County Schools Wins Tech Award
November 12, 2018
Superintendent Scheikl Also Recognized
By MEGAN WILLIAMS
Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — Rockingham County Public Schools has been recognized for its digital conversion initiative. The division and its superintendent were honored by the Virginia Society for Technology in Education. The organization is the state arm of the Consortium for School Networking, the professional association for school system technology leaders.
This is the first year these awards have been given. Winners were announced at the end of October.
Rockingham County Public Schools received the District Team Award.
According to a press release from the VSTE, the award was given to the school division “in recognition of the five-year digital conversion that focused on enhancing student learning by providing access to digital tools and resources whenever and wherever they are needed.”
This is the last year of the implementation of the initiative, which provided most students with personal devices, including Chromebooks, to take home.
Superintendent Oskar Scheikl received the Empowered Superintendent Award. The award recognizes an “exceptional district superintendent who serves as a true empowered leader, leveraging and championing technologies in the classroom and throughout the district to transform their school district,” according to a press release.
The awards were given at a recent event, Scheikl said.
“I was surprised we received two awards,” he said.
The school division did not nominate itself for the award. The Virginia Society for Technology Education researched school divisions across the state that are using technology in innovative ways and not just for the sake of introducing technology to the classroom, according to its website.
“Some school divisions just want to have devices because it’s flashy technology,” Scheikl said. “But we think it needs to transform the learning environment.”
Five years ago, when Rockingham schools began the process, the question at the heart of the matter wasn’t “what devices are we going to use?” but “how do we enhance lessons by using these devices?” Scheikl said.
It’s this mentality that he feels attracted the attention of the Virginia Society for Technology Education.
The School Board is looking forward to what the next five years will look like when it comes to technology and will approve a new five-year plan.
State award winners will be nominated for national awards, which will be announced in April.
The national selection will be based on community- building initiatives, innovation inside and outside the classroom, sizeable impact, and partnership development.
By MEGAN WILLIAMS
Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — Rockingham County Public Schools has been recognized for its digital conversion initiative. The division and its superintendent were honored by the Virginia Society for Technology in Education. The organization is the state arm of the Consortium for School Networking, the professional association for school system technology leaders.
This is the first year these awards have been given. Winners were announced at the end of October.
Rockingham County Public Schools received the District Team Award.
According to a press release from the VSTE, the award was given to the school division “in recognition of the five-year digital conversion that focused on enhancing student learning by providing access to digital tools and resources whenever and wherever they are needed.”
This is the last year of the implementation of the initiative, which provided most students with personal devices, including Chromebooks, to take home.
Superintendent Oskar Scheikl received the Empowered Superintendent Award. The award recognizes an “exceptional district superintendent who serves as a true empowered leader, leveraging and championing technologies in the classroom and throughout the district to transform their school district,” according to a press release.
The awards were given at a recent event, Scheikl said.
“I was surprised we received two awards,” he said.
The school division did not nominate itself for the award. The Virginia Society for Technology Education researched school divisions across the state that are using technology in innovative ways and not just for the sake of introducing technology to the classroom, according to its website.
“Some school divisions just want to have devices because it’s flashy technology,” Scheikl said. “But we think it needs to transform the learning environment.”
Five years ago, when Rockingham schools began the process, the question at the heart of the matter wasn’t “what devices are we going to use?” but “how do we enhance lessons by using these devices?” Scheikl said.
It’s this mentality that he feels attracted the attention of the Virginia Society for Technology Education.
The School Board is looking forward to what the next five years will look like when it comes to technology and will approve a new five-year plan.
State award winners will be nominated for national awards, which will be announced in April.
The national selection will be based on community- building initiatives, innovation inside and outside the classroom, sizeable impact, and partnership development.
