NetOp School lets teachers develop interactive classroom environments, keep students on task on the computer

New computer lab software at the Van Dyke Public school system in Michigan is making class instruction more interesting and interactive than ever.

NetOp School is software that enables instructors to both monitor class activity and teach at the same time, creating effective and efficient classroom instruction.

“I use NetOp School for so many different things,” said Kathy Zainea, teacher at Lincoln Middle School in the Van Dyke school system. “Everything from displaying the class agenda and monitoring student activity to chatting with students to helping them better understand certain concepts or doing a demonstration using my own system. I even distribute my tests using the software.”

NetOp School, developed by Danish IT company, Danware A/S, is sold in the United States by the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Chicago-based NetOp Tech Inc., and channel partners.

The software works by showing student computer activity in a thumbnail display on the instructor’s screen, giving the teacher a quick overview of who is paying attention in class and who is not. The instructor can then send messages to remind students to stay on task, block certain programs, shut down the Internet or freeze the computer altogether.

Zainea uses the software’s more advanced features to better interact with students. Using the chat function, students can ask questions both in a public portal, enabling the entire class to view an answer to a common problem, or in a private message to the instructor.

Zainea also distributes tests and grades to the class using the software. With just a single click, tests are simultaneously sent to all students and when done, the test results are immediately available to Zainea.

“I can even set up the class into groups and distribute tests or assignments that way,” said Zainea. “If a group or individual is lagging behind, I can use the chat function or take over their computer to get them up to speed without the stigma of constantly walking up to their station.”

The latest version of the software has added features such as a recording function and “offline” capabilities. The “offline” mode of NetOp School enables teachers to take the software home to prepare class materials and lesson plans. Recording student activity gives instructors an added flexibility when confronting students about their class activity, reminding them of computer lab policies and deterring them from improper computer use in the future.

NetOp School has been in use at the Van Dyke school system for two years. Zainea estimates that about 125 students at Lincoln Middle School use the software each day. The Van Dyke school system is located in the city of Warren,  and consists of nine schools with more than 4,000 students.

NetOp School was installed at the Van Dyke School system by SBS Security, a NetOp partner that provides sales, support and troubleshooting solutions on NetOp products.

More at www.danware.com.