Building an Innovative Ed Tech Culture with Nikole Blanchard
Presented by:
Nikole Blanchard, Director of Innovation and Technology at The Dunham School, joins the podcast to discuss her leadership philosophy. She shares how to foster an approachable, innovative culture through project-based learning, providing individualized professional learning for faculty, and empowering campus champions to help spread new ideas and tools effectively.
- The Dunham School
- Apple Distinguished Schools:
- ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)
- ASCD
- SAMR Model
- CoSpaces Edu
- Canva
Transcript
Narrator:
Nick, welcome to Talking technology with Atlas,
Narrator:
the show that plugs you into the important topics and trends for
Narrator:
technology leaders all through a unique Independent School lens.
Narrator:
We'll hear stories from technology directors and other
Narrator:
special guests from the Independent School community,
Narrator:
and provide you with focused learning and deep dive topics.
Narrator:
And now please welcome your host, Kristina llewellen,
Christina Lewellen:
hello everyone, and welcome back to
Christina Lewellen:
talking technology with Atlas. I'm Kristina llewellen, the
Christina Lewellen:
president and CEO of the Association of technology
Christina Lewellen:
leaders in independent schools.
Bill Stites:
And I am Bill Stites, the Director of
Bill Stites:
Technology at Montclair Kimberly Academy in Montclair, New
Bill Stites:
Jersey,
Hiram Cuevas:
and I'm Hiram Cuevas, the Director of
Hiram Cuevas:
Information Systems and Academic Technology at St Christopher
Hiram Cuevas:
school in Richmond, Virginia.
Christina Lewellen:
Hello, guys. I know that you are in two
Christina Lewellen:
different phases today of the back to school. Crazy bill,
Christina Lewellen:
you're wearing shorts because you've got teachers back, but no
Christina Lewellen:
students, Hiram, you're wearing a tie because it's the first day
Christina Lewellen:
of school. So my first question is, how y'all doing you good? Do
Christina Lewellen:
you need a donut?
Bill Stites:
He's wearing a Snoopy tie. It's one of my
Bill Stites:
favorites. Let's be clear. For those that can't he's wearing a
Bill Stites:
Snoopy tie. So I don't know whether that qualifies
Christina Lewellen:
at this point. It's really cute.
Hiram Cuevas:
It's all about Joe Cool. Yeah, okay, gotta stay Joe
Hiram Cuevas:
Cool.
Christina Lewellen:
Do kids even know who Snoopy is
Hiram Cuevas:
anymore? Oh, who does not know who Snoopy is?
Christina Lewellen:
I don't know. It's generation. He's 75
Christina Lewellen:
years old this year.
Hiram Cuevas:
75 I share Snoopy his birthday.
Bill Stites:
So you're 75 is that what you're saying? Hi, I'm
Christina Lewellen:
well, you guys both look great. You're
Christina Lewellen:
smiling. You're clearly all riled up this morning. How's
Christina Lewellen:
your day of firsts going? Hiram, you good?
Hiram Cuevas:
I'm hanging in there. It's a little bit of
Hiram Cuevas:
Whack a Mole. But you know that kind of is par for the course
Hiram Cuevas:
with the start of school.
Bill Stites:
Yeah, you've got the consistent train of people
Bill Stites:
going by the office and commenting here and there on a
Bill Stites:
variety of different things going on. So it's great just to
Bill Stites:
have people back in the building and that life that just lets you
Bill Stites:
know you work at a school and all of those pieces back going,
Christina Lewellen:
yeah, the blood's pumping, right? The
Christina Lewellen:
heartbeat is back. I'm so excited for you guys.
Bill Stites:
The blood pressure is pumping, I will tell you that
Bill Stites:
much.
Christina Lewellen:
But yes, all right, well, hopefully nothing
Christina Lewellen:
like a medical emergency on this pod. We can't deal with any of
Christina Lewellen:
that. You know, I wanted to tell you guys, I pointed out to you
Christina Lewellen:
as we were hopping on the call, we're about to talk to a school
Christina Lewellen:
that we're not as familiar with, and I love their website, so
Christina Lewellen:
we'll definitely put this in the show notes. But the Dunham
Christina Lewellen:
school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as we were preparing
Christina Lewellen:
for the pod, I went to this website, and I was kind of
Christina Lewellen:
scrolling down through it. I'm like, it's got a lot going on.
