Instructional Technology

Our Mission: The mission of the D65 Instructional Technology Team is to support staff by providing information, training, and resources that promote the district vision to inspire students creativity, academic achievement, personal growth, and positive contributions to a global society.

Through professional development opportunities and ongoing support, teachers will develop the skills to incorporate technology and facilitate experiences that will inspire student innovation and continuous improvement.

Device Distribution

In District 65, students in grades K-3 and 5-8 each receive an iPad, while students in 4th grade receive a Chromebook for instructional purposes. Please note that we will transition to a uniform 1:1 platform using iPads in the 2025-26 school year. At that time, incoming 5th graders will swap their Chromebooks for iPads, resulting in all K-8 students having 1:1 iPads. Students enrolled at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center have access to shared iPads based on classroom instruction. Device distribution may be adjusted as needed to accommodate students’ unique and individual learning needs.

Approved Learning Platforms for Students

In District 65, we use the Learn Platform which is a system that lists the approved applications and learning platforms for student use. Applications and learning platforms listed in District 65’s Learn Platform library displays their respective SOPPA compliance, grade level usage, approval status, and the subject area that each platform supports.

View the approved learning platform for student use.

Interactive Learning Platforms

	Students and educators use the following interactive learning platforms to support their daily learning activities. Students and educators in grades K-2 utilize Seesaw for Schools to engage in various digital learning activities.
	Students and educators in grades 3-8 utilize Google Classroom to share resources and complete digital learning tasks. Both Seesaw and Google Classroom can be used on iPads and web-based devices, such as Chromebooks.
	All students and educators utilize the single sign-on platform, Clever. Students and educators can access Clever through the Clever app on iPads or the Clever login page on a web browser. Through Clever, students can access a variety of online resources that they have access to, without having to input additional login information. Learn more about accessing Clever.

Standards

Digital citizenship and literacy are integral components of our educational approach. District 65 ensures that students develop essential digital literacy skills through:

K-5 Internet Safety Education: Integrated into the K-5 Library curriculum as part of Research & Digital Literacy units.
6-8 Digital Literacy Instruction: Aligned with the Illinois Standards Aligned Instruction for Libraries (I-SAIL) Standard #3, ensuring students understand the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities in a digital world.
Ongoing Curriculum Development: We continue to develop resources that support digital literacy across all grade levels, aligned with ISTE student standards, including digital citizenship.

Digital citizenship and literacy are integral parts of our educational approach. The district adheres to Illinois Instructional Mandates, including teaching Internet Safety Education through our K-5 Library curriculum as part of the Research & Digital Literacy units. In grades 6-8, we incorporate the Digital Literacy Illinois Standards Aligned Instruction for Libraries (I-SAIL) Standard #3 through our library curricular resources.
Educators have access to resources created to support the integration and intentional teaching of computer literacy skills, including technical skills, data security, and privacy. These resources, which will be available for educators to incorporate in their teaching in grades K-8 across content areas, align with the Illinois Instructional Mandates on Computer Literacy.

As we continue to integrate instructional technology across the curriculum, we are working to align learning opportunities with the ISTE student standards, including the Digital Citizenship standards (1.2), to ensure that students develop essential digital literacy skills. Our instructional technology team in the district is actively working to incorporate these standards when integrating technology into learning opportunities, further reinforcing the importance of responsible and informed technology use.

ISTE Standards
Our digital literacy efforts are aligned with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) student standards, including Digital Citizenship (Standard 1.2), to ensure that students are equipped with the skills to navigate the digital world responsibly and safely.

Contact

To contact the Instructional Technology Department, please call (847) 859-8031.

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