Education Archives - RealVNC®

Eight Ways RealVNC Connect Can Help Education

Bogdan Bele — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 08:25:28 +0000

Educational leaders, IT professionals, and educators, here’s a list that will give you an idea of how RealVNC Connect, in particular, and remote access software, in general, can help the learning landscape.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

1. Better Flexibility in Education

2. Ensuring Access to Quality Education Beyond Borders

3. Personalized Teaching for Diverse Student Needs

4. Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Optimization

5. Secure and Compliant Virtual Learning Environments

6. Streamlining Classroom Management and Administration

7. Empowering IT Staff with Seamless Integration

8. RealONE – Reach Every Corner of the Campus

Let’s see what each of these points refers to.

1. Better Flexibility in Education

One of the most immediate impacts of RealVNC Connect in education is its ability to provide you with flexibility. Imagine a school district that can provide synchronous or asynchronous learning experiences. Such adaptability not only caters to different learning styles but also ensures continuity during unexpected disruptions. With RealVNC, educators can use remote learning methodologies, providing students with a consistent learning experience. And they can do so from any location.

2. Ensuring Access to Quality Education Beyond Borders

RealVNC Connect transcends geographical barriers, enabling institutions to provide quality education to students across borders. International baccalaureate programs, cross-cultural collaborations, and language learning exchanges are no longer logistical nightmares. They’re easy to achieve goals. The software’s intuitive interface makes learning resources accessible with just a couple of clicks.

3. Personalized Teaching for Diverse Student Needs

Personalization is the hallmark of modern education, and RealVNC Connect maximizes this feature. Through personalized access, educators can tailor their instruction to accommodate diverse student needs. By remotely accessing student devices and demonstrating the steps to take directly, teachers can ensure that the educational experience is tailored to every individual, fostering a culture of inclusivity and support.

4. Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Optimization

RealVNC Connect is a cost-effective solution that optimizes educational resources. The ability to provide student with access to resources from their own devices significantly cuts operational costs. This means that financial resources can be allocated where they matter most – to the students.

5. Secure and Compliant Virtual Learning Environments

Data security and privacy are of paramount importance, especially in the educational sector. RealVNC Connect’s robust security features, including 256-bit AES encryption and granular access control, guarantee that student data remains protected. The software’s ISO27001 certification once again proves its commitment to safeguarding information, ensuring that educational organizations meet the most stringent data protection regulations.

6. Streamlining Classroom Management and Administration

Educators require tools that simplify the management of online and offline classroom activities. From distributing assignments to grading and feedback, RealVNC Connect streamlines these processes with its intuitive file transfer capabilities. Teachers can now focus on what they do best – teaching – while the software takes care of the rest, making classroom administration a breeze.

7. Empowering IT Staff with Seamless Integration

For any educational institution, a seamless IT integration is not just beneficial—it’s essential. RealVNC Connect’s intuitive design and multiplatform compatibility facilitate its integration with existing IT systems, allowing IT staff the freedom to focus on innovation rather than troubleshooting. This empowerment translates to a more efficient and responsive tech support, ultimately benefiting the entire educational community.

8. RealONE – Reach Every Corner of the Campus

RPort, an integral part of RealVNC®’s toolkit, opens up new horizons in educational infrastructure management by providing a secure, web-based remote IT solution. By enabling real-time monitoring and maintenance of IT systems and technical equipment, it makes remote IT management much easier and flexible. This not only improves oversight and network resilience but also ensures support for students, faculty members, and research staff across the entire IT estate. With RealONE, the combination of RPort and RealVNC Connect, remote access and control extend to every corner of the campus, ranging from personal desktops and classroom devices to specialized equipment and instruments.

The integration of RealVNC Connect in the education sector represents a significant stride towards a more connected and inclusive approach to learning. The software’s features not only enhance the teaching experience; they also provide educational institutions with secure and compliant remote learning environments.

But don’t just take our word for it. Take a free trial now and see for yourself!

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Integrating RealVNC Remote Access for Education with Current IT Systems: A Guide

Bogdan Bele — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 10:09:20 +0000

Let’s look at integrating remote access software, and creating secure learning environments.

The Potential of Remote Access in Educational Environments

We already discussed the many benefits of remote access solutions in schools. They included simplified classroom management, effective communication, and cost-effectiveness.

We also talked about the ways classroom management tools can revolutionize education. A huge advantage has been demonstrated during the pandemic. Namely, that they can ensure learning continuity in critical situations.

Last but not least, we looked into the ways RealVNC Connect can help bridge the gap between knowledge and accessibility.

