behind the scenes, and takes the policing element away from my personal interactions with the kids. If I didn’t have Vision and had to hover over their shoulders, it would be this constant negative environment.”
Efficient and easy to use
Vision classroom management software also proved a sound choice for more basic reasons. Lincoln High School has more than 600 computers running on three networks connected by VLANs. Vision is used in four labs and the media center on 120 computers.
“The price per machine was very reasonable, and it was easy to use,” Vogelgesang said. “We’d had experience with a similar product that slowed down the whole network whenever I turned on the console. Vision doesn’t affect our network at all.”
Vogelgesang said the incorporation of Vision was close to effortless. “It was so simple to implement, it only took about five minutes to train the teachers. Once it’s up and running I never have to deal with it. If I took it away my teachers would come after me.”
