Parents’ guide to LanSchool

As digital learning continues to play a bigger role in education, we know parents like you have questions about how schools are keeping your kids safe and engaged while learning online. 

LanSchool is a classroom management software built to help teachers guide learning, communicate with students, and facilitate collaboration among students using devices – both in the classroom and when learning remotely. It also includes features that help schools limit the websites kids can visit so teachers can notify you of red flag behaviors and intervene when needed. 

If your student’s school is using LanSchool, they are employing guard rails to help keep students safely and actively learning online. In this post, we’ve answered the most frequently asked questions we receive from parents, starting with the most basic — what is it?  

What is LanSchool? 

For over 30 years, LanSchool’s classroom management software has supported educators as they use devices to teach their students. Owned by Lenovo, LanSchool empowers teachers to guide digital learning by monitoring students’ screens, managing which sites students visit, and pushing websites to student devices to get everyone on the same page. As digital devices have taken on a larger role in teaching, LanSchool has evolved to also offer screen broadcasting, teacher/student messaging, and other communication and collaboration features that are helpful for online learning.  

What is the difference between LanSchool Air and LanSchool Classic? 

There are two versions of LanSchool: cloud-based LanSchool Air and locally hosted LanSchool Classic.  

There are many reasons schools choose to use cloud-based LanSchool Air, including the ease of getting started and automatic feature updates. Additionally, LanSchool Air can be used anywhere internet service is available, which makes it ideal for distance and hybrid learning. 

In contrast, LanSchool Classic must be run from private, on-campus servers and can only be accessed and used on school grounds. Some schools choose to use locally hosted software if they have the resources to do so because it gives their IT team more control over how the software is hosted.  

What does LanSchool do? 

LanSchool provides features for monitoring and protection, communication and screen sharing, and device management – enabling teachers to collaborate and stay connected with their students.  

Popular features include:  

• Web Limiting: Enables teachers and IT teams to set filtering rules to prevent students from accessing inappropriate or distracting content.  
• Screen Monitoring: Gives teachers a thumbnail or full screen view of students’ screens as they work, enabling them to see who needs refocusing or more direction.  
• Share Screen: Allows teachers to broadcast their screens to students’ devices for demonstrating new concepts or walking through a new site or software.  
• Messaging: Enables teachers to message directly with students or the entire class.  
• Push Website: Helps students get on the same page by enabling teachers to push a website to everyone’s computers.  
• Snapshot: Allows teachers to capture an image of students’ screens to easily highlight student work.   

When used in conjunction with Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, LanSchool Air can also be used for synchronous distance learning.  

Is my student’s data secure? 

Yes, LanSchool takes student privacy very seriously. Many schools choose to set clearly defined school hours during which teachers and students may use the software to ensure educators do not use the screen monitoring features or other collaboration tools outside of class time. The team at LanSchool does not view or otherwise use any student information.   

How does LanSchool maintain parent/home privacy? 

If LanSchool Air is in use, teachers will only be able to monitor students’ onscreen activity during an active class session. If your student is using LanSchool Classic, the software will not be functional when the device is taken home. Neither LanSchool Air nor LanSchool Classic have the ability to access a device’s camera or microphone at any time. 

What happens to blocked websites at the end of the school day? 

With LanSchool, teachers can limit which websites students are able to access during class. Teachers can enable or disable these restrictions at any time, but only during an active class session. After class has ended, the restrictions are automatically lifted.  

What about bring-your-own device situations? If students are not supplied with a school device, how might LanSchool be installed on their personal machine?  

If your school asks you to install LanSchool on your student’s personal device, they will have procedures in place to ensure appropriate usage, such as requiring students to approve screen monitoring and defining in-school hours.  

If your student is using a Chromebook, LanSchool will only be available when logging into the device with a school-managed email address.  

For other device types, your school will provide you with instructions on how to install the software with the correct configuration needed to connect to your student’s teachers.  

LanSchool empowers teachers to inspire better student outcomes  

We’re honored to play a role in supporting your students’ education, and we are committed to protecting student privacy and enabling the development of 21^st century skills and good digital citizenship for every student. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your school district for additional guidance and information on their use policies.