While that may sound great, it won’t be too helpful if the solution is a complicated one to integrate. As you’ll find out, RealVNC Connect can easily become part of the tools you use in your educational institution, making your life much easier.

Integrating RealVNC with Educational IT Systems

As mentioned above, you can have great remote access software for education, but it won’t be too helpful if integration is difficult.

Here are some of the reasons why both IT and teaching staff, as well as students, will find it easy to add RealVNC Connect to their arsenal of tools:

Multiplatform Remote Access
Easy Deployment of RealVNC Connect in School Systems
Secure Virtual Learning Environments and Data
Easy Access to School Resources for Students and Staff
Great IT Support Options for BYOD School Environments

But let’s look at all of these in order.

1. Multiplatform Remote Access

One of the biggest concerns for IT staff, when choosing remote software for education, is multiplatform support. Will it work with the devices in the current IT estate?

Well, when using RealVNC for education, there’s no reason to be concerned about platform support. Whether your educational institution uses Windows, macOS, Linux, or even mobile devices, we got you covered. The cross-platform solution makes it all a breeze.

2. Easy Deployment of RealVNC Connect in School Systems

Installing on a large number of devices can make things very complicated for school IT staff. But not when you can easily deploy the remote access software, making initial setup a breeze.

3. Secure Virtual Learning Environments and Data

You can’t understate the importance of security for remote access in education. RealVNC Connect is a solution built with security at its heart. It adheres to RealVNC’s four security principles:

High-trust services – You don’t have to trust RealVNC as a company to trust our software and services
Secure data storage – We do not record your sessions, and data cannot be decrypted now or in the future
Secure environment – Every connection is treated as though it is made in a hostile environment
Connection control – The owner of the remote computer ultimately decides who can connect

RealVNC Connect is an ISO27001-certified solution. It also not only claims to be secure; it can prove it through regular white box audits.

All of this, is to make sure that student and school data remain private.

4. Easy Access to School Resources for Students and Staff

Accessing learning resources couldn’t be easier with RealVNC Connect. And this, both in the classroom and in a remote learning environment.

In the classroom, students can easily see the classroom whiteboard on their tablets or laptops. This also helps create a more inclusive learning environment for visually impaired students.

When learning from home, the software allows easy and secure access to school resources. These can be stored on machines in the school. School staff can then manage permissions, deciding who has access to what resources.

5. Great IT Support Options for BYOD School Environments

BYOD and hybrid environments can be a nightmare when technicians need to access a machine to support staff or students. Not with RealVNC Connect; you can use Device Access, for the machines you need to access constantly. However, On-Demand Assist comes in handy for the times when you just need to access a device once, to quickly support a user. A few simple steps and you can provide help.

Easy Integration with School Resources

In the field of educational technology, RealVNC Connect is a strong and secure solution for schools’ remote learning and IT management challenges. Its multiplatform support, easy deployment, secure virtual learning environments, access to school resources, and IT support make it a valuable tool for schools in the digital age. Using RealVNC Connect can enhance the learning experience for all, ensuring continuous and inclusive learning.

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RealVNC Connect in Education: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Accessibility

Bogdan Bele — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:22:44 +0000

Continuing our series of remote access in education articles, we look at some of how knowledge and accessibility can be brought closer together. We’ve already discussed the potential of remote access in schools and how remote classroom management tools revolutionize education.

Why Remote Access Solutions for Education?

Think of a world in which there are no geographical limits to educational opportunities, where every student can have limitless access to a wealth of learning resources. This can become a reality with RealVNC Connect; the remote access solution helps classrooms transcend physical limitations, opening the door for truly creative learning experiences.

The shift towards remote access solutions is a necessary step for today’s learning environments. Using software like RealVNC Connect for education not only empowers long-distance learning but also ensures that remote classrooms benefit from security and efficiency. Furthermore, the fact that it is cost-effective and has a flexible licensing model makes it a solution for any educational institution, irrespective of size and circumstances.

Integrating RealVNC Connect with Educational IT Systems

The true game-changer part is the way RealVNC Connect can integrate with existing educational IT systems. The transition to remote learning and remote management of IT systems can, therefore, be a seamless one, without technical hiccups.

What this means for schools is:

Easy deployment: You can deploy the software effortlessly across a school network; this minimizes downtime during installation and makes sure that teachers, students, and IT staff can all hit the ground running;
Enhanced Remote Access Security: The educational sector has stringent security requirements, and so it should be, as it handles student data, among other things. RealVNC Connect is built with security at its heart, making sure that secure data remains that way;
Scalability: remote access security software for education needs to scale as your educational institution grows in size and complexity. RealVNC Connect’s unparalleled scalability, both in terms of licensing and usage, enables you to seamlessly expand your remote access capabilities. Should you need to accommodate a larger number of devices and users, you can do so without compromising security or functionality. As your needs evolve, you can scale up as required. Also, our staff will be with you every step of the way.

RealVNC Connect in Education: Real-Life Examples

You don’t need to believe us. Our customer success stories are testimony of what RealVNC Connect can do for the educational sector. Here are a couple of examples:

School District Support

The Kyrene School District uses RealVNC remote access software so that an IT team of 20 can provide IT support to 3,000 staff and 19,000 students located at any of the schools in the district. This has significantly reduced ticket throughput, as issues are mostly resolved immediately.

Assisting Visually Impaired Students

Cardinal Newman Catholic School needed to support a 12-year-old student who is severely visually impaired (VI) to view content on the digital whiteboard from his seat without drawing attention to his disability. He was using a different, discontinued, solution. Following a trial of RealVNC Connect and teaching staff working with RealVNC’s Sales and Support staff, the student could view the whiteboard on an iPad, facilitating his learning process, as well as the work of the teaching staff. Find out more here.

University Research Collaboration

Research is an essential component of some educational institutions. Part of the University of Miami, the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is one of the world’s leading academic oceanographic and atmospheric research institutions.

Instruments installed onboard several boats, which travel constantly around the world, make research possible. To troubleshoot and maintain these systems, RealVNC Connect software has been installed on them. Before this, when there was an issue, a member of staff would need to travel to the boat in question. That is no longer the case with RealVNC Connect.

What’s Next?

Integrating RealVNC Connect into your education environment can bring a host of benefits, both for teachers and school IT staff. Our next article in this series will look at the way RealVNC Connect software can be easily integrated into educational IT systems, to create a modern and flexible learning environment. In the meantime, feel free to take a trial of RealVNC Connect and see for yourself!

The post RealVNC Connect in Education: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Accessibility appeared first on RealVNC®.

How Remote Classroom Management Tools Revolutionize Education

RealVNC — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 18:53:05 +0000

RealVNC Connect stands out among these technologies, offering benefits that cater to the diverse needs of academic institutions.

We started discussing the potential of remote access solutions in schools in the first article of this Education-focused series. Let’s look at how remote access solutions can transform and improve education.

Flexible Scheduling

The concept of learning in the physical boundaries of a classroom, combined with the rigid schedules of school timetables is becoming obsolete. Remote access solutions for education, like RealVNC Connect, introduce a much higher level of flexibility in scheduling.

This adaptability allows students to learn at their own pace and according to their own schedules, accommodating a wide range of learning styles and personal circumstances. By using the magic of remote access, students can always have access to the necessary education resources.

But what does this mean for the educational landscape? Well, it signifies a shift towards a more personalized learning experience, where barriers to education are gone. This also means that students can control their learning journey.

Creating Inclusive Learning Environments

For many students, traditional classroom environments can be daunting, giving rise to social anxiety that hinders participation and learning.

Remote classroom management tools revolutionize this aspect by providing a comfortable and familiar environment, that students can engage in. With RealVNC Connect, students can collaborate on projects, and interact with their peers and teachers without the overwhelming pressure of physical presence. Or, even when they’re present in class, students with anxiety issues can keep their comfortable distance.

This level of inclusivity not only enhances learning outcomes but also fosters a sense of belonging among students, especially those who might feel marginalized or anxious in conventional settings.

Continuity in Education Amidst Disruptions

The recent global events have underscored the importance of continuity in education. Schools and academic institutions must be prepared to pivot swiftly to remote learning in the face of disruptions, whether they be health crises, natural disasters, or other unforeseen circumstances.

Here, remote access emerges as a vital tool, ensuring that education can continue seamlessly, regardless of external factors. By enabling teachers to deliver lessons, share resources, and maintain communication with students remotely, the right remote access solution ensures that learning never stops. This helps maintain some normalcy and stability in students’ educational journeys.

The Role of Remote Access in Academic Institutions

Offering secure and reliable remote access to desktop and mobile devices, remote access software allows for a seamless connection between students and educators, enhancing the virtual learning environment. Moreover, software with good integration with existing educational IT systems makes deployment straightforward and efficient, ensuring that institutions can easily adopt and manage this solution.

Security is essential today, and RealVNC Connect places a strong emphasis on maintaining learning environments as secure as possible. With robust encryption protocols and authentication mechanisms, it ensures the privacy and protection of sensitive educational data, complying with the stringent requirements of the educational sector.

