CrossTec Corporation: New NetOp School v2.5 Adds Unique Collaboration Features and Additional Security to Popular Computer-based Instruction Software.

Business Editors/Education & High Tech Writers

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 2002

CrossTec Corporation (http://www.NetOpUSA.com) has announced the release of NetOp School v2.5, which adds new collaboration and security features to the popular network classroom software. This newest generation of networking tools for instruction and supervision, developed by Danware Data A/S, helps teachers instruct, monitor and individually assist students.

NetOp School, which is used in more than 50 countries worldwide, once again sets new standards for computer-based instruction. With NetOp School v2.5 instructors now have even more options for instruction, supervision and support of their students within a networked classroom, library, computer lab, over an Internet or Intranet connection or with networked users who are seated at their individual workstations.

First released in 1997, NetOp School enables a teacher, or corporate instructor, to increase student time-on-task by being able to monitor their PC activity while they work. Teachers can also enhance classroom interactivity with NetOp by broadcasting live demo screens to participants; mark up the featured screen to highlight a lesson; create monitored chat rooms or allow students to send private questions via an instant message button located on student PC. NetOp School provides many other tools to help instructors multi-task their efforts including the ability to send coursework and files to all student PCs, remote control students for one-on-one instruction, shut down or restart PCs and view their connected classroom in several different ways.

New features of NetOp School v2.5 allow for independent work groups to be created within a class using the NetOp School "Breakout Session" button. Teachers can also assign group leaders to each work group, while still retaining full Teacher control. According to Turner Dean, Director of NetOp School Product Management, "The workgroup option will provide an excellent way to let students collaborate on projects in small independent groups or to work on tasks with students of similar skill levels."

Students will also have more chance for hands on collaboration with the new "Pass the Chalk" feature which enables the teacher to hand over control of an ongoing demo screen to any student in the class. This unique option will help engage students who will concentrate harder if they know they may be called upon to work on an application, which the rest of the class will see. Other new features in NetOp School include being able to call the class to attention by broadcasting a web page to student PCs while locking student screens, keyboards and mice with a single command. Prior to this new release teachers could broadcast only a text message or bitmap image.

In NetOp School v2.5 classroom management has also been enhanced. Teachers can now automatically include students in ongoing activities if they are joining the class late or invite students to join a class with a text message. Teachers can also create a virtual seating plan using their own classroom-layout and save them individually for each class.

Answering the need for more security, NetOp School now incorporates maintenance passwords for both the teacher and student modules, which would prevent non-authorized users from changing settings or turning off the program. Teachers can also change student settings remotely and re-initialize those PCs with immediate effect. Administrators can now customize the Teacher tool-bar and menus limiting which features they have access too. If a student is authorized, they can also limit access to their PCs by a teacher. This might be helpful in corporate environments.

NetOp School works without any additional hardware, projection system or classroom redesign and installs in less than two minutes. NetOp User Elaine Johnson, who teaches Computer Aided Drafting classes says, "NetOp is the answer for so many people, and I believe in the product and that it is the future for extended learning. We had to do a classroom change in the middle of the semester and move to a different building, our students were devastated throughout the period of time we did not use NetOp, they love it."

NetOp School 2.5 runs on Windows platforms such as Windows XP, 2000, NT, ME, and 95/98 along with Windows Terminal Server 2000/NT4. The program supports popular network protocols NetBIOS, IPX and TCP/IP. NetOp School 2.5 is provided on a CD-ROM with language versions in English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch and Danish.

NetOp School classroom packages are available at prices starting at $639. NetOp products, along with no-charge, toll-free technical support, are available throughout North America directly from the CrossTec Corporation or through our exclusive network of authorized resellers. For a free fully functional evaluation copy and additional information visit the CrossTec Web site at http://www.NetOpUSA.com, call 800-675-0729 (561-391-6560) or e-mail [e-mail].

Look what's new in NetOp School v2.5: http://www.crossteccorp.com/support/resources/NewInNetOpSchool.pdf

See the features and benefits in NetOp School v2.5: http://www.crossteccorp.com/support/resources/NetOp_School_Feature_List. pdf (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field.)