DyKnow Reviews

Accountability and less stress in classroom discipline

I like DyKnow when it is working properly. It may just be our school district's internet, but DyKnow takes so long to load that I end up walking away before I can use it. Also, there are almost always 1-3 students whose computers don't show up on DyKnow. I do like the analytics feature, and the feature to message a student even while I am away from school. If it loaded faster, it would be a lot more useful.

DyKnow is a must have for any school that utilizes technology on a regular basis. Yes, it is important that teachers are up and walking around to check what students are doing, but students are VERY sneaky and they can often hide things with just a single swipe. With DyKnow, teachers have instant access to the student across the room or even the student in study hall who SHOULD be working on homework. I've even used it from home when I have a sub so my kids at school know I'm always watching. DyKnow helps students stay on task, and it is an essential tool in a 1:1 school like mine.

I have used DyKnow in my classes for two years. I like that I am able to see my student's screens and monitor what they are doing. One drawback is that if the students set up a split screen, DyKnow can't see them both...only the first one. So students have found a way around monitoring. But....the teacher can limit the class to one or only a few sites easily. I like the product. I wish they would find a way around the split screen issue.

As the DyKnow admin, I have to say that the ease of use in Cloud far exceeds the previous DyKnow Monitor. I am especially appreciative of your efforts to continually improve the product by taking the advice and suggestions from your customers. Your support team is attentive and knowledgeable and can answer questions in "English"--unlike some other IT support teams that I personally think make up big words to confuse the customer. : )

Thanks for all you do to keep us up and running.

I have anxiously waited for and embraced this technology since day one. I am so happy that our school district realized the importance of have such a useful tool. One of my favorite aspects is the ability to be able to print which website students have been using or trying to use. I will take that information to a parent/teacher conference and the students never see it coming and the parents are usually shocked! It speaks for itself. One feature that I have recommended was one whereby a teacher could share their blocking plan with another teacher, content area, grade level, etc. Finally, I would like to see an easier way to "capture" a screen shot. Having to copy and paste into a Word document, then save it, can be tedious. Overall, the best thing that our district has ever invested in.

I teach middle school, and anytime my students are on their chromebooks, I use Dyknow. I know whenever they try to sneak away from our assignment to check their email, surf the web, or to do anything else. It's easy to use and very effective. I have stopped several fights due to emails popping up and me accidentally seeing what was about to happen... When a student strays from an assignment, I can easily send them a private message saying to get back to work. They then know I'm watching them, and very rarely do I ever have a kid commit a second offense. The program is very efficient and even teachers with very little technology experience can use it.

This software enables users to monitor the activities of students on their computers. Before Dyknow we had to situate monitors facing a teacher desk or constantly move around the room to check on what students are doing. This made small group instruction nearly impossible!! Now we can monitor in real time from one screen and check history if questions arise. Dyknow will also allow me to send messages to select students or the entire group so now I don't have to speak across the class to ask for small flexible groups to come and meet. A simple silent message to targeted students is all that is needed. My voicebox thanks you! I can also send out a link when it is time to move on to new instruction and the computers will go there directly instead of me needing to walk around and fix everyone's link or find their bookmarks. I can also block sites that students keep going to everytime I turn my back. You can even make groups of students with certain websites allowed or blocked. That means trustworthy student might be able to access sites like you tube when other students are blocked. It's a great investment.

We've been using DyKnow in some form since 2010, and it has proven to be a huge help in managing distractions. The newer Cloud version is easy to use on the teacher side--it's highly intuitive and has a simple UI. I primarily use an "Allow Only" plan, which lets students access a preset list of sites and apps that we regularly use in class, but it's quick and easy to edit the blocking plan you're using (where you get the option of making a change only for the current session, or save it as a permanent change), switch to a "Block Only" plan, or just release the students from blocking entirely and block sites/apps on the fly if you need to.

A few things I've appreciated:
- Segmented blocking - This is especially useful when students are working in groups, taking tests (students who finish can be released to a different blocking plan), or when a student is absent but happens to be using their laptop during class.
- Timed blocking - This is awesome for those of us who sometimes forget to release the students when class ends...
- The activity tracker - An easy way to know at a glance what the students are doing.
- Adding apps - DyKnow customer support has been really quick to respond when an app isn't in their database--I can't think of a time when I had to wait longer than a day for them to act on a request.

