LanSchool: classroom tool or spyware?

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February 14, 2017571 Views
Bear Creek has implemented a new classroom management program into its ChromeBooks to oversee student activities. However, this classroom management program is leading students to wonder if the program can redefine classroom attentiveness.
The LanSchool software was created as a program to improve digital learning and increase practical use of class time.
Students are required to sign into the software on their computers via a pop-up window. After students choose the correct channel, teachers gain administrative rights over their Chromebooks and can view all student activity through a master console application.
A possibility exists for teachers to even monitor students outside of class so long as their PCs are connected to the correct WiFi network and have LanSchool installed.
Reports from several students claim that the limitation of distractions, despite LanSchool’s implementation, is still ineffectively being tackled.
“I think it has an adverse effect on keeping students on task,” senior Stanley Bello said. “It’s not a comfortable feeling being monitored by your teacher.”
Complaints have also arisen surrounding LanSchool’s violation of students’ privacy.
“The teacher is always watching you so it feels like your privacy is being invaded,” junior Ashley Campilian said. “Maybe I don’t want the teacher to watch me do a math problem online or open my Google Drive.”
The program has also been affiliated to the concept of malware.
“There are many ways to monitor a student, and LanSchool might be one of the worst ways to do so,” Bello said. “The program is practically spyware.”
Although LanSchool has been implemented into Bear Creek’s Chromebooks, the lack of teacher utilization in classrooms raises questions of its effectiveness at promoting a successful use of class time.
“For some teachers, like in programming class, they use LanSchool to observe students,” Campilian said. “But in my experience, I haven’t seen any other teachers use LanSchool and make a difference.”
A common belief among many students is that LanSchool is not being utilized to its full potential.
“LanSchool is supposed to monitor students on their computers even at home,” sophomore Chester Amkhamavong said. “[Teachers here] only use LanSchool during school time.”
However, despite the negative claims of LanSchool’s faults, many individuals defend the program.
“I think it’s good because teachers need to know what their students are doing,” Amkhamavong said.
Teachers especially have demonstrated their support of the software, claiming that LanSchool for the most part keeps their students in line.
“It’s very effective at keeping them on task and I can lock [my students’ screens] into what I want them to see,” math teacher Eric Vallecillo said.
Teachers also claim that testing candor has been improving with LanSchool’s implementation.
“When students are taking a test, I sign them into LanSchool and just keep track that everybody’s in the site and [make sure that] no one can cheat by going to a different site,” Spanish teacher Andrés Gil said
Toggle` • Dec 8, 2021 at 12:52 PM
LanSchool is both spyware and malware. I have a document on how LanSchool is both. It’s here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1phuKeLCHK-AkP6e5PCpp-eoyYgyiLgl_T9KHL92d8iM/edit
Note that this is work that my friend did, therefore it’s not my work.
CASPER • Nov 10, 2021 at 3:26 PM
We just got Lanschool and it is the absolute WORST. Its only good use is to chat with your teachers. During my math class, I was trying to complete an assignment and my teacher from another class wouldn’t stop shutting down my computer. I feel like I’m being stalked, I feel like I have no privacy, and that I can’t use my computer without feeling like I’ll get in trouble for some reason.
jac • Aug 13, 2021 at 4:40 PM
UPDATE 2021 ITS STILL IN OUR COMPUTERS. AND IT’S GETTING WORSE. As most of you guys know, since we’re probably all students, they’ve installed something called “Lanschool Air” Which can track you and see your screen AS LONG AS YOUR CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET! I can’t even get on canvas anymore.. PETITION TO STOP LANSCHOOL.
Sophia • Sep 8, 2020 at 11:37 AM
My whole district uses this, and I only just became aware of it today. Now I feel super uncomfortable, because with distance learning right now we all use GSE accounts here. This is unacceptable. First teachers shut us up and don’t accept suggestions/opinions, next they scold us about many things, acting like we don’t have a life, now they take away our privacy?! What happened to “freedom for all?” If ya love your country so much start acting like it! Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all the hard work they do, especially since a lot of them get underpaid, but this just isn’t right. Looking through these comments I see a lot of people saying LanSchool should be illegal, and I totally agree! Students have a voice, and teachers shouldn’t be the ones to decide how we use it. So let’s make a petition. Tomorrow I’ll come back here and post another comment with the URL to my petition. Let’s make it happen people!
Austin Sims • Sep 8, 2020 at 10:56 AM
LanSchool can be a useful tool in the education environment, but in the world of Identity Theft, LanSchool (Both teacher and student editions play a role) can be a VERY powerful weapon. IT CAN AND WILL DO THE FOLLOWING: Log keystrokes, have the ability to take screenshots, Record your screen, use YOUR mouse and keyboard, manage webpages AND extensions, Bog down your hard drive and CPU, and last but definitely not least, install unwanted software that can’t be removed. LanSchool can be reverse-engineered into any type of spyware you can think of. Take this from a dude who lives with it and also knows how to kill a computer. Thank you for your time.
sirch • Feb 25, 2020 at 11:12 AM
this sucks its spyware and gives me anxiety if i will get in trouble i am currently protesting it s removal in my school and advise you to also do so
SCHOOL_IS_PRISON • Feb 18, 2020 at 10:02 AM
freedom doesn’t exist
NO ONE ME NO ONE • Dec 18, 2019 at 6:38 AM
BAD its spyware/key-logger
No one is me • Dec 17, 2019 at 8:06 AM
Its dumb my school deleted my comment or was it LanSchool itsjust BAD
Adalberto flores • Dec 17, 2019 at 8:04 AM
Well its kind of dumb im just kidding its not right to look at private information its just STUPID teachers if you see this get a life and stop stalking
joey • Nov 12, 2019 at 2:52 PM
Lanschool should be illegal. I understand the intentions, but it has gone way too far. It shouldn´t be able to track you at home.