Embracing the Future with Remote Access Technology

The adoption of remote classroom management tools is not just a temporary response to immediate challenges, but a long-term investment in the future of education. Such tools offer a pathway to creating more adaptable, inclusive, and resilient educational systems. As we look towards the future, it’s clear that remote access technologies will play a crucial role in shaping the educational landscape, making learning more accessible, engaging, and uninterrupted than ever before.

To sum things up, the revolution in education is well underway, driven by remote access solutions like RealVNC Connect. By embracing these technologies, academic institutions can unlock a world of possibilities, transforming the way education is delivered and experienced; all with the view of creating a future where every student can reach their full potential, unhindered by geographical or social barriers.

Keep an eye out for more articles dedicated to the Education sector, coming very soon to the RealVNC blog.

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Unlocking the Potential of Remote Access Solutions in Schools

RealVNC — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 08:19:39 +0000

The solution lies in technology, particularly remote access solutions. The question is whether the education industry is prepared to embrace this change. Let’s look at the potential impact of remote access technologies in education. We’ll focus on their numerous benefits, such as enhanced accessibility and addressing diverse learning needs.

Transforming Education with Remote Access Technologies

Increased Accessibility: Bridging Geographical Gaps

Imagine a world where students, regardless of geographical location, can access educational resources and tools as if they were right in the classroom, creating a frictionless learning experience. Remote access solutions can make this educational approach easier. By enabling seamless connectivity to school networks from any corner of the globe, these innovative technologies break down the usual physical barriers to education, opening up a world of knowledge and collaboration. RealVNC Connect is an example of effortless and secure access, even with complex network configurations.

Serving Diverse Learning Needs: A Tailored Educational Experience

Every student’s learning journey is unique; it’s influenced by their distinct needs, circumstances, and personality. Remote access technologies can play a major role in recognizing and accommodating this diversity.

For example, students facing visual impairments or neuroatypical conditions can benefit from personalized learning experiences. With tools like RealVNC Connect, teachers are empowered to remotely access students’ devices, track their advancements, offer immediate support, and ensure that every student receives the necessary guidance to excel. This approach guarantees that no student is ever left behind in their learning process, as demonstrated by our customer, St Anthony’s School. In their case, With the software installed on their tablets, visually impaired children can access the whiteboard from anywhere in the room.

The Advantages of Remote Access Software in Education

Beyond accessibility and personalization, remote access software brings a host of benefits to the education sector:

Simplified Classroom Management: Secure machine and lab access facilitate classroom management. Teachers can efficiently manage assignments and grading through file transfer features.
Effective Communication and Collaboration: These technologies create a collaborative ecosystem among teachers, students, and IT support staff, making the learning process more dynamic and interactive.
Secure Virtual Learning Environments: With features like 256-bit AES encryption and granular access control, tools such as RealVNC Connect ensure data privacy and protect sensitive information.
Cost-Effectiveness: Remote access solutions can be economical alternatives to traditional classrooms, reducing the need for physical infrastructure and associated expenses.
Compliance-Readiness: Ensuring adherence to data protection regulations is crucial in the educational sector. Remote access software helps institutions maintain high security and privacy standards, safeguarding student data.
Enhanced Flexibility: Remote access allows for learning beyond traditional time and space constraints, catering to diverse student needs.
Improved Accessibility: Technology facilitates better access to educational resources, ensuring equal opportunities for all learners.

A Call to Action for Educational Institutions

The deployment of remote access solutions in schools is not just an enhancement; it’s a revolution. By embracing technologies like RealVNC Connect, educational institutions can unlock unprecedented potential in accessibility, personalized learning, and efficient classroom management.

This article kicks off a series on the RealVNC blog exploring remote access in education. We’ll delve into how RealVNC Connect can upgrade education delivery. Each post will show how RealVNC Connect meets different educational needs for a connected learning space. Join us on this journey to redefine education!

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Great ways RealVNC can help IT professionals in education

Bogdan Bele — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 13:24:00 +0000

Furthermore, IT professionals and support staff within this industry can use our VNC Connect software to make that possible.

Let’s have a look at how RealVNC’s VNC Connect can be an essential tool for the education industry.

VNC Connect for Education

Education, be it in school districts, universities, or various training rooms, has changed. Recent years have brought a new series of problems that require different solutions and technology has played an active role in addressing these recent challenges.

We’ve recently covered the many ways in which VNC software can assist in teaching or training. The possible use cases of remote access software for the education industry are endless.

