Misplaced Pages

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "LanSchool" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The topic of this article may not meet Misplaced Pages's notability guidelines for products and services. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. Find sources: "LanSchool" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article contains promotional content. Please help improve it by removing promotional language and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from a neutral point of view. (November 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

LanSchool is a classroom management software owned by Lenovo focused on school environments. The company is based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. It was founded as LanFan Technologies in February 1986. Two versions of the software are available: LanSchool Classic, the locally hosted version, and LanSchool Air, the cloud-based version. Both versions enable teachers to monitor students’ screens while in class, limit the websites students may visit, as well as “push” websites and messages to classroom devices.

Technology

LanSchool's software uses a proprietary remote desktop protocol that communicates over a local area network. An application is installed on the teacher's computer, which communicates peer-to-peer with a software agent running on pupils' computers.

History

Originally named LanFan Technologies, the company was founded in February 1986 by Dana Doggett. Doggett began exploring the concept of a software application that would allow an instructor to control multiple computers.

Doggett developed a software tool called PC Chalkboard that was then implemented by Novell. PC Chalkboard allowed Novell lab instructors to broadcast their screens to each PC in the lab. LanSchool was licensed by both Intel and IBM and actively marketed through each company's education sales channel. In April 2001, Doggett left Intel and formed another company, LanSchool Technologies, LLC, where he could work on LanSchool full-time.

Acquisitions

LanSchool was acquired by Stoneware in 2011. In September 2012, Lenovo announced the acquisition of Stoneware which was completed on December 26, 2012.

Security

There have been cases of students being able to exploit the LanSchool software to bypass restrictions, and in some cases take control of other students' computers. A 2006 post on CompSci.ca details the packet structure of older versions of the software, and claims there was no encryption or similar precautions. This issue was confirmed to have been caught and fixed in the following year.

Features

The program has multiple features, including thumbnail view, whitelisting and blacklisting websites, keystroke monitoring and screen broadcasting. The program also allows the teacher to access the camera, microphone, and internet history.

See also

• Employee monitoring software
• Computer surveillance
• Computer Lab

References

1. "Home | LanSchool & LanSchool Air Classroom Management & Guidance Software". lanschool.com. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
2. "Press Releases - LanSchool". LanSchool Press. 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
3. "Lenovo To Acquire U.S. Cloud Company". UBM Channel. 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
4. Reyes, Janine (February 13, 2018). "9 Investigates: Students exploiting classroom monitoring software". Cox Media Group. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
5. "LanSchooled - LanSchool Hack for v7.0". CompSci.ca. 2006-02-23. Retrieved 2019-09-12.

• Educational software
• Remote administration software
• Surveillance