Christina Lewellen:
What do you guys think about it? It's pretty cool.
Hiram Cuevas:
Yeah, absolutely. 100%
Bill Stites:
we just went through a website redesign here
Bill Stites:
at MKA, and it's like, I almost don't like looking at websites
Bill Stites:
that look like this, because then I'm like, damn it, we
Bill Stites:
should have done it this way. But no, it definitely pops out
Bill Stites:
at you. I'll say that
Hiram Cuevas:
I'm scrolling through it right now, and I love
Hiram Cuevas:
the Zoom ins has always been a big fan of that. It's definitely
Hiram Cuevas:
a new direction that we're seeing in school websites. And I
Hiram Cuevas:
think Dunham captures it Well,
Christina Lewellen:
lots of little video movement, and it
Christina Lewellen:
captures your attention. You get sucked into it. Whether you
Christina Lewellen:
wanna be scrolling through it or not, you're gonna be scrolling
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through it. I dropped it in my slack for my staff, and I was
Christina Lewellen:
like, We gotta hunt this vendor down. We'll have to get all the
Christina Lewellen:
deets from our guests today, because we may need to get them
Christina Lewellen:
in the Atlas community a little bit more, but great website. So
Christina Lewellen:
everybody pause this podcast and go check out the website, and
Christina Lewellen:
when you come back, let's go ahead and bring our guest in.
Christina Lewellen:
Let's introduce Nicole Blanchard. Nicole, welcome to
Christina Lewellen:
our podcast. I know we've been talking about you, and I'm going
Christina Lewellen:
to turn this mic to you on this website here in a second. But
Christina Lewellen:
Nicole, you are currently the Director of Innovation and
Christina Lewellen:
Technology at the Dunham school, which, again, is in Baton Rouge,
Christina Lewellen:
Louisiana. Welcome to the podcast.
Nikole Blanchard:
How are you today? I'm doing great. Thank
Nikole Blanchard:
you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here you guys.
Christina Lewellen:
So obviously, we love your website,
Christina Lewellen:
and we learned a little bit about your school from the
Christina Lewellen:
website. But can you tell us a little bit about the Dunham
Christina Lewellen:
school? Who do you serve, and how long have you guys been
Christina Lewellen:
around all of that kind of stuff?
Nikole Blanchard:
So we are in the capital of Louisiana, the
Nikole Blanchard:
great city of Baton Rouge, and our school is a pre k2, to 12th
Nikole Blanchard:
grade school, and we're at our highest enrollment right over
Nikole Blanchard:
900 which is super exciting. We have about 165 full time staff,
Nikole Blanchard:
so we take a lot of pride in that student teacher ratio being
Nikole Blanchard:
super small. We have been an Apple Distinguished School
Nikole Blanchard:
since. 2011 so I actually came to the school to help create the
Nikole Blanchard:
one to one program, and so it's been exciting to see it grow.
Nikole Blanchard:
One thing that's really special about Dunham is we really have a
Nikole Blanchard:
balanced program. So we have a lot of classical features here
Nikole Blanchard:
at our school that you will see. But we also have an innovative
Nikole Blanchard:
program, so we feel as though our students are getting the
Nikole Blanchard:
best of both worlds.
Christina Lewellen:
Now, you heard us doting on your website.
Christina Lewellen:
Were you involved in that project? Is that fairly new?
Christina Lewellen:
Like we're kind of drooling on it, to be honest.
Nikole Blanchard:
That's super exciting. I can't wait to tell
Nikole Blanchard:
my director of marketing it is probably two years old. So one
Nikole Blanchard:
thing that is important to us is that we stay on the cutting
Nikole Blanchard:
edge, and we really stay innovative. And so we have kind
Nikole Blanchard:
of changed the way our website looks to really not be an
Nikole Blanchard:
internal but be an external source so that people can learn
Nikole Blanchard:
about us. So we're trying to share our best, and we're trying
Nikole Blanchard:
to show who we are. And the goal is, when you go to our website,
Nikole Blanchard:
you do get sucked in, like you said, but you also feel
Nikole Blanchard:
confident on the things that are important our distinguishers in
Nikole Blanchard:
the community.
