AB+Tutor+Management

=**AB Tutor Classroom Management Software**=

AB Tutor Control is a PC remote access software that has been designed in response to requests from teachers and trainers who need to interact effortlessly with their students on an individual, group or full classroom basis using a very simple and intuitive user interface.

This remote control software enables teachers (or network administrators) to control a number of student workstations in a computer training room - or remote location - from one central workstation. Classroom groups and policies as well as Internet and application restrictions can be created by teacher or network managers to maintain security on large networks. This means AB Tutor becomes a major component in maintaining esafety in the classroom.


 * Broadcast and share **
 * Broadcast tutor screen to students
 * Show static, locked, screen to students
 * Show a student's screen to others
 * Annotate live demo
 * Record tutor screen and audio for lesson playback​
 * Comment:**

Shane > Very handy for student demos and peer to peer tutoring. Excellent use of IWB if students can annotate on board and screen dump. Can collect evidence of work from screen dumps or video. Need to test recording tutor screen and audio playback. Dedicated to PC only, no Apple Mac.

Jade > Annotate live demo? That sounds really interesting, especially when the teacher is using a Tablet PC...will try to figure out how to do that. This is the area that is most interesting I think, and which has the most potential for enhancing eLearning pedagogy in the school.

Shane > After meeting with Ed and Jade we have decided to extend the research/experiement time on this product. We are not to sure as whether the educational worth is worth the $cost.


 * Computer Monitoring**
 * Simultaneous watch by multiple tutors
 * Network efficient sizeable thumbnail views, with changeable refresh times
 * Real-time remote screen watch
 * Create different thumbnail tab view for each group
 * Monitor running applications and files
 * Identify what site/file the student is working on
 * Monitor and log student activity (applications, printing, websites and keystrokes)
 * Take time and name-stamped snapshots of student activity
 * Record and play back student screen activity
 * Comment:**

Shane > Recording for evidence of standards uncomplicated. Multiple watch would be good for classes whereby the teacher cannot see screens. Good for monitoring of web sites access and ability to search. Recording student internet search process very good for assessing and reporting.

Violation notification Comment:
 * Inform tutor when specific keywords are typed
 * Automatically take snapshots of violations
 * Option to launch remote screen recording upon violation
 * View all violations, screenshots, user details and context

Shane > While good for System Dept, it could become an overused function by teachers in the classroom. If so then not a significant learning tool, just a controlling policing tool.

PC Remote Control
 * Take over remote mouse and keyboard
 * Share control of applications with student
 * Launch and close down applications remotely
 * Automatically launch websites or open files remotely
 * Set policy to immediately prevent application from running
 * Lock remote screen, keyboard and mouse, with option to blank screen
 * Comment:**

Shane > Excellent teaching tool. Provides teachers with ability to instruct remotely.

Classroom Management Comment: Jade > Could the remote logoff function be used by teachers to take the traffic away from the Systems Dept when students have accidentally left themselves logged on to another computer? Often I get students wasting time going down to systems to do this when it would be more efficient for me to do it, in the same way that the student password changer works. Shane > Interesting thought ... maybe one for Aaron? PS ... love the mauve :-)
 * Power up remote machines
 * Remote logon
 * Remote logoff and shutdown
 * Schedule remote shutdown
 * Block printing
 * Auto-connect to computers
 * Auto-connect when connection lost
 * Create defined classroom groups of computers and/or users
 * Automatically apply different policies to different groups of users
 * Import computers and users from active directory
 * Either connect to all clients or only to pre-set groups

Internet Monitoring and Control / E Safety Comment:
 * Block ports to prevent any Internet activity
 * Limit web browsing to specified sites
 * Black-list specific sites
 * Filter by keyword/wildcard
 * Notify tutor when student visits specified site

Shane > I like the limiting web browsing to specified sites. Allows for some teachers to monitor internet activity while working in group work whereby they cannot sight the screens of the users. Supports focussed and indepth search of teacher quality-filtered sites of worth rather than students "grazing the net".

Application control Comment:
 * Limit applications that can be launched
 * Specify applications that cannot be run
 * Close down inappropriate applications

Shane > Limitations of applications launched could be handy but could also restrictive. A teacher selected application may restrict a students creative ability to find solutions to problems using other applications or the functionality of the selected application is not necessarily appropriate for the actual activity.

Communication Comment:
 * One-to-one and one-to-many text chat
 * One-to-one and one-to-many audio chat
 * Broadcast text messages

Shane > This could be handy if students (say senior students) are working in senior study area and they require support from a teacher at a desk.

Question polling Comment:
 * Create & distribute one-question polls to remote computers
 * Results of poll collected in real-time

Shane > Excellent teaching and learning tool

File management and distribution Comment:
 * Distribute files to student machines
 * Collect files from students
 * Remote file management

Shane > Collection of files OK but takes away from using Intranet capabilities

Jade > I see your point but haven't using wikis and Atlas Rubicon already taken away from the file distrubution function of the Intranet? I do agree that the Intranet is better in many ways as it is one central area to store and distribute files, but if other methods are seen as more effective they will no doubt be preferred. I will definitely try this function out, it sounds a bit 'ad hoc' in that you push the file out then and there, so may not suit teachers who want to have all of the lesson materials already accessible before the lesson eg. uploaded onto a wiki or posted on the Intranet. It could be better than wiki/Intranet however for collecting files, will have to see it in action.

Shane> ​IMO --- Disagree with Atlas Rubicon ... only accessible to staff and continual updating of resources are less efficient. Atlas is also net dependent via school whereas Intranet is within our control as well as accessible 24/7 (most of the time :-)). Wikis are OK but who owns the intellectual property? Why wouldn't we want to share via Domain Intranet Containers where all (students, teachers and parents) can access against wiki which can be "protected" and made non-shareable depending on the teacher. I don't know whether our Intranet has been proven to be less effective in sharing data/info. The end users need to have a reason to share whether its a wiki or Intranet. Once reliability has been attained (IMO it has) and people begin to see the worth in sharing resources then Ontranet will come into its own. Maybe we haven't really tried at the right time. The teacher arrives when the student is ready (goes for adults as well as our kids)

Remote Administration Tools Comment:
 * Detailed inventory of remote hardware/software
 * View and manage remote services and processes
 * Administer remote machines via command prompt

Shane > Is this better than VNC?

Optional privacy setting Comment:
 * Inform users when AB Tutor Control is running
 * Let users know when they are being watched
 * Allow user to block a watch

Security Comment:
 * Admin or tutor-level access with choice of functionality
 * 128-bit connection password encryption

Maintenance Comment:
 * Automated remote client updates
 * Auto software upgrade

Terminal Services Support
 * Terminal Services Support (incl. Citrix) for clients

Comment: