Tim Cook joins Hanoi classroom with iPad-centric lessons

Cook and his entourage arrived at the school in Thanh Xuan District at 8:30 a.m. Following a brief exchange with students and teachers at the school yard, he participated in a lesson where students study with iPads.

Huynh Thi Ngoc Thi, a science teacher who teaches in English, said she felt "honored" to have Cook in the classroom, where students were split into groups to learn about environmental protection, used the iPad to put images into "reduce", "reuse" and "recycle" categories. Cook participated in the lesson and helped two student groups finish the exercise.

"He's amicable, friendly and smiley. The kids were excited," Thi said.

Khuat Thi Thanh Nhan, the school’s principal, said all the teachers were surprised to see Cook.

"He's attentive and cares about education," Nhan said.

Hanoi Star was one of the first in Vietnam to use the iPad as an official tool for teaching. The school has followed the model since 2019, which broadcast lessons from a main classroom to other classrooms through the screen.

Since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, the school has applied a 1:1 teaching model in 10 classes, ranging from third to seventh grade. Each student would have a tablet purchased by parents, and all interactions in the class would be carried out through the device.

Nhan said she "never expected" that Cook would ever make a visit to see a classroom following the model.

"Tim Cook’s visit has motivated the school to continue expanding its tech-applied activities into education," Nhan added.

Cook is taking part in a two-day visit in Hanoi starting Monday. Apple said it seeks to bolster its commitment with Vietnam, raise its spending for suppliers, and provide new developments in initiatives to supply clean water to local schools.