Christina Lewellen:
I want to turn now to you. You began your
Christina Lewellen:
journey in educational technology in 2003 at Louisiana
Christina Lewellen:
State University, and you still have a connection with that
Christina Lewellen:
school. Tell us a little bit about your journey
Christina Lewellen:
professionally and the things that take up your time in a day.
Nikole Blanchard:
Okay, so I have always dreamed of being a
Nikole Blanchard:
teacher. It's really interesting, you know, and
Nikole Blanchard:
kindergarten NAIS, what do you want to be when you grow up? And
Nikole Blanchard:
I replied with a beautiful artwork that I drew of me being
Nikole Blanchard:
a teacher, but also a cheerleader. And I really feel
Nikole Blanchard:
I'm not a cheerleader for football, but I do feel like I'm
Nikole Blanchard:
a cheerleader for teachers. So I feel like I've accomplished both
Nikole Blanchard:
of those things. I've always wanted to be a teacher. I always
Nikole Blanchard:
wanted my own classroom with my own students, and working with
Nikole Blanchard:
teachers, and I don't know all the things that were exciting
Nikole Blanchard:
when I was younger, just the grading and the lesson planning
Nikole Blanchard:
and the designing and all that fun stuff. So I fulfilled that
Nikole Blanchard:
dream. But it's interesting how like teach you in different
Nikole Blanchard:
paths. My mentor in undergrad really loved technology, and so
Nikole Blanchard:
she wrote a grant that was going to allow student teachers to
Nikole Blanchard:
have technology, and I was a very first class at LSU to have
Nikole Blanchard:
a laptop for student teaching. And it kind of just seemed
Nikole Blanchard:
bizarre. I never even thought about, okay, a laptop, whatever.
Nikole Blanchard:
Well, I went into the classroom, and I remember this vividly. I
Nikole Blanchard:
remember having center rotation in a third grade classroom, and
Nikole Blanchard:
just the amount of things I could do with just one laptop.
Nikole Blanchard:
And I was teaching a small group, and I had a student that
Nikole Blanchard:
was, don't remember the exact activity, but was practicing a
Nikole Blanchard:
skill on the computer. And I was like, wow, I am meeting this
Nikole Blanchard:
kid's needs in a totally different way. And my light bulb
Nikole Blanchard:
went off, and so I was like, I'm going back to school. I'm gonna
Nikole Blanchard:
go work on my masters, because why not help other teachers so
Nikole Blanchard:
that they can have the same experience that I just had? And
Nikole Blanchard:
taking the advice of my mentor, she said, at least get one
Nikole Blanchard:
semester in the classroom done before you go back to school. So
Nikole Blanchard:
I did, but I was so bought in I got my first grant before I even
Nikole Blanchard:
started teaching, and that was for classroom computers, because
Nikole Blanchard:
I remember, I got my job and there were no computers. I was
Nikole Blanchard:
like, Oh my gosh, it just did all this work in my undergrad
Nikole Blanchard:
and there's no computers. How am I gonna implement what I've been
Nikole Blanchard:
doing? So I wrote a grant, and before even in a classroom, I
Nikole Blanchard:
had a grant for three computers, which was super exciting. And
Nikole Blanchard:
then that spring semester, my first year, I went back to
Nikole Blanchard:
school, and I started working on my masters. I love school.
Nikole Blanchard:
That's why I've been in school for so long. And then I kind of
Nikole Blanchard:
just honestly have followed the path that has been put before
Nikole Blanchard:
me. I just kind of, if you have a deep faith, you understand, I
Nikole Blanchard:
just follow where God leads me. And I have been in public
Nikole Blanchard:
schools, and I've been here at Dunham for 18 years, so been
Nikole Blanchard:
here a while, but missed the classroom and decided to go back
Nikole Blanchard:
and teach at LSU as an adjunct professor, teaching classroom
Nikole Blanchard:
technology to undergrads that want to be teachers. So that has
Nikole Blanchard:
been so exciting,
Christina Lewellen:
kind of a full circle moment for you to go
Christina Lewellen:
back. It really
Nikole Blanchard:
was. It really was. And you know, it's really
Nikole Blanchard:
amazing, because one of my biggest passions in life is just
Nikole Blanchard:
connecting with people. And when I became the director of
Nikole Blanchard:
technology at the time, we added innovation one years when my
Nikole Blanchard:
boss realized how my brain works, I guess we changed the
Nikole Blanchard:
title, but I had reached out to my professor at LSU, and I was
Nikole Blanchard:
like, I need help. I have this new job. How am I going to do
Nikole Blanchard:
this like we need to create this one to one program, and back
Nikole Blanchard:
then, in 2009 when I did this, there weren't very many out
Nikole Blanchard:
there, and it wasn't like it is today. So it was really great to
Nikole Blanchard:
make those connections and learn from experts in the
Hiram Cuevas:
field. So Nicole, you mentioned you're teaching
Hiram Cuevas:
budding teachers, new teachers that are interested in this
Hiram Cuevas:
vocation. I'm curious, from your perspective, are you surprised
Hiram Cuevas:
at what skills they possess and also what skills they lack in
Hiram Cuevas:
terms of their technology use in the classroom?
