Bill Atkinson

Bill Atkinson is a legendary software designer who was head of design for the original Macintosh computer. An Apple Fellow, Bill is recognized for his extraordinary technical and leadership contributions to personal computing. Bill adopted the Nueva School in Silicon Valley as his laboratory school to gain new insights about preschool through middle school learning. Bill will teach the 6 Arts Academy “Wonders of Science” course.

Steve Jobs invited Bill to join the original Apple Computer team. Bill was the principal designer and developer of the graphical user interface (GUI) for the first Macintosh computer. Apple envisioned the computer as a creative tool, so Bill single-handedly wrote the ground-breaking MacPaint. This easy-to-use graphics editor revolutionized the computer industry. Now anyone could use computer graphics intuitively. Bill then designed and implemented QuickDraw, a key success for the Macintosh graphical user interface. He also created, designed, and implemented HyperCard, the first application to let non-programmers develop databases.

After Apple, Bill co-founded General Magic, which shipped the first handheld personal communicator (or “smartphone”). Bill then worked as an external developer with Numenta, working with computer intelligence. As a nature photographer, Bill’s breathtaking landscapes, stunning flowers, and abstract-looking polished rocks featured in his book, Within the Stone, highlight the wonders of nature.

Bill received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego. After college, he attended the University of Washington as a graduate student in neurochemistry. Steve Jobs convinced him to leave the Ph.D. program to join Apple as employee number fifty-one.

An Apple Fellow, Bill is recognized for his extraordinary technical and leadership contributions to personal computing. Bill will teach the 6 Arts Academy “Wonders of Science” course.

Michael graduated with a BA in Cognitive Science and Asian Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. During college, he spent one year studying at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. He earned a Masters degree in Technology in Education from Harvard University. 

Michael has taught game design to children and will teach game design to 6 Arts Academy students.