In this blog I will be covering the topic related to control
software. Control software is software that allows a user to monitor another
user’s computer without having to be physically there. Like most software’s
there are advantages and disadvantages about the software. In this blog I will
be explaining them in detail which will then later allow me to weigh up the
control software’s and answer the question are they worth the money?
The first advantage of control software is that teachers are
able to have an idea of what websites students are on. This will allow them to
monitor the performance of the students to make sure that they are doing their
work. Another advantage of control software is that it is a easy way to send
websites to all students at once. This is good as the teacher and students won’t
have to go through the hassle of sending an email to all the students in the
class. They are able to monitor the student’s computer allowing them to make
sure that all students are on task. Lastly teachers are able to block sites
that the students are not supposed to be using. This means that when a student
is on inappropriate sites the teachers are able to warn them before blocking
that students.
However like most software’s there are also disadvantages attached.
The first disadvantage of control software is that there’s no privacy for the
students. This means that the teachers are invading the students space as and
they don’t have the rights to. Another disadvantage is that the students can’t
take control of the computer when the teacher has control. This means that if
the students are doing work this will be a distraction to the student. Also students
lose the power to the computer meaning that they have no power over the
computer which will make them feel powerless. The effect of this is that the
students will be distracted from their work as they have no power over the
computer. When using control software it can be very slow for both the teacher
and the student. This means that the student will not be able to work properly
as the computer response time is very slow. Another disadvantage is that private
information is able to get leaked to other users. This means that private files
of the user may be seen making the files not confidential anymore. Lastly you
have to have electricity for the program to work. This means that if the school
has a power cut then the program will no longer work.
“We started in education, we understand education and we
recognise the unique requirements of the education sector. Though recent years
have seen the public and corporate sectors muscling in on the benefits of
Impero, we know that one product certainly won’t fit all. With this in mind
we’ve created Impero Education, focused solely on the changing demands of the
modern IT-based learning environment”. This quote was taken fron the official
impero website where it states why they created impero which is to benefit the
education systems. This is why they have developed this network control
software so that they are able to monitor everyone’s performance and activities
on the network.
“For the last 22 years NetSupport has been at the forefront
of developing innovative solutions to aid in the management of desktop
computers and their users”. Like impero this software allows you to teach
instruct and monitor your class. This is very good as you can do three things
at once without having to move from your seat.
“When you talk classroom management software, you're talking
Vision. Teachers across the globe rely on it, and why? Because Vision offers
tools for teaching that are easy to use, even for a first-time user. Classroom
management has been proven to improve student achievement and it makes
integrating technology in the classroom more intuitive - with a clean, simple
toolbar that puts a rich variety of powerful tools in your hands”.
Comparing
In my opinion all of the above three control software is all
alike as they are able to do the same thing. This means that when comparing
them you would have to look into detail such as the price and what other
features do the software’s have. It also depends on what you are looking for as
they offer different prices per the number of students which will impact on the
class. This means that you would buy as much as you need so that you are able
to monitor all the students in the class and not just five. Impero is control
software that allows you to monitor the performance of the students as you are
able to watch the student’s screens. They also have a feature that allows you
to be able to send links to the students that will show up on their screens so
that they are able to click on the link. Like Impero Netop and NetSupport also
has the same features as they are control software. However I think that Impero
is the best software to use. This is because not only do they do what the
others do they also save money as it is cheap and you are able to request a 30
day free trail. It saves time as it Allows Network Managers to respond to
issues and fix problems remotely saves valuable hours each day. Reduce CO2
because Impero Education Pro cuts down on unnecessary print, by assigning print
credit on an individual basis. Although NetSupport and Netop is able to do
almost the same features as impero they have more features that’s why I think
that impero is the best control software.
Although the products are very expensive costing you £1000
for the software in modern confederation this is not actually a lot of money.
Compare this to a computer it will cost you £1000 for a good computer and £1000
for control software unlimited. This means that you will be able to do many
things that will allow you to teach quicker such as no emails as you can just
send a broadcast which will show up on everyone’s screen. Due to the advantages
of this product I believe that the software is worth the money.
Itlab
Itlab is an IT support company and they offer many different
services to help companies in their IT departments. The first service they
offer is account management which is a very important aspect for companies.
Your dedicated AM team is personally responsible for the efficient delivery of
your IT support service. Our unique approach gives you a strategic and service
orientated team that intimately understand your technical and business needs.
The disadvantage to this is that it will cost a lot of money for the company.
Another focus of their services is the engineering team which is
also an important aspect for a company. “We know our support service is only as good as our support staff. Smart,
highly motivated and service obsessed, our highly experienced support engineers
are also backed by a team of specialist gurus, whose in-depth technical
knowledge and extensive industry experience allows them to resolve the most
complex issues”. This is a statement taken from the website which shows how
they provide this service. The disadvantages to this are that it will firstly cost
a lot of money and also it could be time costly for the company.
Also they offer helpdesk support
for companies. “Central to all our support services is our true, live 24/7
helpdesk service. No recorded messages or endless loops of nauseating canned
music, just responsive, friendly human assistance on hand, whenever you need
it”. This shows that they are able to help you with more than one department
which will benefit your company as a whole.
Conclusion
I think that control
software is good and bad software as I agree on some points and disagree with
others. The points that I agree with is that you are able to monitor the
computer of the students, you can send emails or links to the students that
will flash up on the students computers allowing them to click on the link.
However I think that control software should not be able to control the
computer as there is not really a point when a teacher is able to just tell the
students to come of the site. This means that by having this feature all it
does it just distract the student from their work.
References
http://www.imperosoftware.com/products/education-pro-classroom-management-software/computer-lab-management/
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