Stoneware

As the world sails forward in the 21st century, technology is hugely affecting the way people shop, socialize, connect, play, and most importantly learn. However, many educational institutions still lag behind when it comes to incorporating technology into classroom learning. Indianapolis, IN-based Stoneware [HKG: 0992] comes to the fore to address the needs by providing solutions that can help K12 organizations to take the classroom education to its next digital evolution. With technology integrated into various aspects of education and extending beyond the classroom walls, the company’s products help simplify educational institutions progression to the current technological era.

Founded in 2000, and acquired by Lenovo in 2012, Stoneware is a manufacturer of cloud computing and classroom management software. With the acquisition of LanSchool Technologies, LLC in 2011, Stoneware provides best-of-breed classroom management and monitoring software. LanSchool helps teachers to control the classroom so that they can supervise, cooperate and communicate with students efficiently. “By using the ‘thumbnail view’, our product allows teachers to monitor up to 3,000 students at a time and quickly observe each student's screen,” begins Rick German, CEO and Co-Founder of Stoneware. LanSchool’s ‘details view’ shows students information along with other useful data, such as last application run, and previously visited website.

In addition, through the communication features of LanSchool, teachers can audio chat, send a message to keep a student on task, converse with an individual or group of students and resolve queries. Teachers can also show a student’s screen to the rest of the class as positive reinforcement as well as remote control a student's desktop to assist with various key concepts. The company recently released their LanSchool v7.8 edition that further removes distractions and gives teachers the tools and confidence to teach in a new-generation classroom.

By using the ‘thumbnail view’, our product allows teachers to monitor up to 3,000 students at a time and quickly observe each student's screen

For instance, Yorba Linda High School, part of the Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District was using open source products such as WinVNC and iTALC. Although these products provided assistance on some level, they were usually ‘buggy’ and lacked the necessary features to have consistent control of student computer lab. “The educational institution chose LanSchool because we had the best combination of price and features,” says German. The school was highly impressed by Stoneware’s product, which provided stability, ease of use, and feature set.

Furthermore, the company’s webNetwork's Unified Workspace enables students to establish communication in the campus with one password to access everything they need, from coursework to social websites. webNetwork makes it simpler for IT to deliver these resources to students without the need to know what devices they are delivering to, and whether those devices are updated on patches and anti-virus. Through the product, faculty can flip the classroom by providing material to students in advance, helping them to study ahead, and better exhibit their grasp of the material when they arrive in class.

Teachers also require a system that allows them to govern computer-based testing, with the ability to use that system for online testing as well. Stoneware offers a solution, which enables a proctor to lock down machines, immobilize access to applications and websites, and never allow anyone to remote control the testing machine.

As more universities and schools are adapting digital technologies, Stoneware is helping them by making the shift efficiently. Forging ahead, the company plans on innovating and delivering more products worldwide to help different educational institutions make the transition to the new digital age.