Technology

Inside District 401's classrooms, technology plays a crucial role in preparing our students to be 21st-century learners. Our teachers actively pursue new ways of blending devices and apps with innovative instruction to enhance student learning.

To help make all of this and more possible, the Technology Department provides essential hardware, software and infrastructure support to faculty, staff, administrators and students.

Please note that the Technology Department is not the same as District 401's Instructional Technology Department, which is a separate entity. The distinction between the two departments is described below in "How Technology and Instructional Technology Differ."

Technology Department Staff

The Technology Department reports to Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations/CSBO Mr. James Jennings. The department's staff consists of:

Under Mr. Kinane's direction, the department maintains a support line for District employees who encounter technology problems. Employees can submit questions and requests for help by using the following email address: support@epcusd401.org.  

Technology's Role as a Department

Our network administrators and technology specialists work to ensure that District 401's infrastructure can meet the demands of a technology-rich learning environment.

This includes providing support for any of the following:

  • Network and connectivity issues
  • Hardware and device issues, including Chromebooks, phones, projectors, printers
  • Information security issues, including student and staff login issues
  • Software issues except for those related to Google and similar apps
  • Use of the PowerSchool student information system
  • Use of the Mastery Manager student growth module

As noted above, District employees can submit requests for help by using the following email address: support@epcusd401.org.

For more information about requesting technology support, please click here.

How Technology and Instructional Technology Differ

As noted above, the Technology Department and District 401's Instructional Technology Department are separate entities. The latter is headed by Mr. Aaron Celmer, Director for Instructional Technology.

Although both departments work for the common purpose of providing the District with the best technology environment possible, their specific areas of focus differ.

The Technology Department concentrates on network infrastructure, connectivity, information security, hardware and non-Google software support, data management, the PowerSchool student information system and the Mastery Manager student growth module.

The IT Department concentrates on instructional practices and how technology can be used to impact teaching and learning. IT also provides support on Google app-related issues. The IT Department reports to the District's Director for Curriculum & Instruction.

1:1 Implementation and Beyond

District 401's commitment to technology was underscored in 2016 with the adoption of the District Technology Initiative. Under this plan, each Elmwood Park High School student was equipped with a Chromebook beginning in August 2018, followed by 1:1 implementation at Elm Middle School in January 2019.

Meanwhile, Elmwood and John Mills elementary schools benefited from the movement of existing laptop carts from the high school and middle school, so that all teachers and students received increased opportunities for the instructional uses of technology throughout the day.

Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of remote instruction, District 401 has effectively become 1:1.

In addition, the use of Google educational apps has saturated the District, with grades 3-12 operating under Google Classroom. (Grades K-2 use Seesaw.)

For More Information

To learn more about technology in D401 and the role played by the Technology Department as well as the Instructional Technology Department, we invite you to visit the pages listed below, or click the links on the left-hand side of this page.