Victorian school tracks students' movements with mobile app

A mobile application that tracks students as they take the school bus and go on excursions is being trialled at a school in Victoria, with peace of mind for parents and administrators as its selling point.

Australian-developed app RollCall captures tag-on and tag-off data when students touch near-field communications (NFC) cards to a RollCall-enabled smartphone. Student attendance can be monitored on the RollCall web and mobile app, which can track the device in motion with students in real time.

The trial is set to take place at Victoria’s Point Cook College, during the school’s Indonesian exchange program, in which students from Indonesia join local students to participate in cultural, educational activities both on and off campus.

Point Cook College principal Frank Vetere said ensuring safety was his number one priority throughout the cultural exchange program.

“RollCall has provided a user-friendly application and reliable technology that will enable us to account for all students and provide concise live reports to meet our accountabilities. The application is adaptable to meet our various needs. We look forward to using RollCall in Indonesia,” he said.

RollCall Safety Solutions director Dean Langenberg said in addition to the peace of mind, the app delivered practical operational insights.

“For the schools, it helps to enhance student safety while at the same time giving them data – such as expected and total bus capacity, exception reporting, as well as the time and location of check on and off events – with which to manage the movements of school children effectively and plan their future capacity requirements,” he said.

RollCall has partnered with remote device management service SOTI MobiControl, which will help keep all RollCall operating devices up to date and networked.

SOTI's Asia Pacific managing director, Adele Beachley, said: "RollCall is using the very latest in mobile technology to elevate the simple concept of taking a headcount or ticking names off a list, to enable schools to safely manage the transportation of school children and give parents greater peace of mind. It is exciting when technology can be used in ways that really touch people on a day-to-day basis."