'DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR' TO PRESENT AT INTERNATIONAL APPLE CONFERENCE

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July 8, 2022

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Notre Dame Lower School tech teacher participating in prestigious Apple Festival of Learning says working at NDPMA is a "complete joy."

Technology specialist and teacher Andy Hopkins has been helping Notre Dame Lower School students and teachers with computers and tablets since 2018.

In 1995, Apple Computer created the Apple Distinguished Educators (ADE) program to recognize K–12 and higher-education pioneers who are using Apple technology to transform teaching and learning. Apple said at the time that "these are the educators who are looking to change the world." 

While Notre Dame Lower School technology specialist and teacher Andy Hopkins, who was named an Apple Distinguished Educator, may not be changing the world wholesale (oh, if we could be so lucky), he is helping Notre Dame's youngest students and their teachers with the technology they need today and preparing them for the technology they will need in the future.

That's why Hopkins is once again playing a leading role in Apple's latest ADE Festival of Learning, where he and other tech teachers and specialists learn and connect virtually as a community of educators using Apple technology for day-to-day school activities. The "festival" runs through July 20 with Hopkins presenting July 18.

He's attended such events in the past, but this is this first time he is presenting.

International expertise

"The presentation will be a panel discussion with myself and two other teachers, one from Ireland and one from California, on how we use the new Apple Teacher Portfolio to drive professional development with staff during the school year," he said. "In November of 2021, NDLS teachers Donna Stuk, Patty Wyza and I led a staff PD at the on how to use the Apple Teacher program's portfolio to 'activate,' 'explore' and 'apply' knowledge by using technology as part of the learning process. The goal is to give teachers creative ideas on how to integrate technology into their lessons."

Hopkins said that PD was a success and, as a result, teachers at the lower school came up with some very creative activities and projects for their students. 

"In fact," he added, "the various projects students have completed since then were used as part of the lower school's application to renew our Apple Distinguished School status, which was filed in June."

Career started on east side

Hopkins first came to NDPMA in 2018 after 25 years working in the Harper Woods, Mich., school district as a teacher and tech specialist. He also was responsible for many improvements in the district, which led to it becoming the first in Wayne County to become a 1:1 device district. 

But he wasn't always a tech guy.

"My career started in Harper Woods as a seventh-grade social studies teacher as well as a fourth-grade teacher of a number of subjects," said Hopkins, who hold a BS degree in education from Wayne State University and an EdS (education specialist) certification in instructional technology, also from WSU. "But for the last five years at Harper Woods, I was the entire district’s technology specialist."

In that role, Hopkins, who has always specialized in Apple products, did staff training on iPads and MacBooks, worked with teachers on class projects and helped the IT department set up and maintain devices district-wide. In 2016, he was named a special "Digital Innovator" by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which means he was a part of a community of PreK-12 educators who are "thought-leaders and classroom change-makers," according to PBS.

Since coming to Notre Dame four years ago, Hopkins has overseen much in the way of technology improvements including  those at the lower school.

"I've been amazed at the amount of updates that the lower school has had over the years," he said. "In addition to becoming a 1:1 iPad school for the students, the teachers also all have received iPad Pros. This is very helpful as we work on projects and activities that get shared with student."

A complete joy

He said each student also is given a Logitech Crayon (stylus) for iPad, which allows them to write or draw on their iPad and reduces the amount of paper copies that normally would be made. Also, each classroom has new projectors, sound systems and Apple TV that allow teachers to stream content, share their device and for students to share their creations to the classroom.

Hopkins hopes to be able to share his ADE Festival of Learning presentation with the NDPMA community at some point, but in the meantime, he's preparing for and looking forward to another great school year.

"Working at NDPMA and the lower school has been such a great experience for me," he said. "The teachers are professional and collaborative, and the administration is super supportive in our shared goal of educating our students in the best ways possible. It truly is a complete joy to work at Notre Dame."

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.