Net Control ² Blog

This “What’s new” document includes a detailed list of new features and improvements in Net Control ² Classroom Management Software version 12. Please also see the following article for additional information regarding this release.

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• Two view types: basic and advanced. The Basic view provides simplified User Interface with the lesser interface elements in the main window, hides several operations that are intended for experienced users (command prompt, policies, file management). The view type may be selected at startup or changed later in the teacher module settings.
• Unconnected computers are visible in all editions. The teacher module remembers inverse connections and displays them in the teacher console even when they are unconnected. This behaviour may be changed in the teacher module settings.
• Teachers can rename inverse connections.
• Standard Edition supports only inverse connections. Users of previous versions, for compatibility with the existing settings and environment, may request a special version of Standard Edition with the support of direct connections.
• New search interface. Standard Edition can search the network for inverse connections, using quick search methods (multicast) and individual import of computers from text lists, network neighborhood, Active Directory and so on.
• Search by Lesson ID. Student Registration tool supports special “Lesson ID” parameter. When a student has entered some Lesson ID parameter in the Student Registration window, a teacher can search the network for this ID, found student computers will be added to the workspace.
• Temporary connections: found student connections may be marked as “permanent” or “temporary”. For permanent connections, the teacher module will be assigned to the student in its settings permanently, temporary connections will remain active until restart of the computer or the user log off.
• Connection by Teacher Session ID. Students can connect a teacher computer themselves by providing the teacher module session ID (may be found in the teacher console, on About tab). As another way of connecting teachers in 1-to-1 or BYOD scenarios.
• Student console on student computers may be shown remotely from the teacher console using the connection’s context menu command.
• Lesson resources. A teacher can create lesson resources, as a text description, a set of files that will be sent to students, a set of local resources (links to programs, local files and documents, Internet websites). When created, lesson resources will be copied, displayed and available for all students that are connected to the teacher. Teacher can save and re-use the lesson resources at any time.
• Three new animated backgrounds for quizzes, messages and polls.
• Text messages may be shown in a windowed mode.
• Timed text messages: the messages may be automatically closed after some specified time.
• Locked messages: student cannot close the message until the specified time elapses, or a teacher closes the message window remotely.
• Students can restore (show again) a last message sent by a teacher.
• In addition to .JPEG images, “Messages” and “Question” tools support sending custom images in .BMP, .PNG and .GIF formats.
• Poll (quick question): teacher can set up a think time to make a delay between displaying a question and ability to answer it.
• Poll (quick question). The “Require answer” option makes impossible for students to close the poll window without choosing some answer.
• Poll (quick queston): timed polls, the question will be displayed only within the specified time.
• Poll (quick question): student responses are arranged by answer time. The corresponding places in the competition are displayed as signs over thumbnails in the connection list. A special new button in the teacher console is intended for resetting the signs.
• Poll (quick question): after a poll, in a few clicks, a teacher can send messages to all students who answered correctly or incorrectly.
• Quiz: extended statistics. A teacher can monitor student replies in Quiz Monitor window, in popup messages or in detailed view in the table.  The statistics include given and correct answers for each student.
• A short sound signal will be played when a student raises hand on his/her computer.
• Speech Manager: allows displaying video from the teacher’s webcamera on student computers.
• Remote Desktop and Broadcast Desktop support custom, application-defined, non-system cursors, like brushes, pens in graphics software.
• Broadcast Desktop: improved broadcast toolbar.
• Student registration supports special “restricted” mode, when enabled, students cannot bypass the registration.
• Lesson timer: the teacher can set up a lesson timer that is always visible in the teacher console.
• Dragging and dropping a .JPEG/.PNG file on the teacher module window from an external program, sends and displays this file on selected student computers.
• The battery status of a student computer is displayed in a popup connection status window, the low level battery notification is displayed as a popup sign over student connection.
• When a help request notification received from a student, a popup sign appears over the student connection.
• New help request interface in the teacher module: on a help request, a teacher can either begin a remote control session or chat with the requesting student.
• New Avatar view instead of “icons view” in previous versions. Student connections may be represented by a custom image (a photo for example) or an avatar. The teacher module includes built-in the avatar editor, where you can create customized avatars for students.
• Quick commands panel is displayed at right side of each selected connection for quick applying the most important commands.
• Connection status window includes connection time.
• Professional Edition: teacher settings and profiles may be stored on Connection Server computer.

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We at Net Software P.C. are proud to announce today a new release of a next generation of Net Control ² classroom management software, Net Control 2 version 12, in Standard, SmallClass and Professional editions.

The main improvements of this version touched existing tools and features, enhancement of the user interface, expansion of the available functions of the tools. This major update includes also several new features that will make the process of co-operation and co-working with students even more effective.

One of the tasks that we worked on developing this version, was simplification of the user interface for users that do not require access to all available features, when displaying the extensive list of buttons for all the available tools in one window may be confusing. For such situations, the software offers two primary view modes: the “basic” mode for inexperienced users and the “full” mode for more advanced teachers. You can select the preferred mode at the first start of the program.

We have significantly expanded functionality for managing student connections in Professional and SmallClass editions, as also for inverse connections in Standard (Classroom) edition. Now you can easily modify such connections: rename them, add custom descriptions, re-position on the screen. You can see icons or thumbnails of turned off computers, as it was with “direct” connections in Classroom Edition of previous versions. Moreover, for Standard Edition, the inverse connections model is now the primary and the solely available type of connections by default. The previous versions compatibility mode is available though (for the support of existing installations and environments), but it is disabled by default for new installations, and should be specially enabled in the process of installation for existing environments.

We have added a new “avatar” view type for student connections. Now students may be represented in the connections list by a custom graphics image (a photo, for example), or an avatar created with the built-in editor.

Professional Edition now includes a redesigned  Connection Server Management Console, provides additional features for easy importing groups from Organizational Units list of Active Directory, can associate the teacher configuration and settings on the teacher computer with the account in Connection Server and store the configuration on the server directly.

Many of the features and improvements introduced in this version were suggested by our existing customers and were added according to your requests. We sincerely appreciate your feedback, loyalty and support, and we will be happy to hear your opinions and ideas regarding the new version also.

A more extensive list of the new features will be provided in the following post.

April 3rd, 2017