Educators from all over the United States will visit Henrico County Public Schools to witness the school division’s successful enhancement of teaching and learning through the integration of technology, including the use of Apple iBooks.
The National School Board Association (NSBA) selected Henrico schools to be one of only two national site visits planned in March 2003. Henrico is the only school system in Virginia ever selected for this honor and only one of a handful in the U.S. selected during the 17-year history of these annual site visits, according to school spokesperson Janet Binns. In 1996, the Henrico school division was awarded NSBA’s prestigious Technology Leadership Network District Salute.
Henrico County Public Schools was chosen for a site visit for many reasons, one of which is the school system’s vision to close the digital divide by providing computers and Internet access to all students, Binns said. Henrico schools recently teamed with Apple and launched the Teaching and Learning Technology Initiative. iBooks were deployed to all high school students and teachers at the beginning of the 2001-02 school year. As we reported this weekend, middle school students and teachers will also utilize laptops beginning next school year.
Henrico is moving away from traditional textbooks and toward delivery of digital content and Internet access in order to prepare students for the 21st century, Binns said.