"Casper Focus: Putting Teachers Back in Charge" webinar - April 25th

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for attending the webinar on Casper Focus yesterday. We received several great questions in the in-line chat, and while we were unable to answer all of them live, here is a summarization of all questions that were asked along with the answers.

Thanks!

Nick

Q: What are the requirements for using Casper Focus?
A: Teacher device requirements:?iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with iOS 5.1.1 or later
Student device requirements:?iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with iOS 5.1.1 or later
Managed by the Casper Suite v8.7 or later
(For focus actions only) iOS 6 or later and supervised by Apple Configurator

Q: Can we control what content they are viewing in the app they are focused on?
A: There is not a way to control the content that students are viewing in the app they are focused on.

Q: Can the students leave a focused app?
A: No. When a device is focused on an app, no other apps can be used on the device.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of students that can be managed in a class using Casper Focus?
A: No. There is no limit to the number of students that can be managed in a class using Casper Focus.

Q: During testing, if a student was to power off the device, and back on again, would that allow them to bypass the focused app?
A: If a student turns off the device and then turns it back on, the device will still be focused on the app they were focused on prior to turning the device off. Additionally, the teacher would receive feedback in Casper Focus if the student device was turned off when attempting to focus the device on an app.

Q: Is Bonjour required for Casper Focus to work?
A: Bonjour is not required for Casper Focus to work. Bonjour is one method to enable Casper Focus to discover the JSS. This process is outlined in an upcoming KB article.

Q: Does Casper Focus rely on the Apple Push Notification Service?
A: Yes, Casper Focus relies upon APNs to focus devices on an app and to clear passcodes.

Q: What if students need to be able to use multiple apps during a class?
A: Teachers can currently only focus students to one app at a time using Casper Focus, but the teacher can easily and quickly switch the users between apps.

Q: What happens if a student doesn't have the particular focused app installed?
A: If a student doesn't have a the app the group is being focused to installed, the teacher will receive that feedback in Casper Focus.

Q: Is Casper Focus suited for a 1:1, BYOD or shared iOS device deployment?
A: Casper Focus was designed to work with all of the above device deployment models.

Q: Does Casper Focus show the name of the iPad or the name of the student assigned to the iPad?
A: Casper Focus can show either the name of the iPad or the name of the student assigned to the iPad. This is a setting that the teacher can change from within Casper Focus.

Q: Why is Apple Configurator required for provisioning student iPads when using Casper Focus?
A: Casper Focus utilizes a configuration profile to put the devices into single app mode. This specific profile only works devices that have been Supervised by Apple Configurator.

Q: Can you manage multiple classes at once using Casper Focus?
A: Yes, you can manage as many classes as you have access to at once using Casper Focus.

Q: Do all of the students' iPads need to have Casper Focus installed or just the teacher's iPad?
A: Only the teacher's iPad must have Casper Focus installed.

Q: What happens if a teacher forgets to remove focus from an app on the student iPads?
A: The configuration profile created by Casper Focus is set to expire at the end of the class period, but unfortunately iOS does not remove profile at the exact time of the profile. Because of the, the JSS will also queue up a remove of the profile for the end of the class period. Additionally, the next teacher that interacts with the devices will be able to remove or update the focus.

Q: Will Student Information Systems (SIS) be supported for creating classes for Casper Focus?
A: Casper Suite 8.7 includes an API for Creating, Reading, Updating, and Deleting classes and can be used to integrate data from an SIS into the JSS. JAMF Software is currently working with multiple SIS systems to provide out-of-the-box solutions for managing classes.

Q: How you manage class schedules for Casper Focus?
A: Classes have meeting times. A meeting time consists of a start time and end time as well as days of the week that those start and end times apply to. Classes can have multiple meeting times to accommodate scheduling scenarios like block scheduling.

Q: How can classes be created in the JSS for Casper Focus?
A: There is a new classes object in the Management tab of the JSS.

