Tech Levy 2020

For information on the Tech Levy Ad hoc Committee Meetings, please visit www.auburn.wednet.edu/TechLevy2020. Thank you.

2019-2020 Technology Update for Families

Technology Levy Resources Supported Closure

The COVID-19 pandemic provided us an unexpected ending to our school year. With school facilities closed since March 16, teaching and learning went remote! The community’s commitment to provide technology as a key resource for students allowed us to support learning in new ways. With secondary students already assigned individual Chromebooks, our take-home model quickly moved to include elementary students, too. As always, all students could access their district accounts and resources from a school or home computer. During the closure:

72% of elementary students checked out Chromebooks

Over 8,000 Google Meets each week provided virtual class sessions

About 2,865 Google Classrooms organized activities for students weekly

Over 90% of elementary students were ‘connected’ with their teachers each week

More than 2,000 visits a week to the district’s Instructional Technology resources supported teachers

3,612,626 Remind messages were sent to students and families during the closure

February 11, the community passed a Technology Replacement Levy to replace the 2014 Technology Levy that expires this year. The replacement levy will expand 1:1 technology to students in grades K-1, sustain wireless network and infrastructure upgrades, and improve instructional opportunities for students.

Check out our new For Families/Technology web page for resources.

Resource Highlight: Actively Learn

Strong readers interact with their reading! Actively Learn, an online software tool, allows teachers to place questions, feedback, and support directly into articles and novels that students read for class. Use of Actively Learn increased during closure with English Language Arts (ELA) teachers using it for novel studies. This spring 45 teachers used Actively Learn, most often in secondary ELA, social studies, science, and Special Education classrooms. Next year we will have nearly 60 teachers as Ilalko Elementary comes on-board with grades 3, 4, and 5.

Actively Learn is a helpful online tool that helps students understand what they are reading. (Photos of ASD students from Actively Learn.)

Where are your students online?

With more computing devices at home, the school-home partnership for student safety online is more important than ever. Student accounts are not monitored by ASD staff when school is not in session. All parents K-12 have access to the Securly Home portal so parents can monitor their students’ online activities in their student accounts. Parents may also review any bullying or self-harm alerts.

More information is available at this link.

For questions please contact the Department of Technology: helpdesk@auburn.wednet.edu, or call us at 253.931.4940.