Students will be keeping their district-owned iPads over the summer. This allows learning opportunities to continue throughout the summer as needed. As a family, you can also choose to place the iPad in a safe space until school resumes. Just as teachers are the guides of iPads in the classroom, you as parents/guardians monitor and steer digital use at home. This fall, teachers will keep iPads at school until at least the end of November.
Developing a Family Media Plan
While additional digital access can be helpful, it is also important to develop guidelines and expectations about safe and responsible use. Below are tools to help with the development of a family media plan. One strategy to help guide conversations about summer expectations is to create a family media plan by going to bit.ly/3G7ovVL. In the article, Media Use in School-Age Children and Adolescents, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
Children/adolescents get the recommended 1-hour of daily physical activity and adequate sleep (8-12 hours daily);
Children/adolescents not sleep with devices in their bedroom, including televisions, computers, tablets and smartphones;
Designating media-free times (e.g. during meals and at bedtime) and locations (e.g. bedroom and kitchen);
Ongoing communication with children about digital citizenship, and
Developing a network of trusted adults who can engage with children/adolescents through social media and to whom they can turn to if/when they encounter challenges.
Educational Opportunities during the summer: Some subscription-based apps such as Dreambox and IXL will continue to function using the same login information from the school year. However, there may be some exceptions for students who are unenrolling or moving to a different school. Epic will be accessible between the hours of 7 am - 3 pm Monday-Friday using the same login information from the school year.
Learning can happen inside and outside the classroom and extend into the summer months as well. As always, the iPads are a great resource for our students to create their own projects. There are a variety of apps that can help foster students' creativity over the summer that were introduced to them within the classroom by their teacher. Students can thoughtfully use these apps to learn, create, and explore topics of their choice and areas of interest to empower their learning. Some examples could include:
Book Creator: Create their own books describing their summer experiences
Clips: Compile a video about a book they’ve read or a topic they’ve studied
PicCollage: Remember their favorite moments of school or camp with a digital collage
For more information on apps that support this learning see our Student 1:1 website at bit.ly/3yTxAA2.
Limiting Screen Time on Student iPads - Initial Set Up
District 196 limits which iPad apps students can download and uses web filtering to restrict certain internet content. Parents/guardians also have the ability to add additional restrictions and check their student’s iPad use.
Open Screen Time:
Log into your student’s iPad using their personal login code.
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time, then Turn on Screen Time.
Tap This is My Child's iPad.
Continue through Downtime and App Limits based on your family's preferences.
Downtime gives parents the option of disabling the iPad at a certain time (such as right before bedtime). Unless you add apps to the “Always Allowed” list, nothing on the iPad will function during the set downtime period.
App Limits allows you to set use limits for different types of apps. Most apps available on student iPads are used for educational purposes, so this will likely not be necessary.
Set a Screen Time passcode when prompted (recommended). Make a 4-digit passcode you will not share with your child. Type it in twice to activate the passcode. (Note: If you forget your passcode, please contact the school and it can be cleared.)
Screen Time Passcode Recovery will prompt for an Apple ID. No need to enter an Apple ID, select Cancel in the upper left corner and then tap Skip.
Important: When you are finished, press the round home button to exit Screen Time. This ensures your changes are password protected.
Requesting Technical Support:To minimize the potential for damage to devices, it is recommended to store them in a safe location when not being used for educational purposes. If you need technical assistance with your child’s digital device this summer, including repairs, go to https://www.district196.org/techhelp to complete the technology support request form and someone will be in touch with you.
Visit bit.ly/3aicXmK for additional information on iPad care and usage
