Top 3 Benefits of Managing Teachers’ Devices with Smart Lockers

When a student’s device goes missing or breaks, that student can quickly fall behind in classwork. Now imagine the disruption of learning when a teacher can’t get online or experiences a hardware failure. Remote classrooms com to a screeching halt for an entire virtual class. Homework is no longer distributed; assignments go ungraded and live lessons are put on hold until the teacher is back up and running.

Getting working devices in the hands of both students and teachers faster means everyone can get back to learning with minimal disruption, mitigating the negative impact on student achievement. However, in the shift to remote learning, tech teams are already stressed with more work than they’re able to handle. In fact, some school districts are finding they need an entire department just to maintain and support teacher devices.

By automating the clunky manual ipad or chromebook distribution process, LocknCharge FUYL Tower 5 or 15 charging lockers allow organizations to save a considerable amount of time, not to mention reduce staff frustration caused by frequent interruptions. While many schools take advantage of LocknCharge solutions for zero-touch distribution for student’s devices, others are witnessing these three benefits of Towers for managing break/fix and loaner programs for teachers and substitutes.

1. One less thing for administrators and IT staff to worry about.

Administrators and IT support staff already have enough on their plates, supporting teachers on the best methods to teach through technology. Swapping devices shouldn’t add to their already heavy load.

By designating a smart locker (such as the FUYL Tower 15) as a device repair drop point, you’ll no longer be spending the majority of your day exchanging broken devices. Save serious time by easily retrieving broken devices and providing replacements without any physical contact.

2. Improve efficiency of loaner distribution for substitute teachers.

Monitoring teacher absences and locating replacements is challenging enough on its own. Once a substitute is assigned to a class, administers now have the additional responsibility of ensuring that each sub has the proper technology to teach.

In the scenario of classroom learning, most teachers take their individually assigned devices home. This means that when substitute teachers arrive on campus, they have to go somewhere and physically interact with the tech team or front office person to get their assigned device. Or do they? With a FUYL Tower 5 or 15 filled with ready-to-go teacher devices, you’ll reduce in-person interactions, and speed up the check-in/check-out process. Simply email the subs their assigned PINs, along with the locker number and location of the appropriate Tower. They’ll pick up their pre-loaded and configured device and be on their way in no time, thereby reducing disruption of teaching as well as eliminate unexpected interruptions of tech teams. This process also mitigates the potential cross-contamination of laptops between teacher and substitute.

In the case of distance learning, getting a device in the hands of a substitute is even more critical. By rolling a Tower out to a publicly-accessible location on a school campus or district office, substitute’s devices can be left securely in a designated locker, ready for no-contact pick up before the school day begins, and easy return when the assignment is over.

3. Easily manage your Towers from one web-based portal.

Whether you have three Towers or thirty, no one wants the hassle of managing each smart locker separately. Once LocknCharge FUYL Towers are connected to a network, designated admins can view, access and manage multiple Towers in different locations through a Web-Based Management Portal. The Portal also provides real-time data of users accessing the Tower, what devices are checked out, and for how long.

With API and Webhooks, organizations have the option to integrate Towers with their helpdesk software, further automating the loaner device process. For example, when a teacher requests a device, the system can search for available laptops or tablets on campus and automatically provide the location of the FUYL Tower, with the locker number and a PIN. Once the device is retrieved, the administrator receives an email that the teacher has picked up the device. In this scenario, there are no humans involved. The loaner device location was just generated entirely by LocknCharge’s software when integrated with help desk software. 

In these extraordinary circumstances, our team remains committed to assisting you in managing your devices to help minimize disruption to your staff and students.