In District 123, technology is a tool that is utilized to provide students with dynamic learning opportunities.
District 123 believes technology plays a significant role in the learning process for students. As such, we strive to equip students with the tools necessary to engage critical 21st century skills.
The district provides each student in grades 3-8 with a netbook during the school day, and the district also provides parents the opportunity to purchase a device over a three year term. Along with providing the devices, the district offers focused professional development opportunities for staff members through job-embedded experiences with our two district instructional technology coaches to explore the powerful ways these devices can be used to help students engage the learning process. The devices run open-source, free software that are available for families to download on home computers. Details of the initiative, including specifics about the purchase program and free software can be found on the pages listed below.
Students in grades preK-2 are also presented with the opportunity to learn through the use of technology. Each school is equipped with one cart of iPads to help primary students learn key literacy and numeracy skills, and a grade-level cart of netbooks is available at grades one and two at each elementary building. Each elementary school also has two MacBook carts, and the middle school has six MacBook carts for students to create higher-level multimedia projects that require the use of the higher powered machines.
All the technology integrated as part of this initiative does not supplant the core foundational learning skills already being addressed through our curriculum, but rather, allows students to learn the foundations and beyond through the powerful use of technology.