Dear Families & Students,
As we are preparing for the 2020-2021 school year we want to remind parents of resources available for district issued devices and key information to share out with our families.
Below you will see information on the following topics:
iLearn 1:1 Deployment
Instructional Technology Tools
iLearn student bootcamp schedule and resources
Virtual Support and Notification of Online Platforms
Filtering devices with Securly
District Acceptable Use and App policy and information
Partnership with Oak Park Public Library
Technology Policies
How to contact technical support
While we know and would like the start of the year to look and feel a little different we will continue to provide the access, information and support for all students and families with the technology resources.
iLearn 1:1 Deployment
Through our CARES funding and grants we have purchased additional devices to ensure that all District 97 students will have devices during the 2020-21 school year. Students in grades K-5 will have iPads and students in grades 6-8 will have Chromebooks. Our schools and the district’s technology department distributed devices during the week of Aug. 24.
Instructional Technology Tools
Our district staff have been working to organize and put together a focused list of applications and when/how they may be used throughout the learning process. Here is a link to those tools with hyperlinked resources/training materials to help familiarize yourself with the various online tools.
Please note that we will have many resources available online for K-5 via this link: https://sites.google.com/op97.org/ilearn-97/home?authuser=0
We will also have a shortcut link on the students device that can be found on the first screen and looks like an app titled D97 Get Started Guide on ipads.
iLearn Bootcamp Sessions
Attached are two folders containing information for elementary and middle school (accessible for building staff via Canvas) boot camp sessions that correspond with the deployment/distribution schedule above and have been updated for the 2020-2021 school year. These sessions will build upon those we have held in recent years regarding digital citizenship, care and purpose of the technology, exploration of technology and acceptable use activity.
While our plan is to distribute the student devices during the first full week of school, students will only receive their devices if they complete and turn in the AUP form online during registration (K-8 form). We will work with the building office staff on the distribution of devices to students who turn their forms in after the deadline.
Virtual Support with Audio/Video Conferencing & Notification
Please review the following documents regarding audio/visual conferencing during remote learning:
- Notification to Families about Virtual Support with Audio/Video Conferencing
- District 97 PreK-8 Video Guidelines and Tips
Internet Filtering Outside of District
With the addition of Securly, students will now need their Google username and password to access the Internet or any Internet-based app when using their district device on a non-district network. For example, if students need to work in Google docs via a wifi connection while outside the district, they will need to go to Safari first. From there, they will be prompted to login to Securly with their Google username and password. They will need to type in their entire email address, including the @students.op97.org. Once they do this, they will be able to use Safari or any Internet-based apps on that network on a daily basis. Each day, they will need to login again through Safari to regain access to the network. They will also need to complete the login process if they switch at any point to another non-district network. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.
This year will be the fourth year we have offered the Securly Parent Portal to families. We have piloted with a handful of families over the last two years and received positive feedback. Here is a link to more information about the Parent Portal. If you are interested in using the Securly Parent Portal please complete this form. More information to come to staff and families in the coming weeks.
District Acceptable Use Policy and Reminder of App/Program Practice
This year we have included the acceptable use policy parent/family sign off during the registration process and will not be sending forms home. The technology department will work with the building office staff to get a complete export of the data in this field from PowerSchool/Infosnap. Only students that have parent(s)/families that have agreed to this will have accounts created and device distributed on the device distribution day. Students in grades three through eight will not receive their district-issued devices if their parent(s)/guardian(s) did not agree to the district AUP terms during registration, which can be accessed by clicking here. We also cannot create any new student accounts until we have confirmation that these forms have been returned in accordance with the law, more specifically FERPA and COPPA.
Partnership with Oak Park Public Library
Our access to the databases that are managed by the Oak Park Public Library (OPPL) will be managed in the same way in 2019-2020 as they were in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. All students, faculty and staff who want to use the databases must have a library card that is issued by the Oak Park Public Library. Both the card number and a PIN number will need to be entered whenever people utilize this resource. Here is a link to information from the OPPL regarding all of the services and resources that will be available to our students via these databases
We are partnering with the OPPL on the creation and distribution of library cards for students who want/need them. As part of this process, we asked families via InfoSnap to let us know if they wanted us to provide OPPL with information that could be used to create library cards for their children, if they already had a card or if they chose not to share their information. We have already signed a data sharing agreement and sent over the names of nearly 1100 students whose families requested assistance with the creation of library cards. We will provide the OPPL with any additional card requests that we receive from our families. Once the cards are ready, OPPL will bring them to me, and I will get them to each building. I anticipate this will happen in the next few weeks.
Policies, Procedures and Protocols
Please review the district’s acceptable use policy and the procedures and protocols associated with creating accounts for students.
Technical Support & Resources
Technical support for devices and apps will be available all summer long. Please reach out to the Technology Department through the Help Desk here. Also please visit this website for specific resources regarding technology.