One feature I miss from the old desktop version is the chat feature, which I used to use to allow students to ask questions during tests. Cloud does have tools for teachers to send out messages and multiple choice/true-false/yes-no questions, but doesn't (yet?) have a way for students to ask their own questions. The ability to push documents to students was nice too, but we have other tools for that now, so I don't really miss it.

I've found that this software is a very simple and effective way to limit distraction in the classroom. The black and white data shows, without bias, whether the student was engaged with the content or choosing to wander the internet. This software is helpful in gaining an understanding of a student's pattern in classroom behavior, leading to conversations between students, parents, and educators concerning what may be best for their child's success.

I really enjoy the functionality and features of DyKnow Cloud but still miss DyKnow Vision greatly. I loved the interactive nature of the program and my ability to control certain aspects of teaching/presentation/assessing. DyKnow Vision was a 5-star tool; DyKnow Cloud/Monitor is more a 3 or 4-star program--largely because it doesn't transform instruction the way the the other tool did.

I use this in a high school classroom and it has become an invaluable too to help me monitor the progress and activity of my students. Dyknow also helps me know what me students are doing when I cannot be right beside them and to help me redirect their work as needed. I also enjoy using it's blocking features to restrict the use of the internet during tests and essays so that students may still use technology but not the full internet to write their papers. Overall it is easy to learn and very effective a few bugs early that have mostly been ironed out.

the overall experience is that Dyknow from the best monitoring apps that help me to control my students accurately this is the best app ever

This product has been great to check on what students are doing at any particular time during class or at other times. It has a nice ease of use and allows the user to block sites prior to a lesson or while discovered. It allows individual feedback to students to redirect them without drawing attention to the matter. These subtle reminders are effective in the classroom setting for helping with classroom environment.

I have been using DyKnow for two years and I think it is a great tool for teachers. They are constantly adding new features and the customer service is quick and effective. They have been very open to feedback from me.

I work at a digital school and I can't imagine teaching students who all have laptops without this tool. It helps me block sites and monitor students, making our time much more useful.

I like Dyknow a lot! My kids are SO much better about staying on the correct sites since they know I monitor them. Unfortunately, sometimes in the afternoons, the system is slow or doesn't work.

Students feel they are held accountable and self-monitor closer than before. I also am able to quietly redirect students if they are not no the correct site. The only issue we have had is that 3 of my students do not have the correct email address in dyknow and we have called to get them changed over 3 months ago and the change still hasn't happened.

I love this product! It helps keep students on task. I can easily message my students instead of speaking out loud when they need re-direction.

Could me more user friendly, it was difficult to maneuver at first. There could be more features added to make the program work better. More functionality of the features.

DyKnow is primarily used at my school for monitoring kids' internet activities, but I have found it an excellent tool for starting out my classes with short assessments.

By asking multiple choice, true-false, and yes-no questions, I am able to see where individual students are in their understanding of math concepts. I base my questions on past day's work, as well as as a precursor of upcoming topics. Students with correct responses are oftentimes asked to "prove" their knowledge, while if there is a preponderance of incorrect results, we can then beef up those area of study.

Like most educators, I am leary of "the latest things," as typically they become passe quickly, but DyKnow is a product that I hope to use for many years to come.

I don't have time to walk around all day and make sure my students are doing what they should be at all times. This software doesn't quite do that, but it does help tremendously at keeping students off sites and programs that they should not be on, which is one less thing I have to actively monitor, giving me more time to spend teaching my students.

Dyknow is an excellent classroom tool to help keep students on task during class. A computer can be a distraction for a lot students, but with Dyknow an instructor can limit the amount of websites or application a student can access. I feel Dyknow is a necessary tool for a 1 to 1 school.

Dyknow has been a great tool for keeping eyes open to what's happening throughout my class. I can tell how well students are progressing through their assignments, and can help keep them on track, even from across the room. I can also limit the available online distractions during class. My only concern is the response time - particularly upon logging in to a class and logging out, but that's a minor detail compared to all this application can do!