LanSchool

     Do you have more than one computer in use during school?  Are they all in the same room? Do you ever wonder what your kids are up to when they are “supposed” to be working on their school assignments?

    

Technical Aspects

LanSchool is downloadable software that helps parents:

● Monitor real-time thumbnails of their home computers
● Limit distractions such as the Internet, games and
instant messaging
● Track Internet history
● Log every keystroke typed on a computer
● Limit computers access by locking out the computer
● Provide help through remote control
● Chat with family members

There are any many more features of LanSchool v7.5. Click here to download an informational sheet.

Our Opinion

     In all honesty, when I received the announcement that I would review this product I was not all that excited by it.  My thought was, “More trouble than it is worth, another thing to keep track of.”  Was I wrong. I really like using LanSchool. In my homeschool.  I use LanSchool for monitoring and for teaching.

     As far as monitoring goes, I am able to easily see what my children are doing while they are on another computer.  I simply click on the LanSchool icon and can see exactly what my child is looking at or doing.  I can go through and see what they have done in the past, even track every keystroke.  While I like to think that my children are always obedient and are never messing around when they should be working, I know that is a naive thought.  With LanSchool it keeps them accountable for their actions, and I can monitor them easily.  They may not know when I am looking at their screen, but we have talked about what the software does and how it works, so they know it is possible at all times.  When we first started using it, I found that while I thought they were working, they would occasionally take a break and play an online game.  Using LanSchool software I was able to limit the sites they went to, while still allowing them internet access for other school purposes.  Another feature I like is the ability to “blank” out their screen with a message.  I have used this at times if I see something they should not be doing,as well as just for fun to tell them “God loves you, and so do I”. This software also enables them to quickly type me a question, if they know that I am on my computer, and I can answer without interrupting anyone else.

This is a picture of LanSchool  in the “Show Student” mode as seen from the teacher computer.

     For my younger kids that do not have the same access to the internet that the older ones have, I  used LanSchool to help teach them  to use the internet.  In the past, I would pull up the website for them, get it all set up, and then they would play the game.  With LanSchool, I can “co-browse” with them. This means that I can watch every move they make and jump in and help when necessary.  I am able to see what they are typing or about to click on. This has done wonders to teach them how to use the internet, without me being frustrated standing over the top and then taking over for them. 

     For other school purposes, it is really nice to be able to see the same thing on two screens instead of crowding around one.  I can pull up a website and we can look at it together. I choose whether I want to let them have access to the mouse (co-browse) or to keep control myself.  The only thing that LanSchool cannot do, at least on our computers, is to watch a video together.  When we tried this we found that the student computer lagged behind the teacher and made it difficult. 

     LanSchool is award winning software that has been in use in schools for many years.  With the home version, you can have the same benefits to monitor up to three computers.  The product is a perpetual license and costs $99 dollars, including 3 years of updates and support. LanSchool Home v7.5 supports any combination of computers running Windows 98, Windows
2000, Windows XP-32, Windows Vista-32/64, Windows 7-32/64, Mac OS 10.4 and higher. LanSchool offers over 20 video tutorials on their website as well as technical support through e-mail or phone. Technical support is free to their customers.

     As I said at the beginning, I was leery of this software. But, I have found it to be a wonderful edition to our school.  I will continue to utilize the software.  To investigate this program for yourself visit the LanSchool website for more information.

Check out what my crewmates are saying about LanSchool here.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a download of LanSchool for free in exchange for my honest review of their product.