All About GoGuardian

The majority of teachers at Tilden MS are using an extension known as 'GoGuardian'. As you probably are aware, this extension allows students to focus on tasks and allow teachers to track students' screen. But many students argue that this extension brings them stress.

"My teacher closed my English homework via GoGuardian and it was not saved!" Tilden 7th grader

It is obviously not allowed to play games or do other classes work during that class. But, Tilden News Network researched and interviewed about how GoGuardian works, what the opinion of teachers is about GoGuardian, and how to save your work. This article will tell you all that.

'Teachers close all of my tabs, and only to me'.

While GoGuardian is ON... Teachers get a notification if students are visiting a tab that is not supposed to be for more than 20 seconds, teachers usually get the notification - "Off-task alert". Teachers can choose either to close the tab or ignore it and allow the student to use the website. Make sure to close any open tabs not related to your current class. However, if a teacher closes a tab you need to have open, you can use the shortcut 'Ctrl+Shift+T' to reopen it.

According to the TNN interview with teachers, almost all of the teachers allow students to use these websites:

- myMCPS Classroom

- StudentVUE/ParentVUE

- StudySync

-Google Drive (Drive, Docs, and Slides)

-Desmos

-Nearpod

-Kahoot

However, some websites such as Padlet, Blooket, Scratch, and BrainPOP are included in the 'off task' websites category. One teacher said "I know and I believe students are using it for education purposes. But, please do not use that website during my class..."

How to 'save' it?

You can bookmark or add it to the reading list. If you do not visit the website while GoGuardian is on, teachers will probably not close the tab. So, if you are not confident the website is appropriate for your class and teachers, you should 'close the tab' or NOT visit the tab while GoGuardian is ON.

Teachers can view and track your screen.

If GoGuardian is ON, teachers can view and track students' screens. This means teachers can see what site you are on, and how long you spend on it.

Auto Closing Tabs.

Some math teachers and English teachers at Tilden use 'Auto Closing Tabs'. Which closes the tab automatically except for the teacher's allowed website(s). You should save your task or bookmark/add it to the reading list before the class starts.

DO NOT PLAY GAMES!

Tilden News Network, Tilden teachers are NOT encouraging students to play games during the entire school day. Please respect your teachers, and actively participate!

How to See if a GoGuardian Session is Active.

You should see a notification that would say something like "You have joined your class. Welcome!" if a session has just started. You can also pin the GoGuardian extension to see if there is a live session. You will be able to tell if a session is under if the extension is glowing blue. If there is not an active session, the pin will be a grayish color.

TNN hopes that these articles will help both students and teachers and will help you understand how GoGuardian works.