May 14, 2024
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Oswego school board considering system to monitor students’ computer activity

SD308 provides Chromebooks to students in first through 12th grades

By Eric Schelkopf
Karen Stuefen, secretary of the board, thanked the foundation, the district's Executive Director of Technology David Smith and the community for its support of the foundation at the meeting. "Here's one example of how the district is looking at equity of education for all of its students," she said. Superintendent David Moyer thanked the foundation, which, he said, stepped in "immediately" upon Smith's request for funding support for the program. "With all of our Chromebooks and all of our one-to-one, we're redesigning how our instruction looks, and for some of the families who do not have internet in their homes, we wanted to find a way to help support them, and this was one way to do it," Moyer said. "But the funding source that we had identified last year dried up, and so the foundation stepped in and is going to provide these hotspots for families that do not have internet access."

(Shaw Media file photo)

Oswego School District 308 is considering whether to implement a system that would allow teachers to monitor students’ use of Chromebooks.

The issue was discussed at the Jan. 8 school board meeting. The district provides Chromebooks to students in first through 12th grades.

“This is an exciting opportunity and tool that our teachers have the potential of using to help with motivation and also engagement and also some classroom management pieces,” Faith Dahlquist, the district’s associate superintendent for educational services, said in addressing school board members at the meeting.

Dahlquist noted that teachers would not be required to use the monitoring system.

“This is an optional tool,” she said.

Board members plan to discuss the issue further at a future meeting. Brent Kiger, the district’s director of technology and infrastructure, talked to school board members about “Securly Classroom,” an online tool that gives instructors the ability to manage and monitor students’ experiences on their Chromebooks in their classrooms.

The program would cost the district $44,744.16 the first year and $40,047.84 in subsequent years.

“It will help students stay focused,” Kiger said. “The teacher will be able to segment or isolate or group particular websites that can be used during the lesson. It will allow them to lock to one particular website. It also gives the teacher the ability to close tabs that aren’t pertinent to the lesson.”

Securly Classroom also will give teachers the ability to create groups of websites that can’t be assessed by students. In addition, it will allow teachers to shut off devices.

“When devices aren’t needed, the teacher will be able to lock the screen, freeze the screen and make sure they have everyone’s eyes looking at them,” Kiger said.

It can also monitor what is on a student’s screen.

“No longer will the teacher feel like that they need to be in the back of the room to make sure that everybody’s doing what they need to do,” Kiger said.

In addition, the system will allow teachers to send classwide announcements or start chats with individual students. In turn, students will be able to interact directly with their teachers using the system.

“In a case where a student may not feel comfortable in asking the question in front of everybody, well now they can chat with the teacher,” Kiger said.

Seventy-one other school districts in Illinois use Securly Classroom, said Kevin McDonald, the district’s director of information systems and support.