Educational Technology is responsible for the development of programs that promote the effective use of classroom technology to enhance the effectiveness of the District's curricula and promote engaged learning to increase student achievement.

• Classroom Modernization — district wide initiative designed to modernize and upgrade the technology and technological capabilities of 2600 classrooms and teachers throughout the district. Improving the technology in classrooms and the technological capabilities of teachers enhances and encourages the integration and use of technology in the daily instructional programs that impact the education and achievement of students in the district. The goal is to equip each classroom with an interactive whiteboard or interactive pad, laptop computer, printer, projector and stand.
• Computer Support Specialist — program builds upon the Digital Service Fellows initiative which offers recent School District of Philadelphia high school graduates the opportunity to serve for one year as Information Technology Apprentices with District master technicians. Computer Support Specialists are primarily recruited from the pool of qualified Digital Service Fellows alumni and graduates of District technology programs.
• Digital Services Fellows — program is designed to meet the growing demand for full-time technology staff to support the needs of teachers and students. This twelve month fellowship program offers high school graduates the opportunity to serve their community while acquiring meaningful technical skills. The program is designed to meet the growing demand for full-time technology staff to support the needs of teachers and students.
• Technology Integration Specialists — provide assistance with the integration of technology in schools, offer consulting advice on purchasing Hardware/Software and technology planning and on purchasing Hardware/Software and technology planning. They provide field based support for technology initiatives and facilitate  technology training programs.
• Effective Utilization of Technology Resources in the Classroom — technology rich activities and resources are available in the IMS resource bank. Linking activities, resources and strategies directly to the Core Curriculum, Professional learning opportunities and on-site support help teachers adopt these new strategies in their own work environment and are available through the planning and scheduling timelines.
• eLearning
  
  • Curriculum Support
  • Webinars

• Parents/Community Technology Initiatives —  The School District of Philadelphia's Community Technology Initiative is a series of projects of the School District of Philadelphia.  The goal of these projects, taken together, is to improve the educational achievement of students in Philadelphia through the home use of technology by students and parents. Altogether, they provide a comprehensive and sustainable approach to using technology to better connect families with each other and their schools in the hopes of improving educational achievement in the City of Philadelphia. To learn more about these programs contact Jay Cohen at familynet@philasd.org or call 215-400-5099.
  • FamilyNet — Online Resources for Parents — website allowing families to access their child’s progress data, report card grades, attendance, test scores and instructional resources. A username and password is required to access this site. Updates on netTrekker usernames and passwords can be assessed from this site. For more information and flyers email familynet@philasd.org.
  • Parent University Computer Classes —  On October 29, 2009, The School District started offering seven weekly evening classes for parents interested in learning basic computer skills. For more information call 215-400-4180 or download the request for information form and e-mail to callcenter@philasd.org Form can also be faxed to 215-400-4181.
  • Computer Afternoon Classes — The School District offers afternoon “drop-in” computer answer sessions in the Parent Resource Center at 440 North Broad Street. Come and ask a question and see if the students from Temple University can answer it. These informal sessions frequently last about an hour. For more information about the computer class and the many other workshops that they offer please call 215-400-7272.
  • Training and Workshops — The School District offers specially scheduled “FamilyNet”, “Basic Computer”, “Getting an Email Address” and “Building a website” training for parents at your school and at 440 North Broad Street. If you have a group of 10 parents or a smaller group who are interested in setting up a website for parents at your school, then Jay Cohen will be happy to arrange a visit to your school for a special training. If you would prefer, Jay Cohen (familynet@philasd.org, 215-400-5099) can also train small and large groups at 440 North Broad Street.
• Philadelphia Technology Resource Network listser. (PTRN) — a community of educators focused on instructional technology.
• Regional technology technicial support and repair — comprehensive webpage providing information on computer and printer support, the Computer Support Specialist and Digital Service Fellow Programs, Office of Educational Technology Department Staff, Exception Request Forms, SDP Antivirus Program and Software Licenses.
• Technology Teacher Leaders (TTLs) – page provides TTLs support with a collection of links most often needed or accessed during the course of a day's work in a School Distrist of Philadelphia computer lab or within a school or building.