Letter from the
Chief Information Officer

Roger J. Brunelle
May, 2012

Welcome and thanks for visiting our website! As we near the end of the 2011-2012 school year, I want to provide you with another update on some of our key initiatives and activities across the District.

Over the past year and continuing into this summer, the iT203 Infrastructure and Instructional Technology teams have been working closely with school administrators and staff to reduce and eliminate disparities that historically have existed across our District related to the types and amount of school-based technologies to which our students have access.

It is our firm belief that we should provide a consistent, relevant and productive technology and learning experience for all students and teachers, regardless of what school they attend or where they work. Examples of these types of technologies include interactive SMART Boards, audio enhancement systems and document camera systems as well as laptops, tablets, desktops and similar devices that are used to assist in delivering District curriculum and transforming the learning experience.

I am very pleased to report that we have now leveled access to these technologies across the District as a result of improved planning, vendor and order management process enhancements, centralized budgeting, implementation and support of these technologies. We are currently visiting each school to communicate our strategy, progress and future intentions in this area. Our District now has SMART Boards in almost all core classrooms. We also have audio enhancement systems in all Kindergarten through 2nd grade rooms and have achieved our target student-to-PC ratio of 3:1 (students per computing device) across all schools. This ratio is our intended baseline that will serve as a launching point to formally pilot “bring your own device” in the District. We have also re-defined the “mix” of computing devices available to students by incorporating iPads, netbooks and e-readers. In fact, by the start of our next school year the District will have deployed over 800 iPads throughout the schools. This summer we will be adding audio enhancement systems to all District 3rd grade classrooms as we expand this highly effective technology further.

While having these technologies in place is of great advantage to teachers and students, we understand that to reap the most benefit from them we must partner effectively with the talented Teaching and Learning staff throughout the District. This helps ensure that appropriate training and resources are provided to teachers to optimize the use, integration and positive impact of these technologies for student benefit. This effort has and continues to move forward through our close partnerships and efforts of our Technology Integration Specialists (TISs).

For more information, click the links below:

Technology Integration Specialists (TISs)

SMART Boards

Audio Enhancement Systems

Several other exciting technology initiatives are underway in District 203. We are currently working on another transformative project aimed at increasing the ability to proactively monitor District security cameras and provide a safer environment for staff and students. This summer we will be installing a new mobile security monitoring application along with replacing and increasing the security cameras at Naperville North High School. (Naperville Central had newer cameras installed as part of the recent renovations.) This new mobile solution will allow key District administrative staff to view live streaming of all cameras at both high schools from any mobile device such as iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. Staff with appropriate security rights will be able to play back video, take snapshot photos of video streaming and (in some instances) remotely maneuver cameras while being able to do all of this without being connected to the District network. This solution offers highly mobile proactive access to the security camera feeds and can be quickly configured in the event of a crisis situation to allow access by the Naperville Police Department. Following this implementation, we intend to expand this offering with a pilot at the junior high school level next year. This initiative is a great example of our new Innovation Process at work!

In the Student Information System area, we have now enabled the mobile Infinite Campus application for Apple iPads, iPods, and iPhones as well as for Android-based smartphones. This application provides quick and easy access to key Student Information System information including a high-level grade summary. See the Communications Systems page for more information about how to obtain these applications for your particular device

Additionally, a cross-functional team is developing the strategy to implement electronic transfer of student transcripts to colleges for the next school year. This is being done via the Infinite Campus system, which is integrated with our Docufide and Naviance systems.

Currently the District is very close to selecting solutions from the Request for Proposal finalists for two key District applications (Learning Management System and Special Education System). After collaborative, robust and thorough evaluations that included formal vendor responses, in-person system demonstrations, piloting and reference checking, we will shortly be announcing selections and beginning the implementation planning for these systems. I will update this letter when these decisions are formalized. The process of updating current District systems represents the continued focus on transforming our District’s application solutions and improving functionality, productivity and capabilities across all key District areas.

We are fortunate to have such talented staff and a supportive community as we continue to pursue our Information Technology Mission which is:

To Enable the NCUSD 203 Mission by providing:

“World Class Innovative Technologies and Stellar Service
in an Effective and Efficient Manner”