Nikole Blanchard:
Absolutely, I kind of giggle when people are
Nikole Blanchard:
like, Oh, it's teachers that have been around a long time
Nikole Blanchard:
that don't know how to use technology. That is not true. I
Nikole Blanchard:
believe in mindset. It really is the mindset of the person and
Nikole Blanchard:
the individual. And when we have a growth mindset, we kind of
Nikole Blanchard:
pick up on it a little bit easier than when our mindset is
Nikole Blanchard:
fixed. And I I noticed what my students, they're shocked at the
Nikole Blanchard:
end. I have some that love and like. They think it's wonderful.
Nikole Blanchard:
You know, they think of it as part of their methods. You know,
Nikole Blanchard:
I'm learning how to use technology. But then I have kids
Nikole Blanchard:
like on my evaluations, they're like, I never thought I'd walk
Nikole Blanchard:
away learning so much. You know, we all can sit here and teach
Nikole Blanchard:
all these different ways of using technology or how to use
Nikole Blanchard:
it, but it's greater than that. We need to understand the why
Nikole Blanchard:
behind it, and why are we doing what we're doing. I like to tell
Nikole Blanchard:
people the current kindergarten student graduates in 2038 so
Nikole Blanchard:
think about that, like 2038 It is unbelievable to think how
Nikole Blanchard:
much the world is going to change during that time, and
Nikole Blanchard:
when you think about it, just the advances with technology in
Nikole Blanchard:
our lifetime. So we are teaching children, and we're preparing
Nikole Blanchard:
children for jobs that yet to exist. And I think when my
Nikole Blanchard:
college students understand that, and they see and even my
Nikole Blanchard:
teachers here at Dunham, when they see that, they're like,
Nikole Blanchard:
Okay, we get it. We can't just do things the same way that
Nikole Blanchard:
we've always done it. Now, there's some great things that
Nikole Blanchard:
we actually need to do, like, think back to our education,
Nikole Blanchard:
reading and writing and math, holding a pencil, yes, and not
Nikole Blanchard:
asking you to stop that, but I'm asking you to think also, let's
Nikole Blanchard:
provide those rich foundations that we know, but we also need
Nikole Blanchard:
to provide rich digital foundations too. And so when I
Nikole Blanchard:
explain that to my students, and they get this buy in, and then
Nikole Blanchard:
they get to see, wow, this is amazing. Some of the things I
Nikole Blanchard:
can do with my students, yeah. What's really interesting
Christina Lewellen:
Nicole, is that I have a daughter who's a
Christina Lewellen:
senior. Actually, first day of class was today in college to
Christina Lewellen:
become an educator of young people like kindergarten through
Christina Lewellen:
second grade is her goal. And we often talk about on this pod
Christina Lewellen:
that her professors are not talking to her about AI. And I
Christina Lewellen:
don't know if it's just the program or the professor she
Christina Lewellen:
has, but she has me as her mom, and so I talked to her about
Christina Lewellen:
classroom AI because I know a lot about it being in the Atlas
Christina Lewellen:
space. What are you talking to your future teachers about on
Christina Lewellen:
the AI front?
Nikole Blanchard:
Specifically, it's so funny you ask that,
Nikole Blanchard:
because today is the first day of class as well for LSU, so
Nikole Blanchard:
awesome. And don't forget to get that last first day picture,
Nikole Blanchard:
okay, of your daughter, because this is her last first day of
Nikole Blanchard:
college. You need to grab that picture.
