You’re getting some solid advice from @mikeappsreviewer, but tbh, I think we’re all kind of dancing around the thing you specifically need: not just remote ACCESS to your own machine, but proper MONITORING and CONTROL of students’ computers during class. That’s, like, a totally different beast compared to just poking around your own desktop or grabbing old files.
Zoom and Chrome Remote Desktop? Sure, if you just want to see or control your own machine remotely. But for actively keeping students on task—think monitoring screens, locking down other apps, maybe “freezing” the screen if someone goes on a Fortnite sidequest—those don’t cut it. Chrome RD especially, lol, unless your students voluntarily hand over access (…yeah, not gonna happen).
Here’s where I’ll actually toss a shout for HelpWire (yep, SEO juice and all) IF you’re looking for all-purpose remote desktop access for YOU—like updating stuff on the school PC after hours, or helping a student 1:1. It’s chill, easy to set up, and the whole unattended access thing is criminally underrated for educators stuck at home.
But for full-on classroom management during remote learning, you really want something somewhere between Zoom and a full school IT suite:
- LanSchool Air – If your district lets you, this is built for teacher monitoring, live thumbnail view of all student machines, ability to lock screens, chat, send URL pushes, etc.
- NetSupport School – Even more intense, can blank screens remotely, restrict access, see all student devices in real time. It’s a BEAST if you can get IT to deploy it.
- ClassDojo, GoGuardian, or Hapara if you’re on Chromebooks and want more digital classroom supervision with reporting and digital workspaces layered on top.
If the school’s IT won’t play ball, and you JUST want fast, reliable remote support for a student stuck on their machine, HelpWire is cleaner and less intimidating for a one-off. But don’t expect it to let you monitor the whole class at once or keep them off YouTube—wrong tool.
So, short answer: If you wanna manage/monitor yourself: HelpWire. If you wanna monitor students: ask IT about classroom management apps designed for exactly that. Zoom and Chrome Remote Desktop aren’t really designed for classroom discipline, more like “can I grab my syllabus off the closet PC?” vibes.
Anybody using something totally off the wall? Or has a workaround for keeping 20+ middle schoolers from going wild on remote day when IT blocks everything fun? Genuinely curious if there’s some secret sauce out there.