Smartphones have become a primary tool in our everyday lives, so much so that many schools have introduced mobile technology as a tool to deliver information to both staff and students. Nowadays, it is quite common for schools to use tablets and smartphones as devices for education in the classroom. Recognising the impact mobile technology has had in education, Digistorm identified the gap in the market for customised mobile communication apps for K-12 schools.

Fast forward since launching in 2011, Digistorm now partner with over 300 schools around Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Our fully customised mobile applications, online enrollment portals, websites, and customer relationship systems are rapidly becoming integral elements to school communication, admissions and lead generating processes.

 

Introducing: Schoolbox

Digistorm has an intimate understanding of the digital best practices for schools, we recognised the need to partner with educational learning management systems that allow us to provide a seamless integration and streamline the delivery of user-friendly school software. This prompted our partnership with Schoolbox, a leading LMS provider for K-12 schools in Australia.

Schoolbox provides an integrated virtual learning environment for school, staff, students and parents to communicate in one place. While Schoolbox has a responsive design, they recognised the need to produce a complimentary school app that would allow users to access the LMS on their mobile devices.

This kick started the partnership between Schoolbox and Digistorm. Schoolbox approached Digistorm for support on developing an integrated mobile school app that gave users instant access to real-time information and correspondence. In 2015, the Digistorm App for Schoolbox was officially launched and provided a platform to support the Schoolbox platform. Since its successful launch, over 90 schools have implemented the app and there has been over 300,000 downloads and 4 major update releases.

 

About the Digistorm App

Our school mobile app is customised to suit the entire school community. The Digistorm App assists in the communication efforts made by schools, by allowing staff to instantly send out push notifications and report on relevant news and updates via the app.

Parents can be kept up-to-date with their child's schooling life, by accessing due work, timetables, class information, news updates and other relevant content in one place. For example, parents can choose to be notified when their child receives a grade, extra curricular support or a pastoral note.

 

Why use a Digistorm App over a web browser?

One of the most common questions that we get is, 'why do we need a school app when Schoolbox is mobile responsive?' Using a mobile app makes accessing Schoolbox simple and easy, providing added benefits over using a web browser. 

  • Improved user accessibility: The app includes touch ID, so that users can simply click on the login button, rather than having to re-authenticate every time they want to access the app.
  • Push Notifications: Notifications are triggered and sent based on a user's role and group, so that the content is always targeted and relevant. Users can individually adjust the way they are notified, providing the school hasn't chosen to force push notifications for that particular module.
  • Everything in one place: Users can access all platforms and school webpages using just the one interface. The Digistorm App can be integrated with multiple systems, not just Schoolbox - providing your community with a single dashboard for everything that they may need. 
  • Custom design: Digistorm App is customised to meet individual school's branding and design. The familiarity with the platform ensures the school app will be regularly used and increases overall engagement.
  • Customised interface based on user preferences: We are able to identify what each user wants to see on-the-go on their device, and display that on the school app interface.

 

Digistorm and Schoolbox will continue to work together to give users the best school app experience possible, making it simple and easy for parents, staff and students to use. Our shared mission means the Digistorm App will be streamlined and will evolve over time to deliver industry-leading innovation and educational development.

Published 9 October 2020