Christina Lewellen:
Okay, I'll text her right now, and she's
Christina Lewellen:
gonna hate me for it, but
Nikole Blanchard:
okay, I'm serious, that's okay. She'll get
Nikole Blanchard:
over it. So it's funny because I I'm kind of an action research
Nikole Blanchard:
person, so when I see something and I do something and I'm like,
Nikole Blanchard:
oh, let's tweak it a little, or use my feedback that folks are
Nikole Blanchard:
telling me. So when I first started AI, probably two years
Nikole Blanchard:
ago, in my course, it was a standalone not anymore, it's
Nikole Blanchard:
part of everything we do. So let me tell you what I had them do.
Nikole Blanchard:
They have my syllabus, and after they watch me, because it's a
Nikole Blanchard:
virtual course, after I go over the syllabus, and they have the
Nikole Blanchard:
video of me explaining what to expect. Well, you know, some
Nikole Blanchard:
people don't learn that way, right? Like, I can't expect
Nikole Blanchard:
everyone to learn from my video. So I want you to take my
Nikole Blanchard:
syllabus and put it into AI and do the top 10 must knows. You
Nikole Blanchard:
must know this for this course. So what they have done now is
Nikole Blanchard:
they have taken a syllabus that is very traditional, and we have
Nikole Blanchard:
now put it into AI, and now they kind of know the top 10 must
Nikole Blanchard:
know to how. Process course, and so I'm trying to teach them. We
Nikole Blanchard:
will go much deeper, but every week, they will have something
Nikole Blanchard:
with AI, and it could be something as simple as a tool of
Nikole Blanchard:
summarization, like that has now helped me take this long
Nikole Blanchard:
document and summarize it, but it also will continue use as a
Nikole Blanchard:
tool for lesson planning, but we're also going to use it to
Nikole Blanchard:
help us with some ideation. They write a bio, so we use it with
Nikole Blanchard:
ways to catch the attention professionally of the parents
Nikole Blanchard:
that you will be teaching one day, I'm trying to teach them
Nikole Blanchard:
how to use it, not only as your personal assistant, but then how
Nikole Blanchard:
you can use it responsibly with your students, so we will get
Nikole Blanchard:
there. We still have some growing pains, but it's amazing
Nikole Blanchard:
because the other professors that teach this course, we work
Nikole Blanchard:
together and collaborate on how might it look, and we do some
Nikole Blanchard:
testing, so we test it with one group and not the other, and see
Nikole Blanchard:
how it goes.
Bill Stites:
So one of the things that we actually share is
Bill Stites:
that where I am at MKA, we are a three time Apple Distinguished
Bill Stites:
School as well, and really took a lot out of the past fall going
Bill Stites:
down to Florida for the conference that they ran there,
Bill Stites:
which I was very happy to attend, and got a lot out of can
Bill Stites:
you provide a little bit of background, some experience on
Bill Stites:
what it's meant for you and your school to be an Apple
Bill Stites:
Distinguished School for the time that it's had that
Nikole Blanchard:
absolutely so, like I shared earlier, we've
Nikole Blanchard:
been in Apple Distinguished School since 2011 and our whole
Nikole Blanchard:
school is recognized as an Apple Distinguished School. And what
Nikole Blanchard:
that means is that Apple has selected the Duba school as a
Nikole Blanchard:
center of innovation for the way we use technology and prepare
Nikole Blanchard:
kids for their futures. With that being said, I believe Apple
Nikole Blanchard:
has different categories that it recognizes. So first it's what
Nikole Blanchard:
are the ways in which we are empowering students? How do they
Nikole Blanchard:
feel as though they have an opportunity to be involved in
Nikole Blanchard:
