In schools today, effective classroom management strategies and tools must go beyond addressing students’ physical behaviors and include their interactions with technology. When each student is on their own device, it is more important than ever that teachers can ensure students remain engaged and on task.
Even the definition of school has evolved since the pandemic giving new meaning to being “on task.” A student looking at a handheld device might appear to be texting friends when in fact they are completely engaged and working on assigned tasks. On the other hand, a student using a school-provided chromebook might be sending emails to a friend or completely disengaged from the assigned activity. That teachers need control, oversight and insight to what students are doing is perhaps more important now than ever.
NetSupport School, which won the 2021 Edvocate Award from the Best Classroom/Behavior Management App or Tool, addresses that challenge for the multiple platforms and devices schools use. NetSupport, which has been around for more than 30 years, helps educators monitor student technology use, from viewing their screens and the applications students are using and the websites they are visiting.
“We are pleased to be recognized by the Edvocate for Best Classroom Management Tool,” said NetSupport CEO Al Kingsley. “NetSupport School gives teachers control of the learning environment in the classroom, and at a time like we have now, giving teachers the ability to keep students on task and safe is perhaps more critical than ever. We are glad for the opportunity to support teachers and partner with schools.”
With NetSupport School, teachers can not only manage student behavior without disrupting valuable instructional time but they can also leverage student devices to enhance instruction and guide learning. An educator can launch a learning tool or open a website for every student in the class at the same time or bring individual students back on task when they have wandered away from the lesson whether they’re in the classroom or at home or somewhere in between.
The coronavirus pandemic has had an indelible impact on traditional education models. While face-to-face instruction remains an important part of K-12 education, other configurations, including remote and hybrid learning environments, are here to stay. As a result, educators must be even more intentional about how students interact with devices and software and web-based resources. Part of this intentionality requires investing in classroom management tools that allow technology to be part of the learning plan, not a distraction.
At the end of the day, successful classroom management is about boundaries, and technology use is no exception. Boundaries play an important role in giving students the freedom to learn and practice new skills and concepts. Classroom management platforms play an integral role in creating those boundaries so that students can understand when and how to use technology in their learning environments to ultimately enhance their education experience, not be a distraction.
“Students thrive and gain confidence when there are boundaries in place to keep them safe and focused,” Kingsley added. “We have two solutions to achieve this including NetSupport School for in-class instruction and classroom.cloud, which is our web-based classroom management platform. These tools help to keep students engaged, and then teachers spend less time addressing behavioral disruptions and more time focused on helping students learn.”
