As one of only 40 Showcase Schools nationwide, Notre Dame receives access to special resources and benefits from Microsoft and will be tapped to share its practices with other schools.
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy has been selected by Microsoft as a 2018-19 Microsoft Showcase School in recognition of its successes in integrating educational technology in the classroom to the benefit of both students and teachers. Only 40 schools nationwide were selected as showcase schools this year by the software giant.
"We continue to strive to improve the technology integration at NDPMA and are honored to be recognized by Microsoft for those efforts," said Eden Konja, director of information and academic technology for NDPMA. "Thank you to the school's leadership and to our community for the continued support of our technology enhancements."
Konja said Showcase Schools receive access to special resources and benefits from Microsoft and are regularly called upon to share their transformational educational practices with other schools. He said Notre Dame's continuing emphasis on technology was a contributing factor in earning the distinction from Microsoft. He noted that Notre Dame was chosen due to meeting or exceeding a number of specific criteria set forth by Microsoft.
Showcase school qualifications
• The school demonstrates thought-leadership in building a school-wide vision as the starting place for a holistic digital transformation using Microsoft’s Education Transformation Framework. In that we use technology as a strategic lever where digital access is not the end goal; learning is the goal and technology is the means used in some of the initiatives.
• The school leader is an innovator, as evidenced through the actions and attitudes of a growth mindset and commitment to the K-12 Education Transformation Framework journey.
• The school leader empowers educators and students to innovate and exercise a growth mindset, which emphasizes personal learning through the use of digital learning devices and learning with current technology such as Office 365 for Education, Teams (staff/student), OneNote, Skype and Minecraft.
• The school demonstrates innovative use of technology to drive positive impact and student success with 21st-Century skills. This includes computational thinking, creativity and innovation, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.
Konja said that Notre Dame's tech initiatives are all about the student rather than the technology.
"Learning is the goal and with the designation as a Microsoft Showcase School, we have proven that we allow for innovation," he said. "We believe technology is simply the means used to enhance the learning. Our teachers are championing technology integration in the classroom every day and that promotes 21st-century learning with heavy emphasis on personal learning, which also encourages a student-growth mindset."
Apple distinction
Konja also noted that Notre Dame's lower school expects to hear positive news soon about its use of Apple computer technology.
"We continue to work with Apple on becoming one of their Apple Distinguished Schools," he said. "With the technology integration in the lower division, our students are so much more prepared for the middle division as we regularly hear from our middle-school teachers. They say the students can type well, understand file use, and are able to utilize digital tools efficiently."
He said that just like at NDPMA's upper and middle divisions, the growth in the use of technology has moved from the basic to the more advanced in pre-K through 5th grade.
"For example, students have shown this through video creation," Konja said. "Our first year of stop motion video in the LD only included sound. In the following years, students started using titles and sound effects as well as sophisticated green screens."
He added that classrooms at the lower school are becoming more flexible learning environments as well.
"This encourages collaborative learning as students sit in group configurations with multiple learning areas that are set up with rugs, beanbags, soft seating and tables," he said. "We also have integrated Apple TV units and projectors in all classrooms to allow teachers and students to wirelessly project lessons, screens and projects to entire classes or assemblies."
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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. The school's upper division 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 divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions 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 North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org