BUENA PARK, CA – More than 30 Buena Park Middle School teachers have recently earned the Apple Teacher certification, recognizing their Apple applications mastery that is used to teach students about video and audio editing, giving presentations, organizing spreadsheets and more.

In order to certified, teachers must gain digital badges to show their proficiency in a variety of Apple programs, which include Keynote, Pages, Numbers, Garageband and iMovie. To assist with application learning, Apple Professional Learning Coaches visit Buena Park Middle School weekly to give training to students and teachers.

Buena Park Middle School teachers started gaining certification during spring 2022 and just reached a milestone of having 34 certified Apple Teachers in the 2022-23 school year.

With help from Apple Coaches, students are developing their digital literacy and learning skills to help them succeed in the workforce. The students then use those skills to create a variety of projects, such as giving presentations about ancient civilizations in history class and editing video essays about the latest books they have read for English language arts.

“I’m grateful to work with many educators who are willing to try something new to engage our students,” Math Teacher and Apple Teacher Alice Lee said. “I’m always so encouraged to see which classes have reserved time with our Apple Specialist because it means those students get the opportunity to explore deeper, to make connections to their learning and to have fun while still learning. Our students enjoy getting to learn about the different Apple apps, and our students are challenging us teachers to keep pushing, keep learning and keep engaging.”

Buena Park Middle School teachers are dedicated to staying-up-to-date on educational technology, ensuring that they are well-equipped to helping student master the digital tools that will support their success in high school, college and career. Having the Apple Teacher certification aids all Buena Park Middle School teachers in answering niche application questions from their students – which Lee said has created a level of comfort for everyone in class, translating to better communication and ease during group projects.

“We’re so proud of all of our newly certified Apple Teachers at Buena Park Middle School,” Superintendent Dr. Ramon Miramontes said. “This level of mastery and passion for learning new technology will provide major support to all of our students during in-class lessons.”

PHOTO CAPTION:

APPLE1: Buena Park Middle School Math Teacher and Apple Teacher Alice Lee instructs sixth-grader Leila M. on how to use Apple Keynote to create vibrant visual presentations. Lee is one of 34 Apple certified teachers at Buena Park Middle School, which signifies that she and her colleagues have mastered the minutiae of various Apple applications.