SMART Sync

Monitoring Students and Fully Utilizing 1:1

Instruction and Learning

Billie Scott

Central Wilkes Middle School

What is SMART Sync ?

O What is SMART Sync

O How are schools using it?

•

Why Monitor? Acceptable Use Policy

3225/7320

Teachers will supervise a students’ use of computers and other technologies.

All employees are responsible for supervising their

children as well as children under their care while using computers and other technologies before and after

regular school hours and on teacher workdays.

Class Set-up

• Start – Teacher Menu – SmartSync Teacher

Type your name (This will be used for all your classes)

• Click “new class” and type the name of your first class.

• Change your view option to Student ID: View-Thumbnail Name – Student ID

You are now ready for students to join!

*You will not have any students in your

class until they join.

Once they have joined you will want to

click “Save As” and save the class.

This will allow you to see (with later uses)

if any students have not joined in.

• Student Log-in Start – Student Menu – SmartSync Tell students to type their name for Student ID. (You may request first and last or just first.) Students will automatically connect to whichever class you have open.

Same as the ACTION menu

Using the Software

When on the Thumbnail (on sidebar) these are your top row

options:

LOCK – Locks all computers. Students can do nothing and the

message “Eyes to the Front, Please!” appears on their screen. You

can modify this message in Options – Preferences – Lock Screen.

INTERNET BLOCK – quick way to block the entire internet from use for

all students.

To block portions of the internet or applications use the

Applications and Internet icons on the side bar. With these icons

you can create personalized “rules” for internet and application

use. Rules can be set to “allow all except….” Or “allow only the

following….” You can create an unlimited number of rules.

ANNOUNCE – sends a message to the whole class at once. The

message will appear on top of any open windows. For example:

“You have 5 minutes left to work.”

VOTE – Allows you to ask a Yes/No question to the entire class. Not

that great because you can only ask one question at time and you

can’t see individual responses, only class summaries.

OBSERVE, CONTROL, CAPTURE – used for monitoring bad behavior.

You may only use with one student at a time. Click the student’s

thumbnail and then one of the three choices. Observe makes the

student’s screen full screen on your laptop. Control locks the

student’s screen.

CAPTURE take a picture of the student’s screen. It will ask you where

to save the picture and the file is automatically named as the

Student Name, date, time of the photo.

BROADCAST – Sends your laptop screen to all students. It will

automatically hide SmartSync and display everything else, like a

website or program. Test sites had some “speed” issues with this

feature so test it out before developing an entire lesson around it.

While using this feature you can “Pass the Chalk” (In the menu bar at

the top left) to students and students can control your

laptop/smartboard from their seat. You can “end the chalk” at

anytime or pass it to another student.

SHOW MEDIA – allows you to send a picture, video, or audio file to

every student’s computer. The student cannot minimize, exit, or save

the media. When you close it on your laptop it disappears from the

students.

SEND WEB – Allows you to bring up a website on your laptop and send

it to the entire class at once. You never again have to repeat those

LONG url addresses to your students. You can also do this from a

website. Click the “Send to Students” box in the left top corner that

should now appear on all websites.

SHUT DOWN – shuts down all student computers.

Collaboration (on sidebar) –

Directions will be developed later!

________________

Questions (on sidebar) –

Students will have a tool box on their screens that will

allow them to send you a question. You will know a question has

been received because a small question mark will blink at the

bottom of your screen. To answer the questions click Questions,

click the student’s question and you and the student will now be

able to chat back and forth.

Chat (on sidebar) –

Explore on your own. I believe you can set up chat groups for

the students to use in group work or open for the entire class.

File Transfer (on sidebar)

Send File – Allows you to send a file to the entire class. It will automatically

save in their My Documents in a Shared Files folder with the day’s date.

Not sure if CLEAR will remove it from the My Documents or not. Useful for

sending worksheets, PPT, or assignment instructions to students.

Some schools have had problems with the feature that allows students to

send files to the teachers. We think this may be an AD thing b/c the

feature allows students to put files into your My Documents.

Applications and Internet (on sidebar)

see notes about this under Internet Block

Questions???

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