Our Apple School comes to life

School

Teacher,

Victoria Mauala, is one of our fantastic Junior School teachers, and a qualified Apple Teacher. She’s currently completing her Apple Coaching accreditation and is passionate about the learning programme. She is accompanied by her Junior School colleague and fellow Old Girl, Bella Ali.

We sat down with them to talk about the Apple School Learning programme, and the benefits for both students and teachers alike.

Thirty years in the making

‘Apple School’ may conjure up images of teachers wearing black turtleneck sweaters and slick headset microphones, with the latest Apple devices in-hand. In reality, this globally acclaimed accreditation provides ground-breaking, practical resources, designed to help students and educators improve their understanding of all-things-digital, and importantly, to help students become the best students they can be.

It all started in 1995, when Apple created the Apple Distinguished Schools (ADS) programme, using Apple tech and applications to assist teachers and children with learning tools in US-based classrooms.

“Since then, the programme has grown exponentially and Apple now has specialists across the world,” explains Victoria.

Apple representatives integrate their educational applications and lessons into local curricula and empower educators to be digitally proficient. There are currently 728 Apple Schools across 36 countries.

To carry the title of an Apple School, or to be an accredited Apple Teacher, is a formal process.

How accreditation works

Our staff work with an Apple team who are focused on Australian and New Zealand Apple Schools, who have adjusted their programmes to complement our local curriculum. This includes incorporating Te Reo and tikanga concepts into learning modules.

“I love the diversity element, that it connects the girls to the world, fuels their creativity, and has made their learning more personal,” says Victoria.

To become accredited and access the exclusive Apple tools, schools must prove several detailed factors, such as a wellestablished one-to-one programme using Apple devices and using apps effectively, such as Apple books and other digital learning resources.

Also, faculties need to prove proficiency with iPad or Mac – with teachers being accredited as individuals, called ‘Apple Teachers’.

Victoria has been an Apple Teacher for six years (and is now becoming an Apple Coach), and Bella is gaining more and more Apple training credits all the time.

“Every St Cuthbert’s teacher is at a different level, but everyone is supporting each other and becoming very proficient,” says Bella. “And it’s a great thing to have on your CV.”

Victoria adds, that for full accreditation, schools also need to show they are actively measuring the progress, success and next steps of the school’s technology program. “Overall, it’s quite a process to get accredited and continue to upskill our teachers. But it’s clearly paying off for the girls.”

Apple integration in our classrooms

At St Cuthbert’s, Junior students start with individual iPads from Year 2, and it’s an incremental process year-on-year using them in school activities.

“It’s far from a passive act of sitting on an App and playing games,” reassures Victoria. "It’s all about complementing our well-established formal learning.”

“As girls get older, lessons might include practical tasks, like interactive videos, writing and math tools, or creative tasks using multiple applications,” adds Bella.

A recent example is a Year 6 nature walk which another teacher has planned, using a lesson plan through the Apple Education Community. Students were asked to take a photo, edit it, then use the Apple design programme ‘Keynote’ to produce a piece of art, then write a poem and record a voice-over.

“Other examples are the helpful spelling programmes, or templates for structured literacy,” says Victoria.

Victoria points out that accessibility is another key benefit for our neurodiverse learners. “Some Apple programmes can help to support students with dyslexia, for example, by using dictation and voice recognition software, and spell check, to help remove any barriers,” she says.

Our Digital Citizenship Programme (outside of Apple) also supports parents and children around the appropriate use of technology, which our teachers acknowledge as critical.

“Safety goes hand-in-hand with device use,” says Victoria. “As the girls become adults, we will lose control over their online behaviour. They must simply learn to monitor and empower themselves.”

Teaching for the future

Victoria and Bella point out that Apple Learning ties into our school Strategic Direction – where one of the five key principles is to ‘teach for the future’.

It’s a clear example of how St Cuthbert's is supporting every girl to fulfil her potential, to unlock her creativity and critical thinking, and setting foundations early for intellectual growth.

In the six years since the Apple School implementation, students are really developing in their digital literacy, thanks to programmes like Apple Learning.

Sam Langatuki, Head of Technology, is impressed with the enthusiasm, creativity, and digital prowess of girls emerging into Senior technology classes.

“It’s heartening to see the growth of students moving through the Junior programmes and initiatives such as this one, which help them develop into confident and engaged Digital Creatives,” says Sam. “It’s such a great foundation for their innovation and design skills.”

At this point of our chat, it’s tempting to bring out an over-used Steve Jobs quote, but we feel that Bella says it best, “We just can’t wait to see more St Cuthbert’s Apple Students emerge into their Senior years... and beyond!”