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Southbrook School Case Study
November 15th, 2023 by admin
Tell us a little about Southbrook school…
Southbrook School is a Special Needs (SEN) school with just in excess of 120 secondary age
pupils who have mild to moderate learning difficulties. Each year group (years 7-11) has
approximately 30 pupils split into two classes.
What are some of the main IT challenges you have faced?
Safeguarding our pupils is a top priority as they are more vulnerable than pupils in mainstream
schools. Keeping them safe and being able to help them with any issues is very important.
In addition, classroom monitoring is important for us to keep pupils on task and ensure they
don’t stray from the work they’re meant to be doing.
How has DNA helped at your school?
DNA has helped us to keep track of our pupils’ activity and what they’re typing, searching for or copying in all applications, not just the internet. It alerts us to what a certain pupil has typed or images they might have copied. DNA also has a large number of keywords that trigger alerts, which we really like. It also gives an explanation of each phrase, which is helpful for our staff if they don’t know what a certain phrase means.
How have you found the remote support tools in DNA?
We use the remote control tools to provide support to staff across the school without having to
physically go to them. We also use the remote support to log off machines that have been left on
in classrooms.
DNA includes SoftLINK classroom management. What do your teachers find are the main benefits?
We’ve trialed SoftLINK and our teachers really like it as they can make sure pupils are on task
and lock machines to take away any distraction. They can also share their screen so that the
pupils are focused on the right thing during lessons.
How do DNA and SoftLINK compare to previous solutions you have used?
We’ve previously used some free software, but they just didn’t provide the level of features we needed. The safeguarding has been really beneficial for us.
What do you think of the DNA support team?
The tech support team have provided quick and easy fixes over the phone for any problems we’ve had.
How do you see DNA and SoftLINK supporting your school in the future?
We will definitely continue to use DNA. It sits in the background and does what we want it to do. We’d also like to continue to roll SoftLINK out across the whole school.
York High School Case Study
November 15th, 2023 by admin
Tell us about your school…
York High School is a medium-sized community secondary school catering for approximately
735 students between Years 7 – 11.
What are some of the main IT challenges you faced prior to DNA?
One of our main challenges was to encourage staff to be as independent as possible, to enable them to do the tasks they needed to carry out and to encourage them to problem solve. It’s not just about fixing problems but empowering people and reducing their reliance on requesting support.
How has DNA helped at your school?
DNA has enabled teachers and other staff to be able to carry out various tasks that they may have otherwise asked the IT team to do. The SoftLINK element also ensures teachers can get the attention of the whole class instantly and keep their students focused. Staff have found DNA easier to use then our previous solution – and the integration with Group Policy is a bonus for the IT team. We find it’s a well-supported product that is easy to use and it has increased our productivity by saving us time with its automated tools.
Do you use DNA to support your safeguarding efforts?
Yes, it has enabled safeguarding staff to be able to view internet history independently without having to ask the IT team to look at any logs or reports. They are also able to follow up on any safeguarding alerts that come in.
DNA includes SoftLINK classroom management. What do your teachers find are the main benefits?
Some teachers just want to see the SoftLINK element to help them with delivering lessons. It also helps them to improve students’ behavior, with the ability to monitor their activity and ensure they are working on the task set for the lesson.
What do the staff think of DNA in terms of usability?
The staff who see it and try it like it, but the biggest problem we have is that staff do not always have time to learn how to use new systems. However, once they start using DNA, they do find it intuitive and easy to use.
What do you think of the DNA support team?
The support has always been excellent!
How do you see DNA and SoftLINK supporting your school in the future?
We have no plans to use anything else, as it does what we need it to do. We’d definitely recommend it to others.
Cameron University Case Study
March 1st, 2023 by admin
Tell us a little about Cameron University…
Cameron University is located in Lawton, Oklahoma. The university provides affordable education to local Oklahoma residents as well as international students from around the globe. We offer nearly 50 degrees through two-year, four-year, and graduate programs.
What challenges were you trying to solve?
Trying to distribute an installer file to a computer lab to expedite the install and update process.
What SoftLINK features do you find are used the most and why?
For us we use the file distribution, launch app buttons, and screen monitoring. We use the first two features to updates machines in mass. We use the last one to monitor testing labs and provide remote support to classrooms.
How has SoftLINK helped you?
It has helped us work on updating machines on a large scale remotely, provide a more broad proctoring service for our testing centers, and to provide immediate remote assistance in the classroom.
How would you describe Applied Computer Systems’ customer service?
I have spent years using the product and never contacted support. When I finally did, I received a solution to a problem I had been dealing with all those years in a matter of hours. It was wonderful!
What would you say to other organizations facing the same challenges?
It is a fantastic solution that is easy to implement and use. It has utility both for ITS staff as well as instructors and tutors.
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
Absolutely!
Paul J Hagerty High School Case Study
July 12th, 2022 by admin
Tell us a bit about Paul J Hagerty High School…
Paul J Hagerty High School is a public high school in Oviedo, Florida with approximately 2,250 students.
What challenges were you trying to solve?
We wanted to have the ability to communicate school-wide without a PA system.
Why did you choose Notify?
Notify is easy to use and has great platform support. We also found it has a wide range of features and offers a high level of security. We use NetSupport School already and found that Notify is exactly what we needed to solve our communication issues.
How is the software currently being used in your school?
We have Notify installed on all staff computers. When we need to communicate something of importance and cannot use the PA system due to classroom or testing interruptions, we use Notify. This makes it possible to communicate messages to our staff instantly without it being a disruption.
Where and how has Notify added value?
Notify is very intuitive and easy to use. It is a very flexible system that has helped us save time and increase productivity.
Would you recommend Notify?
Yes, we would recommend Notify.
Wicomico Day School Case Study
March 22nd, 2022 by admin
What challenges were you trying to solve?
We needed an easy way to send assignments to students and to monitor students’ content while using the computers.
What SoftLINK features do you find are used the most and why?
We use SoftLINK to send assignments out and to collect them on a daily basis. It is much easier and stress free than doing it individually by email.
How has SoftLINK helped you?
SoftLINK helps me keep a close watch on what my students are doing on their computers. I can instantly see when a student is not following along.
How would you describe the customer service you have received from Applied Computer Systems, Inc?
ACS has provided detailed and quick responses to every question we have given them.
What would you say to other organizations facing the same challenges?
SoftLINK is very useful! You are able to closely monitor the content that your students are being
exposed to.
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
Yes, I would recommend SoftLINK.
SoftLINK helps me keep a close watch on what my students are doing….
Pathways Academy Case Study
March 21st, 2022 by admin
What challenges were you trying to solve?
The goal was to give the teachers a tool that would allow them to better manage and guide students while they are on their Chromebooks.
How has SoftLINK helped you?
SoftLINK has helped us keep our students on track while working on their Chromebooks.
What SoftLINK features do you find are used the most and why?
We use SoftLINK to monitor student computer activity in real time, and put limits around their (web) access as needed.
What would you say to other organizations facing the same challenges?
SoftLINK is a useful tool for managing students while on the internet.
How would you describe the customer service you have received from Applied Computer Systems, Inc?
Every challenge I have encountered has been met with quick, personal, effective support from Todd and the rest of the ACS staff.
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
Yes!
SoftLINK has been the most effective tool we have tried.
Davenport Public Schools Case Study
January 13th, 2021 by admin
What challenges were you trying to solve?
Work with students from a Smart Board where everyone in the class can see a problem that is being experienced by another student.
How has SoftLINK helped you?
SoftLINK has become even more important now in being able to social distance from students.
What SoftLINK features do you find are used the most and why?
Using the View feature that allows me to see the student screen. Also the web filtering, being able to lock the students out of other websites.
What would you say to other organizations facing the same challenges?
SoftLINK is affordable and answers all the questions about interacting with students.
How would you describe the customer service you have received from Applied Computer Systems, Inc?
The customer service is the BEST. They helped with setup and are always there to help with any question that I have.
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
100% recommendation from Davenport Public Schools.
Fike High School Case Study
January 13th, 2021 by admin
What challenges were you trying to solve?
I needed students to be able to see my screen as I demonstrated new skills in Microsoft Office programs and Adobe programs.
Has SoftLINK helped Fike High School?
Yes, tremendously.
What SoftLINK features do you find are used the most and why?
The Show Menu so students can see my screen.
What would you say to other organizations facing the same challenges?
Find a way to fund SoftLINK. It’s worth the investment.
How would you describe the customer service you have received from Applied Computer Systems, Inc?
Customer service is outstanding!
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
Yes, definitely!
Crow Creek Tribal Schools Case Study
January 12th, 2021 by admin
What challenges were you trying to solve?
We were lacking the ability to monitor our students while on their computers. Teachers would have to walk around the classroom to keep the students on task. It was hard for an instructor to see if a student was following along with classwork or visiting unapproved websites.
How has SoftLINK helped Crow Creek Tribal Schools?
Our teachers can now monitor all student devices from their computer. Being able to monitor students’ computer activity keeps students on task and decreases their desire to visit social media sites during instruction. With less distractions to contend with, retention rates increase as well.
Has SoftLINK been beneficial for online safety?
The content filtering has been awesome for us. The students are definitely kept on task. Our teachers get a lot of use out of the features also. Safe Search overrides the default search engine preferences and forces them to provide kid-safe results.
How would you describe the customer service you have received from Applied Computer Systems, Inc?
I would say their customer service and technical support would definitely be a 10+. Anytime I have needed technical support they have been very helpful and knowledgeable.
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
Yes, we have a very good relationship with Applied Computer Systems, Inc.
Charter Oak High School Case Study
January 11th, 2021 by admin
What challenges were you trying to solve?
My curriculum for my biomedical academy is 100% online, so I was having difficulty being sure that the kids were on task. It was much more challenging than classroom management was before we started using technology.
How has SoftLINK helped you?
I feel that the majority of my students are much more productive in class knowing that I will know if they are off-task.
What SoftLINK features do you find are used the most and why?
I love that I am able to view all of the screens and see that they are on task. I often project this on to my board, so students know that everyone can see what they are doing. I also love that I can show my desktop to the kids to walk them through a process and I find it very useful to send messages and links to students.
What would you say to other organizations facing the same challenges?
With schools moving to 1:1 technology and students facing more distractions than ever, it is essential to purchase classroom-monitoring software. It is a GAME-CHANGER!
How would you describe the customer service you have received from Applied Computer Systems, Inc?
The customer service is INCREDIBLE. They have spent so much time walking me through any issues or questions that I have had, both via email and phone. I would go as far to say that they have the best customer service that I have ever experienced.
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
ABSOLUTELY!!! I have tried other monitoring software, but this one is hands-down the best, most reliable, and easiest to use.