In our previous article, we covered two examples where the VNC Connect software can play a critical role in education. Our technology can help visually impaired students see a virtual whiteboard. It can also help some neuroatypical children (such as students with social anxieties) continue their lessons in a private area. Education is crucial and our solution aims to provide that to all who are willing.

While the above covers the needs of the teachers and students in a classroom or a training room, the solution is not just for them. RealVNC’s software can be an excellent support tool for the IT professionals within the education industry. They can also implement customised security authentication in alignment with the institute’s security policy.

Hence, whether the school has its own VPN or is comfortable with cloud connections – RealVNC is a solution for both.

Interested in learning more about RealVNC’s VNC Connect for the education industry? Read the full eBook by clicking the button below.

Easy to deploy and manage

The first question an IT professional in the education industry asks will be concerning deployment. A remote-control software can offer a lot of benefits but if it needs manual installation and configuration on all machines, it will take a lot of work and may not be worth it.

That’s not the case with VNC Connect. Deployment is extremely simple, on thousands of machines. To start with, you will need a license key, which you can find in your RealVNC account. MSIs are also available to download for Windows. We also offer a Group Policy template. This allows you to change all important settings in an efficient manner.

For Mac, signed packaged apps are available, to make deployment much easier.

On Linux, for easy deployment, you can host VNC Server on a network share. An example script allows you to perform all operations from command line.

Direct or cloud connections

Education is a field in which data privacy and security are essential. School district network configurations can make cloud connections less of an option. That is why VNC Connect offers direct connections. These connections are extremely easy to configure. Of course, if you were to opt for the convenience of a cloud connection, you are free to do so as well.

And speaking of flexibility, licensing is very flexible as well. If you plan on connecting to the same machines very often, you can opt for unattended access. But, if you need to provide Instant Support to a lot of users on a constant basis, this is an option as well. If you have that option on your subscription, you can open VNC Viewer and click Instant Support. Then, once your user downloads the disposable app and inputs the code, you’ll connect. Find out more about using Instant Support here.

VNC Connect is secure by design. The Enterprise subscription offers 256-bit AES Encryption. The software offers several methods of authentication, including Smart Card. This can be very useful for machines storing sensitive student data.

Furthermore, granular access control is possible via your RealVNC account. This makes sure that only the right people have access to certain machines.

How education institutions use VNC Connect

A significant amount of IT professionals working for education institutions rely on RealVNC’s VNC Connect every day. The flexibility and practicality of the software allows them to use it on a daily basis. Have a look at our case studies to learn more.

For example, the Kyrene School District in Arizona, USA, uses VNC Connect daily. It allows the IT team to provide support to 3,000 staff and 19,000 students. Technicians troubleshoot and solve issues, without needing to travel to 25 schools.

Arizona State University (ASU) has 1000 computers on multiple platforms. Out of these, 700 are usually online at any given time. This is the reason why a solution to troubleshoot these remotely was necessary. VNC Connect has provided all this and more. Issues get solved quicker and the staff can anticipate and mitigate system failures.

Start your free 14-day trial to see how VNC Connect can help with all your remote access needs.

The post Great ways RealVNC can help IT professionals in education appeared first on RealVNC®.

The future of education: Shifting to e-learning

Bogdan Bele — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:30:00 +0000

E-learning has become the new normal causing management to create a new IT infrastructure. Remote access software can be an essential tool in your arsenal. In this article, we will take a deeper look at some great ways VNC Connect can improve your e-learning efforts.

RealVNC’s VNC Connect as an e-learning tool

RealVNC’s remote access software is often mistaken as a tool only for the IT professionals and support staff because a large number of our users are network administrators and IT support engineers. However, the flexibility of the tool makes it an ideal solution for a number of industries and professions.

For the education industry, VNC Connect can be an invaluable e-learning tool. The video below shows how technology has immersed itself in the industry.

Below are some examples of how you can improve your e-learning set-up with the software (but this isn’t, by any means, an exhaustive list):

Secure machine and lab access for students and staff
Monitor and control student assignments via the file transfer feature
Enabling e-learning for special needs students

Secure machine and lab access for students and staff

To start with, teachers are able to use the software to access students’ machines. This allows them to easily check how well students are doing the work assigned to them. Should they need help, the teacher is able to intervene right away. It is a very convenient way to put the student back on the right path, without needing to walk around a large classroom. The teacher can just open VNC Viewer and quickly access a student computer that runs VNC Server. They can then see how the student’s work is progressing. If necessary, they can also intervene directly, via remote control.

Depending on the school’s systems and security protocols, students can have access to resources outside the confines of educational institutes enabling students to work and learn from anywhere.

