“ [it] received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it, moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard.” While this quote is from the literary classic 1984 by George Orwell, the characteristics of the device described are reminiscent of Lanschool, a recent program placed onto WHS Chromebooks. Almost every Weddington student has taken note of the app since it was automatically installed on our school-issued laptops at the beginning of this school year. According to the Lanschool website, the application contains “Features that maximize classroom time and streamline IT administration”. The website describes these features in vague terms, which poses the question: What is Lanschool, and what is it monitoring?

Despite being a new application for high schoolers, Lanschool isn’t a new face in the UCPS school system, having been implemented at Weddington Middle last year. Lanschool’s most notable feature is the one that allows teachers to control student microphones. According to the Lanschool website, “Teachers can audio chat with a student, listen to students and broadcast audio to all or selected students.” The program also allows teachers to remotely control student’s microphones, letting them pick up on conversations students are having.

It should be noted here that the Lanschool’s intention isn’t to allow teachers to spy on students, and the app has regulations making sure it is only applicable during the school day. The program has no power if it isn’t connected to the school’s wifi network, so students at home using their Chromebooks cannot be monitored. More specifically, teachers can only use the program on students that are currently in their class. 

Another interesting feature of Lanschool is that it has the ability to go as far as tracking the keystrokes of students- However, whether or not this is something that is implemented within the school is dependent on the school’s policies. Other more positive features regarding Lanschool is the ability to ask teachers questions through the program privately, without the social anxiety that comes from asking a question in front of the class. 

Other features include:

• The ability to see what programs are being monitored on a students screen
• The ability for teachers to anonymously send messages
• The ability for teachers to black out a students screen
• Teachers can send messages with an option to make it appear to the student

For more in depth information on Lanschool’s features, click here.