Q: How is the list of apps the teacher can focus using Casper Focus generated?
A: The list of apps the teacher can focus using Casper Focus is generated from the apps listed in the Mobile Device App Catalog in the JSS. These apps can be either In-House Apps or App Store Apps and any app can be added to the Mobile Device App Catalog for use by Casper Focus. Additionally, the apps do not have to be installed by Casper. They can be installed by Casper, Apple Configurator, directly from the App Store, or manually.

Q: Do the teacher and student iPads need to be on the same network to use Casper Focus?
A: No, the teacher device needs to be able to reach the JSS and the student devices must be able to reach the JSS and Apple's APNs Servers.

Q: If you remove focus from an app on an iPad can you see what app the student has open?
A: Casper Focus only provides feedback on what an iPad is focused to and does not provide feedback on what apps might be open outside of the focus feature.

Q: How will classes be associated with the teacher using Casper Focus?
A: One or more teachers can be assigned to a class in the JSS. The association is done by the teacher's username.

Q: How do teachers login to Casper Focus?
A: Teachers can log in using their network account (Assuming the network account is an LDAP account), or a local JSS account.

Q: Can teachers create their own classes in the JSS for Casper Focus?
A: Yes - Teachers can be granted permissions to create their own classes in the JSS.

Q: When students are focused on an app will they be able to use the camera or take screenshots?
A: Students will be able to use the camera when they are focused on an app unless the camera is restricted via a Configuration Profile. They will not be able to take screenshots, as the home button is disabled when a device is focused on an app.

Q: Do the iPads need to be assigned when using Apple Configurator?
A: Devices do not need to be Assigned when using Apple Configurator, but they must be Supervised.

Q: Can teachers use Casper Focus to change settings on a student's iPad?
A: Casper Focus is currently limited to Focusing on Apps and Clearing Passcodes on devices.

Q: Do apps on the student iPads have to be distributed via the JSS or Self Service or can they be installed from the App Store or Apple Configurator?
A: Apps on the student devices do not have to be installed via the JSS, but they do have to be added to the Mobile Device App Catalog in the JSS to be displayed in the list of apps that devices can be focused to in Casper Focus

Q: Do students still receive notifications on their iPad when focused on an app?
A: Students only receive notifications on their device for the app they are focused to when focused on an app.

Q: Can the teacher leave Casper Focus on their iPad and still have the class focused on an app?
A: Yes, the teacher can multitask between apps while the class remains focused on an app.

Q: If a student is not at school will their iPad become focused on an app when their class is schedule to begin?
A: This depends on the availability of the JSS and APNs from the network the student is connected to outside of school. We are working a way to exclude "absent" students from classes.

Q: When will the Casper Suite version 8.7 be available?
A: Casper Suite 8.7 will be available as soon as Casper Focus is approved in the App Store.

Q: When will Casper Focus be available in the App Store?
A: We plan to make Casper Focus available in the App Store as soon as it is approved.

Q: How much will Casper Focus cost in the App Store?
A: Casper Focus will be a free app.

OK just found Casper Focus in the App Store where is Casper Suite 8.7? :-)

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the webinar last week. The Q&A session

If you were not able to attend in real-time, the video archive of this event is now posted on our website so you can view when it is convenient for you:

http://www.jamfsoftware.com/transforming-the-classroom/casper-focus-putting-teachers-back-in-charge/

For those interested in downloading Casper Focus from the App Store, here's the direct link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/casper-focus/id635738553?mt=8&uo=4.

@FastGM3, Casper Suite 8.7 is available now. You can download that under your account in the "My Assets" section.

Q: What are the requirements for using Casper Focus? A: Teacher device requirements:?iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with iOS 5.1.1 or later Student device requirements:?iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with iOS 5.1.1 or later Managed by the Casper Suite v8.7 or later (For focus actions only) iOS 6 or later and supervised by Apple Configurator

Can you clarify, is the supervised device only necessary for the Student Device?

Hey Tim,

Yes, the "supervised" requirement only applies to the student device and does not apply to the teacher device requirements.

Let us know if you have any other questions!

Nick

Does Casper Focus support the SSO option new to iOS7?