File transfer

The file transfer feature is a great way to send assignments to students’ machines. Once time for the assignment is up, the same feature allows you to pick up the completed files.

The students don’t even have to be in the same room (or the same city, for that matter). The teachers can still access their machines remotely. If the school has a specific network configuration, the VNC Connect’s Enterprise license has you covered. The license offers both cloud and direct connections, thereby, addressing all networking needs.

Enabling e-learning for special needs students

There are also more particular use cases, catering to students with special needs. These can be students with visual impairment, neuroatypical conditions, and others requirements.

In these situations, remote control software can significantly improve the classroom experience. We’ll talk about this in detail in the next section.

E-learning for special education needs

Here are some cases in which VNC Connect has played a critical role to improve the special education experience.

Electronic whiteboards have become the norm in today’s classrooms. They are easy to use and control, and offer more teaching support than the “classic” ones ever could. However, if a VI (visually impaired) student is part of the class, chances are that they would struggle to see them.

Luckily, VNC Connect comes to the rescue in these cases. St Anthony’s School in Chichester, West Sussex, needed a solution for this issue. VNC Viewer installed on a tablet allows students to see the whiteboard. This gives them the chance to engage with the lesson, together with their colleagues.

The solution also helps students facing problems regarding personal space. They can sit in a separate quiet area and still see the whiteboard. The entire system is set-up via direct connectivity adding an additional layer of security.

Other educational institutes and school districts have adopted similar solutions of supporting VI children. The Huntsville Independent School District also uses VNC Connect in a similar way. Students can view content on the whiteboard and zoom as needed, on their devices, and they don’t need to sit at the front of the classroom to do so.

Due to the intuitive nature of the software and its ease of use, there is almost no learning curve for students.

You can find out more about how VNC Connect can assist with your school’s needs here.

We also offer a 14-day trial, so you can see for yourself what VNC Connect can do for you!

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How to use remote access to overcome barriers to online learning

David — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 17:19:00 +0000

Traditional classroom methods of teaching and learning are now being facilitated online by these technological advances. Teachers and students can use a laptop, tablet, or smartphone to access learning plans, submit work, and conduct and take part in class discussions. Remote access software that allows its user to remotely access a device from another device in real-time is an enormous help to educational facilities all over the world.

We often associate learners with primary and secondary school, but universities have been using remote access solutions as a response to COVID, too. Students of all ages need solutions that work for them.

The need for students and educators to connect to university devices and computer labs from their own laptops through remote access is just as prominent. Graphic design and computer science students in particular often need to access powerful and more expensive computers when their home laptop simply isn’t enough.

Obstacles to student success

There are, of course, challenges which remain for pupils of all ages.

One of the largest barriers to education right now has been a social divide made more prominent in a time when caregivers are facing severe job insecurity and students are not allowed to physically attend school or university. This looks like:

Digital inequality, such as lack of access to internet and devices at home
Availability of resources such as computers or tablets
Difficulty adjusting learning and teaching styles
Amount of support and input from caregivers
Poor communication between educators and learners

Increasing social and digital divides are isolating millions of the poorest members of our society, with devastating effects. Many parents are left facing the choice between food and data so their children can continue to learn remotely.

Without access to a computer in the home, siblings are forced to share one phone between them to take part in their lessons. These disparities, dependent on age, socioeconomic status, region, and those with disabilities are not new, but have only got worse since COVID changed everything.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are being hit the hardest, with the greatest disruption to their education, as they are much less likely to have the internet connections and devices required to access their coursework. And school closures have further widened the attainment gap.

The lost education and opportunities for the most vulnerable has made digital exclusion a catastrophe during lockdown.

Luckily, many of these issues are being overcome. A lot of these challenges are being worked through with greater access to technology via the schools, local councils, and the government.

Teachers are working hard to alleviate the pressures of different learning styles by using remote access to modify their teaching methods and include things like video links shared from their screen to the class as well as giving their students flexibility to get their work finished in the way that works best for everyone.

They are advocating for their students, delivering free meals and paper copies of work to help alleviate financial burdens, lobbying to get computers and tablets into homes without them, and giving extra digital skills help to those students whose families aren’t familiar with the online platforms. There are no more homework clubs during lockdown.

Solutions to reduce learning challenges

Here are some of the solutions that are contributing to remove some of the obstacles and make online education more accessible to every student:

Smart phones, which can support screen-sharing software as well as a computer or laptop.
Free data to family in need, provided by the Government in partnership with leading mobile networks.
Electronics provided by schools to pupils, as well as printed resources.
Collections of second-hand laptops and tablets from charities and community groups, to be distributed to students who need them.

