Why cloud-based classroom management software is a big win for educators

Implementing new classroom management software comes with a host of competing considerations. IT administrators often find themselves balancing school or district goals with budgets as well as time, implementation, and support constraints. Teachers and curriculum directors, on the other hand, are primarily concerned with ensuring new technology solutions are easy to adopt and support student success. Principals and superintendents are tasked with balancing all of these concerns at once. 

The transition to and benefits of cloud-based classroom management software 

The good news is cloud-hosted classroom management solutions like LanSchool Air provide the benefits schools need while reducing both cost and time spent on implementation, adoption, and support. Additionally, market data from Futuresource Consulting concludes that many educational institutions are moving to the cloud – in fact, there are now officially a greater number of districts using cloud-based (51%) vs locally hosted (49%) options. At LanSchool, we’ve worked with many schools and districts that have made the switch from locally hosted to cloud-based software, and they have shared their favorite benefits with us, including: 

Support for distance learning 

In 2020, distance learning quickly evolved from a “futuristic” concept to a sudden reality. Cloud-based classroom management software plays a key role in enabling distance learning because it can be accessed both at school and at home with equal ease.  

With a cloud-based solution like LanSchool Air, educators can guide and stay connected with their students as they work online using features like thumbnail screen monitoring, raise hand, show screen, web limiting, push website, and more. It ensures students are given the freedom they need to explore and grow online, but also proper oversight and guidance to have truly meaningful learning experiences. 

Easy scalability and flexibility  

“Try before you buy” is a good rule of thumb when it comes to software, and with a cloud-based solution like LanSchool Air, running pilots becomes significantly easier and more affordable.  

With no hardware-related expenses, IT admins can set up a trial run in minutes for a small group or even an individual classroom. If the pilot goes well, it only takes a few clicks to scale up and deliver that software to an entire school or district. LanSchool Air offers a 30-day free trial to help IT admins and teachers alike feel confident about the value of the software before committing to a longer-term purchase. 

Additionally, IT admins we’ve worked with report that cloud-based classroom management software helps them establish predictable costs, unlike locally-hosted options, which can require unexpected hardware maintenance and expensive upgrades. For most IT admins, paying a monthly or annual fee is preferable to dealing with server-related surprises. 

If you’re using a locally-hosted classroom management solution and aren’t yet ready to fully transition to the cloud, LanSchool can help. We provide both cloud-based and locally-hosted solutions — or schools can use a combination of the two. To make things easy, LanSchool offers both options at a single price, facilitating a seamless migration to the cloud.  

Reduced deployment time and improved feature adoption 

Cloud-based classroom management offerings may vary, but most can be implemented in a matter of minutes. For example, LanSchool Air deployment only takes about 15 minutes. Then, teachers can simply link to Google Classroom or Clever to identify student devices and import class data.  

But even more exciting than quick and easy deployment is the software upgrades IT admins no longer have to manage. Cloud-based solutions push new features and functionalities to an entire user base on a rolling basis without disruption to service. LanSchool Air makes small, incremental updates, so end user acceptance and adoption of the full feature set is high, and formal training time is significantly reduced.  

More importantly, IT staff don’t have to personally install updated software on every student device when an update rolls out — the software will update automatically across all student devices. With the move toward 1:1 devices and distance learning, this is a huge time saver. 

Saved time and resources on maintenance and support  

With a cloud-based classroom management solution like LanSchool Air, schools are not hosting the software themselves, which means they are not responsible for patching it, securing it, or making sure it runs quickly. Instead, LanSchool is responsible for actively ensuring its solution functions properly. And if any technical issues do arise, IT admins can reach out to our team for support and training.  

Try LanSchool Air for free 

When it comes time to evaluate school software, there are many reasons to trial cloud-based software like LanSchool Air. Experience powerful, cloud-based classroom management software that’s constantly evolving with changing needs and priorities, and makes it easy to scale. Digital transformation and cloud adoption can be a complex process. To better support schools, LanSchool now offers one streamlined price across both its locally hosted and cloud-based solutions. Wherever you are in your journey to cloud adoption – LanSchool can help. 

Ready to try it for yourself? Start a free trial here.