Megan OOF • Oct 17, 2019 at 7:02 PM
My school just got this app last year. So far it isnt that bad…..yet. But whenever I watch youtube I have to be careful about what I watch because I don’t want to get in trouble so I have to wait till I get home.
Claudia Glenn • Oct 8, 2019 at 1:44 PM
My school is making us install this software. Everybody is blindly installing it without informing themselves, but I informed myself. This app is basically a virus on your computer screaming: “Hack me! Access my private information!” I refused to get it installed and I don’t know if they are going to push me to install it but students should totally have the right to refuse because it’s basically spyware. Your teachers could easily steal your private information, access your camera and mic and even get stuff like credit card numbers in one click. This should not be used in schools because it would give me and all student’s the constant fear of being watched on their computers and teachers seeing their browser history.
Toggle` • Dec 8, 2021 at 12:56 PM
You are LUCKY. You got the CHOICE to not install it while my school computer had it installed by the time I received the computer.
Brayden Roell • Sep 26, 2019 at 3:08 PM
LanSchool is a horrible thing to install onto a students computer. As a student, I feel uncomfortable doing ANYTHING on my computer, because it may not fly with the school. Its a weird feeling that distracts me from my work. Also, it blocks websites that the school assigns us to use which is super hypocritical and makes doing homework extremely difficult.
SCHMOE HAS BEEN FOUND • Aug 19, 2019 at 11:11 AM
ITS BAD. Not only does my computer have Lanschool, but also Iboss, which just adds to the limitations. Certain websites that teachers want us to use? Blocked. Youtube? Blocked! It has basically turned my chromebook into an electrical box with a keyboard.
Somebody... • May 15, 2019 at 10:15 AM
This crap is giving my teachers the ability to take my personal info and spread it to anyone. One teacher signed into my account and began using it on their own computer without me knowing. We need this stuff gone That kid Chester is probably a suck up. AND I had another teacher freeze my Chromebook WHILE I WAS AT HOME. THIS HAS TO BE DELETED AT ALL COSTS.
Chad Thundercock • Apr 23, 2019 at 9:08 AM
LanSchool is the fat throbbing…
stop it lan school • Apr 23, 2019 at 9:07 AM
it is utter garbony bologny
Sy L. • Apr 12, 2019 at 5:55 AM
This program only causes offence and was not really even created to help students but to moniter theives and criminals. I just discoved a log created by lanschool on my cromebook including the following: my full name, my parents names, my DOB,up to date location, where my parents work,my location(up to date), source of income, where i live /have lived (up to date),all my emails/email info,my account info,my passwords, and finally but not least my full search history including stuff from 1st grade on. This spyware should not be installed and should be made illegil in the usa as it already has in some states.
4/12/2019
Spread the word Lan school is spyware and must be stopped.
# 2019 update its still here 😦
sag • Mar 25, 2019 at 6:51 PM
Honestly, I’m very skeptical about LanSchool. I understand that it is used at schools for helping a learning environment and making sure students are doing appropriate things on their computers. But LanSchool is associated with being spyware and can be used maliciously. It includes a screen monitor, keystroke monitor, teacher-to-pupil chat feature, URL monitor, camera monitor, microphone access, etc. These features that LanSchool has is very open for exploitation. Vicious users can steal private information using the keystroke logger, harass students via chat, and even control keyboard and mouse input. If a school wants to help a learning environment, that’s completely fine. But I’m sure it would be much safer to use alternative software that doesn’t have a one-star rating on Google Extensions and a butt-ton of bad reviews.
(Also I got some of the information from Google and WikiHow)
Roblox woman • Mar 6, 2019 at 9:10 AM
This is basically Spyware, they can hear through your mic, and they can also access your camera allowing them to see you in and hear you in real time. Not only that they can bypass through you google accounts too.
Eljah B shaddox • Oct 16, 2018 at 7:33 AM
Lanschool must be gone by 2019 because its ruin my videos of my google account
hot sace • Oct 3, 2018 at 5:15 AM
Not only is this spyware, but it also embed itself into your google profile. So if you use your personal computer and sign into it; it will install itself onto your computer. Bonus it has a keystroke logger. Imagine if identity thieves get their hands on this spyware.
Hobo Jobo • May 22, 2018 at 11:14 AM
This program ruined my life! My “teacher” screen recorder all of my passwords and ruined my life yall! Bye now.