These methods are making the difference – the quality of work students complete from home is just as high as before the pandemic.

Perhaps implementing this knowledge into new learning plans over the next few months will create space for blended learning when things are back to normal.

If students are still being given the tools for academic success online, systems like remote access can continue to advance such achievements.

How a remote access solution can help online learning

The educational benefits of remote access software include:

Increased interaction between pupils and their teachers because of the ability for educators to remotely control their lessons from anywhere.
Screen sharing eliminates the need for expensive interactive equipment, saving money for institutions.
Remote access software like VNC Connect can help visually impaired students to regain their independence, fostering confidence and better learning outcomes.
Ease of use, so that everyone involved in the education process on both ends can quickly connect and start learning.
Increased interaction, important for everyone involved when the nature of relationships has shifted so greatly.

Ready for a trial?

Remote education isn’t going away. A strong, secure, and accessible remote access solution needs to be in place for schools and universities around the world. And while we cannot solve the inequalities of digital exclusion, once students and educators have access to a device at home, remote learning becomes a lot easier with the addition of remote access. One thing is for sure: the pandemic will have a lasting effect on the way we communicate.

RealVNC provides secure, cross-platform remote desktop, so it works across any device and operating system while meeting compliance with industry standards.

There is no need to download any sort of new applications for learning; simply connect and remotely use the same programs you’re used to using. Save time and money by providing ad-hoc tech support from the comfort of your own home.

Start your free 14-day trial today to see for yourself how VNC Connect can help you with all your educational needs.

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How remote desktop helps schools deliver outstanding online education

David — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 17:32:00 +0000

These use cases are becoming increasingly popular as people better understand the benefits of remote access and its ease of use within their institutions. Using proven, secure remote desktop technology that is easy to set up and manage has given schools and universities much more freedom to implement lessons and to provide more inclusive learning environments with minimal disruption.

Enabling online learning with remote desktop software

When COVID-19 struck the world, educators found they needed these solutions more than ever (and quickly). According to the Office of National Statistics, 87% of British students were home schooled between May and June 2020 due to the virus and accompanying lockdowns. In the United States, the Census Bureau reported nearly 93%. Suddenly, remote education was no longer a choice but an urgent necessity.

Teachers and educators needed a platform that was easy for themselves and their students (as well as their parents) to start using right away. With such a swift transition to home education, ease of use and security were top of mind, but there were other considerations too:

The need to provide IT support, to keep staff and students operational
The need for cost effective solutions in line with schools’ tight budgets
The need for bulletproof security to comply with industry standards, such as GDPR

Adapting to an online classroom environment

Remote desktop software allowed teachers to remotely help or demonstrate on individual students’ computers. Quick and easy deployment across every device for both educators and students meant that everyone could get comfortable with how it worked together and connect again, face-to-face, away from the school.

Educators are gaining new skills through tech, such as making videos to complement lessons and enabling video clips to assist learning. They are also changing the curriculum style to meet learning outcomes.

Students can enjoy the continuity of having a consistent experience across subjects, with workloads broken into clear, manageable units for home learning. This lets each student complete the same amount of work as they were in a physical classroom setting and mirrors their usual timetable. Everyone has been able to face adversity and adapt to these changes together.

And it’s not just about working remotely during lockdowns: when families or educators need to self-isolate, remote learning is an absolute requirement. Having systems in place to fall back on in order to remotely access work makes this an effortless part of isolation.

Supporting students with special education needs

Disadvantaged students or those whose needs mean they need extra help or accessibility have continued to benefit at home with the help of remote access tools, too. Although the disruption likely affected them more, the software has lent them additional levels of assistance.

As one Assistant Headteacher said, staff are using new methods of teaching “… such as using graphic tablets so we can free hand draw diagrams and equations. We will continue with many of these ways of working as they give us more options for reaching pupils educated off site. This will be particularly useful for those pupils whose immune systems are compromised, or those who are particularly anxious about returning to school – allowing us to make initial contact and then build up the pupil’s confidence.”

Learning these technical skills is going to be invaluable going forward with career progression for both students and teachers. “For me, the best part of incorporating EdTech into my practice is the assessment tools. I can set productive tasks, questions, or online quizzes, so I can measure students’ understanding. These methods are invaluable to me now.”

Although this new blended approach came out of critical circumstances, it seems to be the future of education going forward.

Finding the right remote desktop solution for schools

Remote education will continue to develop and grow in the coming years and months. In order to keep up and to advance this new practice, a strong and accessible remote access solution needs to be in place for schools and universities around the world.

