Chromebook use in classrooms has over time, gained
popularity in many schools across the world. They are cheaper than other
mapping software, user-friendly, and compatible with other Google education
applications. But with recent technological improvements, teachers must ensure
their learners are properly handling them. That is where monitoring software
for Chromebooks comes in handy. But let’s first understand what exactly this
software is and why it may be important to educators. Let’s explore.
Understanding CMS
Chromebook monitoring software is a kind of platform used in educational centers to
control what students do on their Chromebooks during class. The feature offered
by this software allows teachers to monitor students’ screens, control access
to the Internet, and even send messages to students while they are working.
This program can be helpful for the students by providing
them with an environment that keeps them focused on the learning process and
free from distractions. For example, consider a teacher cup needs to lead a
class through a lesson that is on Mathematics. With the help of CMS, the
teacher knows whether some of the students are not paying attention to the
lesson and are opening Facebook or maybe are playing some game and can
immediately turn their attention to the lesson.
Why is CMS Important?
As you are in the digital era, students have access to most
of the materials they will need in their learning pursuits online. Although it
may be helpful for research it does have certain drawbacks with it. This is
because the students might come across prohibited content on the Internet, or
Chamberlain gets distracted by non-academic internet sites, or in the extreme,
end up being involved in cyberbullying. Chromebook monitoring tools come in
handy with some of these risks because they enable teachers to regulate and
check the usage of the Internet.
This software is also useful for the development of students
and for teaching digital citizenship. Therefore, when students are taught how
to use technology appropriately, the instructors ensure they have created good
habits that they will have to follow throughout their lives. For instance, the
teacher can restrict online access to other materials that are not relevant to
learning by only allowing students to browse through education-related sites
only.
Features of CMS
The monitoring software for Chromebook gives users features
created with classroom management and learning experience in mind. Other features
include screen monitoring, which enables the teacher to monitor the screen of
each learner and ensure that the learner is on the right page.
If there is any
loitering, they correct him/ her on the right page. Website blocking is another
form of intervention that assists in preventing or limiting access to
non-educational or improper websites so that the learners do not divert their
attention to other unnecessary matters but finish their tasks. On the same
note, the software also gives activity reports of the site used, the amount of
time spent by the students on various activities, as well as whether they were
able to accomplish their assignments;
This is very useful in studying students’ learning behavior.
Further, a messaging feature that allows the teacher to send messages to the
students, either directly or as a group, to pass on any information without
having to talk to the entire group is inclusive.
How Can Educators Implement CMS?
Using CMS in the classroom process is not very challenging.
Over 90% of the schools already possess a network of Chromebooks and the
infrastructure to support it. The first procedure is to identify monitoring
software that will be most appropriate for the school. The products are
numerous, and all of them have peculiarities as well as prices for using the
services. Teachers should, however, ensure they research the specialized type
they want to adopt in the classroom. After the selection of the software, it
can be later loaded onto all students’ devices.
Some teachers may need some orientation to realize how
useful this software is. Most of this training tends to deal with how to
supervise the students and how to employ various features in restricting the
activity of the students as well as learning all or most of the features that
the software has to offer. Schools may also want to engage the parents in the
process as part of the intervention, probably to notify them of the software
and how it enhances safe learning.
Balancing Monitoring with Trust
As with so many tools, CMS plays an effective part when used
in civilized collaboration with trust. It is important students should have a
notion that someone is not trailing behind them and the software is there to
assist them. Nonetheless, this trust can be fostered by clarity of how the
software will be used to achieve a certain goal. Teachers have a better way of
educating the children that it is not a restriction on the use of the
technology, but rather an effort geared towards ensuring the safety of all the
learners while mastering ways of operating the new gadget responsibly to suit
future endeavors.
Conclusion
CMS is a valuable tool for educators. This is very useful in
ensuring that the learning environment is safe and conducive, and that students
and teachers conduct themselves appropriately when using technology and in
organizing class tasks. When properly utilized, this software will enable
educators to provide enhanced experience to learners so that technology will
act as an enabler as opposed to merely being an impediment.
