Digital Backpack

The SFUSD Digital Backpack is the collection of applications which have been vetted for student data privacy and ease of use.

We ask that all SFUSD educators join us in protecting students' rights to privacy by only using Backpack apps, and encouraging others to do the same. Apps that are not in the Backpack have not been vetted for student data privacy, and asking students to share information with those applications - even just their email or first name - may be a violation of students' moral and legal rights. We appreciate your partnership in protecting student privacy.

The applications that have been vetted for student data privacy are listed on the approved applications page. Please follow the instructions on that page before using applications - even free applications. Using other methods to obtain applications is a violation of SFUSD legal and business policies.

Who Is This For?

This page is intended primarily for teachers and Digital Learning Facilitators (DLeaF's), and focuses on accessing Backpack resources.

Site and Departmental administrators will mostly use the Contracts page, which contains information on purchasing and adding Backpack resources using Master Services Agreements and Individual Services Agreements (ISA's).

Key Concepts for the Digital Backpack

Approved Applications and Student Data Privacy Protection Link to this section

Digital Backpack apps are approved for use by SFUSD Legal and the Department of Technology. The vetting process focuses on student data privacy protection. Please be a champion for protecting student data privacy, by only using approved apps and by encouraging others to do the same. Please see the list of approved applications for information on approved apps and how to access them. Apps that are not on this list, and which collect any student information whatsoever should not be used in the classroom: those applications may sell the students' information or use it for marketing purposes. A process for requesting the approval of new apps is coming, and we appreciate your patience.

Please note that many approved applications still require payment or activation to be accessible by students and teachers. The list of approved applications contains details on how to do so.

Easy to Access (with Clever) Link to this section

Digital Backpack apps are easy to access and manage, typically through Clever. Clever is a free tool accessible at clever.sfusd.edu. Here are some useful things that Clever does:

• It automatically transmits student, teacher, and class information to applications so you don't have to enter them or keep them up to date
• It consolidates student learning applications in one place, so students always know where to find things
• Teachers, school administrators, DLeaF's, and other designated individuals can customize the whole school's Clever page by adding links and other information
• Students in 4th-12th grade log in to Clever with their Google credentials, and don't need to memorize any other information
• Students in PK-3d grade log in to Clever with "Clever Badges" (see below), and don't need to memorize or type anything
• Clever can be used at home

To learn more about using Clever in your classroom, we recommend the Clever Academy. It has short, online courses for all levels, including certificates of completion. (We do not recommend the Clever Academy for administrators at this time.)

Please note that not all approved applications are accessed through Clever, and that some applications require payment or activation before use. The list of approved applications contains details on how to access approved applications.

Note 2: teachers and administrators may not see certain apps in Clever if they do not have students rostered to them. We recommend logging into the Clever accounts of several students at different grade levels to see what apps they have access to, or submitting a help ticket to help@sfusd.edu to ask what apps are available at your school.

Camera Logins with Clever Badges Link to this section

Students in PK-3d grade can access Clever using Clever Badges - printed QR codes that they show to the camera. To learn more, visit the teacher's guide to Clever Badges.

Students with badges can also use them to log in to Chromebooks (instead of using Guest Mode or typing in their username and password). The teacher's guide to Clever Badges and the SFUSD Chromebook Guide also cover logging in to Chromebooks.

Additionally, students can use badges to access Google apps at home without typing their username and password. Simply navigate to clever.sfusd.edu, click the button to log in with a badge, and click the Google links on the student's Clever page. Please note that students will also need to manually log out of both Google and Clever.

Easy to Add Applications Link to this section

Not all approved applications will be visible to students and educators. In some cases, this is because the educator does not have a section associated to them in Synergy, so we recommend checking several student accounts from different grade levels to confirm what is available. Many applications, however, need to be paid for or activated. Please view our list of approved applications to see how to pay and/or activate approved applications that require it. Please also see the Contracts page for information on purchasing paid applications with an Individual Service Agreement (ISA).