RealVNC provides secure, cross-platform remote desktop, so it works across any device and operating system while meeting compliance with industry standards.

Start your free 14-day trial today to see for yourself how VNC Connect can help you with all your remote access educational needs.

The post How remote desktop helps schools deliver outstanding online education appeared first on RealVNC®.

Why schools and universities should adopt a consolidated remote access policy

David — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 18:22:00 +0000

Across the world the fundamental importance of digital learning has been embraced by schools and colleges, and this is only set to continue.

The UK has just unveiled a £10 million technology education strategy which they say will hail a new era for IT in schools. Globally, Edtech spend by schools and universities is expected to reach $252 billion by 2020.

For various reasons, though, the scale of IT support available in schools and higher education settings has been slow to catch up with the actual proliferation of devices, apps and software that are being used inside and outside the classroom to support learning.

Into this vacuum has stepped the specter of ‘Shadow IT’

What is Shadow IT?

Shadow IT is the term for hardware, software and applications acquired and deployed by an organisation’s users without the knowledge or consent of its central IT function.

Shadow IT has, historically, been a major challenge for the education sector and its battle to maintain appropriate levels of cyber security and tech support among a diverse set of users.

In budget-constrained schools where IT support may be insufficient or over centralized, enterprising teachers might bring in their own devices to plug resource gaps. Similarly, they may take it upon themselves to download free software solutions onto school computers to fix problems or improve utility.

In higher education settings, departments staffed with bright, technically adept and free-thinking individuals might work in silos to procure and design IT solutions that will meet their particular departmental needs.

In the same way, students working on university equipment may also download software at will to fix an issue, finding workarounds to evade blocks – all in order to get equipment working in the way they want.

When Shadow IT stores up future trouble

Where IT support has been decentralized or otherwise fragmented across a group of schools or even across local or international campuses, these problems may be even more acute.

In these cases different IT initiatives, including different remote access solutions (either paid for or open source), may have been used by students, staff and IT functions over time.

One result of this kind of fragmentation can be a final day of reckoning where a previously silo-ed, self-sufficient department or group of users suddenly find themselves unable to access systems in the way they have become used to. This is the point at which they may contact an organization’s central IT function who will finally need to unravel a mess that may have been years in the making.

As Larry Ladd, director at consulting firm Grant Thornton pointed out in a recent blog for the Centre of Digital Education:

“Departments think they are independent and they don’t need [help], but then something goes wrong and they call the university IT people, who don’t know how the system works and don’t know how to help them”

The benefits of Remote Access for school, colleges and universities

With a growing emphasis on facilitating digital learning in education systems, a greater number of devices and Edtech applications to support, plus a need to drive greater efficiencies, there is now a powerful case for consolidating remote access solutions with one provider to enhance customer service and reduce the need for Shadow IT.

Here are just a few benefits such a consolidation policy could bring to every part of the education sector:

Building better help desks

A central IT help desk function powered by a single remote access provider could promise standardized IT support for everyone in an organization, whenever and wherever they need it. Instead of time-consuming and expensive desk-side visits to resolve problems, a centralized IT function can answer calls from users and access their desktops or devices remotely to solve their issues. This approach makes IT support more accessible, allowing a help desk to deal with a greater volume of tickets more quickly, reducing the frustration of waiting users and their likelihood to self-solve issues with downloaded patches or illicit SaaS.

Remote access supports different functions

This same remote access software used by your IT help desks could be made available to staff and students who need constant access to the shared files and resources on your servers. Remote access gives users safe and secure access, 24/7, to an institution’s computer networks without having to give direct access to an un-vetted device or keep buildings open after hours.

Fewer security risks

Shadow IT clearly presents security risks. Poor quality tools and services can do untold damage to business systems, opening the door to malicious access, data breaches and more -and that’s without considering the productivity losses and lack of integration with your core business systems. Many organisations end up with multiple open source remote access software downloads on their systems, put there for reasons unknown by individuals long since gone. One solution – sourced from a single trusted provider, is easier to maintain and protects your cybersecurity more effectively than maintaining multiple points of entry.

Only one solution to maintain

One solution carries one cost. Multiple solutions run by separate functions can carry multiple costs and/or increased security risks.

Used properly and in an organised and strategic way across your business functions, a consolidated remote access policy can bring real value to an organization, offering better and more cost effective help desk support to all your users. Ultimately, it can help teachers, students and admin staff work more flexibly, productively and securely.

If you want to know more about how remote access can support your business needs, download the eBook below.

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