APPLE 'COACH' FOR LOWER SCHOOL

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March 24, 2022 

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Tech teacher Andy Hopkins will use new certification to further "coach" lower school colleagues on Apple technology.

Andy Hopkins, Notre Dame Lower School technology teacher, recently completed a five-month program to become an Apple Learning Coach. This is a new program by Apple that offers free professional learning that trains instructional coaches, digital learning specialists, and other coaching educators to help teachers effectively use Apple technology in the classroom. 

Hopkins, who first came to Notre Dame in 2018, attended a mix of self-paced lessons and virtual workshop sessions with Apple professional learning specialists. 

“I came away from this program with many tools and resources to create actionable plans with teachers on how to integrating technology into their classrooms”, he said. “I was able to connect with educators across the nation, and really develop my skill set, it was a great experience.”

The Apple Learning Coach Program has now become a nationwide program. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) published a report today certifying that Apple Learning Coach earns a Seal of Alignment to its coaching standards. The report states that Apple Learning Coach "is well designed, highly professional in approach, easy to navigate," and further notes that the program "contributes to the pedagogically robust use of technology for teaching and learning," and demonstrates it does "consciously, purposefully and meaningfully support best practices for digital age teaching and learning."

Before Notre Dame, Hopkins served for 25 years as a tech specialist and teacher in the Harper Woods, Mich, school district. 

In 2016, Hopkins was named a special Digital Innovator by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which means he was deemed part of a community of PreK-12 educators who are thought-leaders and classroom change-makers.

In that role, Hopkins did staff training on iPads and MacBooks, worked with teachers on class projects and helped the Harper Woods IT department set up and maintain devices district-wide. 

In 2017, Hopkins was named an Apple Distinguished Educator, which means he was one of a only a relative few in the world recognized as K–12 and higher-education pioneers who are using Apple technology to transform teaching and learning.

He's appreciative of the many new, different and non-traditional educational opportunities that Notre Dame and its International Baccalaureate curriculum offers to both students and teachers.

"I went into education in the first place to help others," he said. "During my own schooling I was not what you would a call a traditional learner. However, during this time, the only option for learning was the existing traditional environment. Now, in my role as a teacher and technology specialist, I like to create learning environments that help all learners, not just traditional learners." 

Hopkins also appreciates the many creative options that Apple products inherently offer to students.

"I have a lot of experience with Apple products," he said. "and I thoroughly enjoy doing creative activities with the kids and their iPads. They really give them the ability to express themselves in their own voice. I also feel it makes for a much deeper learning experience." 

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

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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.