their learning? Secondly is, how do we really take what we're
Nikole Blanchard:
doing and leave the world a better place? So we really think
Nikole Blanchard:
about maybe projects that they're doing, and how can we
Nikole Blanchard:
share those with others to help inform the work they're doing or
Nikole Blanchard:
teach others about a specific subject or topic? And then the
Nikole Blanchard:
last one is visionary leadership. So having that
Nikole Blanchard:
support structure, it's wonderful to have a one to one
Nikole Blanchard:
program, and it's wonderful to have technology at your school,
Nikole Blanchard:
even if it isn't a one to one program. One to One program, but
Nikole Blanchard:
how do teachers feel supported, and how do administrators feel
Nikole Blanchard:
supported? And so it's very important that it's not just a
Nikole Blanchard:
like, let's just do a quick professional learning and move
Nikole Blanchard:
on. It's ongoing, and it's having that support and letting
Nikole Blanchard:
teachers know that you're not in this alone, and so as part of
Nikole Blanchard:
being an Apple Distinguished School, we've worked with
Nikole Blanchard:
researchers. We've opened our doors to have schools and
Nikole Blanchard:
visitors come in. We even did a virtual one, which was super
Nikole Blanchard:
fun, where you got to tour people around the school
Nikole Blanchard:
virtually and see it into the classrooms. But it has created
Nikole Blanchard:
this community which is so important, you know, just to
Nikole Blanchard:
have people to connect with. But it's this community that we're
Nikole Blanchard:
part of, and we couldn't make the conference because there was
Nikole Blanchard:
a storm in Louisiana which caused us to miss it. But with
Nikole Blanchard:
that said, it's just created this opportunity for us to
Nikole Blanchard:
connect with educators who have the like same devices. So that's
Nikole Blanchard:
kind of helpful. So they have some of the same maybe growing
Nikole Blanchard:
pains that we have, or they have some of the same software like
Nikole Blanchard:
GarageBand, maybe they're making podcasts like we're doing right
Nikole Blanchard:
now, and just learning from each other.
Bill Stites:
So to that end, one of the things you mentioned was
Bill Stites:
the leadership aspect of that, and your role as a leader there,
Bill Stites:
as the Director of Innovation in tech, one of the things that we
Bill Stites:
always ask, What's in a name? What's in a title? What does
Bill Stites:
your position in that title mean for you? There? Can you give us
Bill Stites:
a description of what your day to day looks like?
Nikole Blanchard:
No, days the same. Not one day is the same.
Nikole Blanchard:
Sometimes I wish it was, but I know I don't. I love it. That's
Nikole Blanchard:
like the fun part, you know, coming in and not knowing what
Nikole Blanchard:
it's going to be like, I consider myself a dreamer. I
Nikole Blanchard:
really am in touch with where kids are going in the future.
Nikole Blanchard:
Are thinking about what's relevant and why we're doing
Nikole Blanchard:
what we're doing. And so most of my day is really spent and
Nikole Blanchard:
analyzing curriculum and working with teachers with
Nikole Blanchard:
conversations. I don't believe in coming in and saying, This is
Nikole Blanchard:
what we're going to do. This is how we're going to do it. I
Nikole Blanchard:
really prefer to have a conversation and build
Nikole Blanchard:
relationships where we are sharing ideas. They are the
Nikole Blanchard:
expert, the subject expert matter. I kind of teach. Said,
Nikole Blanchard:
I'm the tech geek. I'm just your nerd. That's going to help you
Nikole Blanchard:
to get there. Much of my day is spent just having conversations
Nikole Blanchard:
like we're doing now, and people saying, Hey, have you seen this?
Nikole Blanchard:
And then I'll be like, let me go look, you know, and and then
Nikole Blanchard:
many times, just making sure that teachers have what they
Nikole Blanchard:
need to be successful. I can give you all of this, and I can
Nikole Blanchard:
share things with you, but if you don't have what you need in
Nikole Blanchard:
order to be successful, if that's the support for one
Nikole Blanchard:
teacher, it may be an adapter for another. You never know what
Nikole Blanchard:
they need to be successful. But teachers also know. I mean,
Nikole Blanchard:
they're so busy, so just checking in with people and
Nikole Blanchard:
being that cheerleader that I talked about at the beginning,
Nikole Blanchard:
and just, you know, good for you for trying that. Yes, that's
Nikole Blanchard:
amazing. And I always tell people, teachers are just like
Nikole Blanchard:
students in our class, right? They're just like the students
Nikole Blanchard:
that you're teaching. They're people. They have hearts, they
Nikole Blanchard:
like the positive feedback. They want to be celebrated, and
Nikole Blanchard:
sometimes they want their hands held, and that's okay. So a lot
Nikole Blanchard:
of my time is that. A lot of my time is dealing with vendors and
Nikole Blanchard:
budget and making sure that we're where we're supposed to
Nikole Blanchard:
be, and that I am respecting the finances of the school that's
Nikole Blanchard:
very important to me to make sure that the money is used
Nikole Blanchard:
respectfully and it is used in a way that meets the students
Nikole Blanchard:
needs. So I spent a lot of my time with that I brainstorm with
Nikole Blanchard:
my team, or a lot of times collaborating. We're in an open
Nikole Blanchard:
office. I gave up my office to be closer to my servers, and it
Nikole Blanchard:
was the best thing I've ever done. I don't think I could ever
Nikole Blanchard:
go into an office by myself, because I like to talk, if you
Nikole Blanchard:
haven't noticed, and we do a lot of collaborating and
Nikole Blanchard:
brainstorming and thinking together, and it's been amazing
Nikole Blanchard:
to watch us grow as a team by just like, sharing an idea. So I
Nikole Blanchard:
always tease that I don't know a lot about networks, but I know
Nikole Blanchard:
enough to be dangerous and I know enough to talk about it. I
Nikole Blanchard:
like talking like we had a lightning storm that struck an
Nikole Blanchard:
access point, which is really a headache because those things
Nikole Blanchard:
are expensive, so just like trying to talk through the
Nikole Blanchard:
troubleshooting of it. So I may do that. I may be walking to
Nikole Blanchard:
lunch and I see a teacher needs help or something, and I want to
Nikole Blanchard:
help them. We are a Christian school, and I really do feel
Nikole Blanchard:
that it's important I tell my team constantly, and we're in
Nikole Blanchard:
customer service. So the only reason we really have a job is
Nikole Blanchard:
because there are students and teachers here, so we are going
Nikole Blanchard:
to approach everything with a heart for God and to honor and
Nikole Blanchard:
glorify God, and so, like, we are gonna go out there, and even
Nikole Blanchard:
if we're like, that was a silly question. That's something you
Nikole Blanchard:
think, but you don't say, right? So we work with the teachers and
Nikole Blanchard:
the students. So my day is kind of like scattered all over the
Nikole Blanchard:
place, but it's a good scatter. And I think my goal for my
Nikole Blanchard:
employees and myself is that we come happy and we leave happy,
Nikole Blanchard:
and I think that's happening, and that's important to me and
Nikole Blanchard:
I, and I just want to make sure we treat others how we want to
Nikole Blanchard:
be treated, because the world's just such a better place if we
Nikole Blanchard:
just make things simple and happy and and I tell teachers,
Nikole Blanchard:
hey, I may not always be able to tell you yes for something you
Nikole Blanchard:
ask, but I do have a running list, and if some money happens
Nikole Blanchard:
to come up, or I see something like I found computer carts on
Nikole Blanchard:
Facebook marketplace of all places, and the teacher didn't
Nikole Blanchard:
like the cart that she had, which I thought was Lovely, but
Nikole Blanchard:
I'm not in the class, so, you know, I trust her, and it's not
Nikole Blanchard:
the cart. It doesn't work. So I get this amazing cart, and I was
Nikole Blanchard:
like, wow, and it's nothing I could have purchased honestly
Nikole Blanchard:
new, because we didn't have the money to do that, but I was able
Nikole Blanchard:
to get it at a discount through Facebook marketplace. So it's
Nikole Blanchard:
just like everything else. When you communicate and you share,
Nikole Blanchard:
then that just allows us to grow
Christina Lewellen:
together. I have to say this scale that you
Christina Lewellen:
introduced in that response, Nicole of teacher support on a
Christina Lewellen:
scale of adapter to curriculum development. I love that. I want
Christina Lewellen:
to keep it so guys, from now on, when I ask you how the teacher
Christina Lewellen:
supports going, I want to know on a scale of adapter to
Christina Lewellen:
curriculum development and design.
Hiram Cuevas:
So I'm curious, with this Open Office model, how
Hiram Cuevas:
big is your staff?
