Technology Department Overview
Technology is an integral component of educating our students in the 21st Century. The goal of the District 96 Technology Department is to create and support technology-rich learning environments for our students and staff. The department is dedicated to supporting the district vision of student learning through the seamless implementation and integration of technology.
The District 96 Technology Department plans, implements and maintains the network infrastructure for five schools located in Riverside, Brookfield, and North Riverside. In addition, the department designs professional development and assists teachers with integrating technology tools into the curriculum.
Network Infrastructure
District 96 has a robust, high-speed fiber, 1GBps wide-area network (WAN) between schools, a 300MBps WAN connection to our Administrative Center and a single high-speed fiber, 1GBps connection out to the Internet.
The vast majority of the district's devices connect to the network wirelessly via a Cisco Meraki Wireless Local-Area Network (802.11ac) that was installed in December of 2016. The district recently replaced its network switches in 2018 and 2019, opting for the Cisco Meraki product line for all its switchgear.
The district will complete the installation of (1) outdoor access point at each school by the end of the 2021 fiscal year. This will allow for outdoor Wi-Fi connectivity. This level of service will likely be expanded during the 2021-22 school year.
Classroom Technologies
District 96 has standardized on a set of audio/visual technologies that are available for teacher use in every classroom. Most every classroom in the district is equipped with an Epson BrightLink Projector w/ wireless connectivity, Epson Document Camera, ceiling-mounted audio system and an Epson Control Box that provides centralized control of all three of the aforementioned components.
In grades Kindergarten through Second, classrooms are equipped with carts of student iPads. iPads are distributed to classrooms at a 1:1 ratio. In grades Third and Fourth, each classroom is equipped with carts of student Chromebooks. Chromebooks are also distributed at a 1:1 ratio.
Content Filtering & Data Security
District 96 maintains its Children's Internet Protect Act (CIPA) compliance by providing premise-based and off-site content filtering. While staff and student devices are on-site, the district's Cisco Meraki Firewall provides content filtering services. All student-issued Chromebooks and protected off-site via Securly content filtering services.
Please go to the Student Data Privacy area of our website to learn more about this topic.
The district utilizes Sophos Anti-Virus to protect its devices against viruses and malware. This year the district also successfully implemented a cybersecurity awareness campaign via KnowBe4 services to better educate staff on how to protect their devices, district data, and personal data from e-mail based phishing attacks.