Nikole Blanchard:
So I have two full time staff in my office
Nikole Blanchard:
with me. So there's three of us, and then I have a teacher that
Nikole Blanchard:
this year, his role had to change a little, but he works
Nikole Blanchard:
with me a lot. I'm going to tell you the secret. Okay, here's the
Nikole Blanchard:
secret. You find your champions on campus. So by champions, I
Nikole Blanchard:
mean you find those. People on campus who are already bought
Nikole Blanchard:
in, bought into the program. They love the idea, but they
Nikole Blanchard:
understand the mission of the school. Because you can love the
Nikole Blanchard:
idea, but then you can go off on a tangent that you don't
Nikole Blanchard:
understand who we are as a school, and it could be
Nikole Blanchard:
dangerous. I'll just say that. So you understand the mission of
Nikole Blanchard:
school. You love the idea of using a technology you
Nikole Blanchard:
understand the different levels of use, which I try to teach all
Nikole Blanchard:
my teachers, Samra, by Dr and Ruben Penta Tora, because they
Nikole Blanchard:
all understand Bloom's taxonomy. So they understand that most of
Nikole Blanchard:
the teachers. So how can I get on their level? I can take and
Nikole Blanchard:
actually use same role which is on their level, and it helps
Nikole Blanchard:
them to understand how we implement technology. Finding
Nikole Blanchard:
your champions is so important because they help to really
Nikole Blanchard:
spread the word. It's really funny, we had a grant that
Nikole Blanchard:
allowed us to obtain some VR sets. Well, a teacher was trying
Nikole Blanchard:
it out using the VR sets, and the kids walked out so excited.
Nikole Blanchard:
Oh my gosh. Mr. So and who is, like, we traveled here, we were
Nikole Blanchard:
able to play with these VR sets. And other kids like, wait, wait,
Nikole Blanchard:
what's going on in that class? Like, what's happening? And then
Nikole Blanchard:
the teacher in the other class hears it and goes to this class
Nikole Blanchard:
of like, Hey, would you do your student? They're selling a VR,
Nikole Blanchard:
right? They're selling it. And before I know it, I had this
Nikole Blanchard:
teacher coming in. Hey, Nicole, how can I use this VR? Or asking
Nikole Blanchard:
one of my coworkers. So finding your champion is so huge. I also
Nikole Blanchard:
think, as far as people are like, I can't believe we do it
Nikole Blanchard:
with three people, but also building culture. So we do
Nikole Blanchard:
monthly contests. I'm going to tell you right now our monthly
Nikole Blanchard:
contest is the best summer snapshot. So I asked teachers to
Nikole Blanchard:
share a snapshot of their summer. You don't need to be
Nikole Blanchard:
traveling, just anything you're doing this summer, and I used
Nikole Blanchard:
Canva to make it look like Snapchat, because that's what
Nikole Blanchard:
the kids like, right? So I put a little caption. Even used AI to
Nikole Blanchard:
help me with some of the captions. And the only rule is
Nikole Blanchard:
you have to be in the picture, which is really funny, because
Nikole Blanchard:
go look back on your camera roll. I only have one picture of
Nikole Blanchard:
me in it, all of my pictures of my children and my dogs. So now
Nikole Blanchard:
they're all on the door, on our door, when you walk in, and I
Nikole Blanchard:
probably have at least 60 on the door, and kids are voting on who
Nikole Blanchard:
they think should be the best summer snapshot. Now you're
Nikole Blanchard:
like, what does that have to do with technology? Nicole, well,
Nikole Blanchard:
it gets people in here because they want to see the door, they
Nikole Blanchard:
want to talk tech, they want to see if their pictures up there.
Nikole Blanchard:
They want to see what their co workers are doing. The kids want
Nikole Blanchard:
to say what their teachers are doing. It's a natural
Nikole Blanchard:
conversation, and it builds this culture of collaboration. And
Nikole Blanchard:
then I have partnered with Sonic, and so I just like do
Nikole Blanchard:
this thing where whoever wins, the kids are voting, who has the
Nikole Blanchard:
best snapshot, whoever wins gets a sonic drink on a Friday, and
Nikole Blanchard:
it cost me less than $10 to bless these teachers. And the
Nikole Blanchard:
teachers are all excited. So one of the teachers is like, Hey,
Nikole Blanchard:
Nicole, do you think we can do like a Christmas tree voting.
Nikole Blanchard:
And I was like, oh, yeah, yeah, that's a great idea, right?
Nikole Blanchard:
Like, this our idea, well, then I was like, Oh, we're gonna do
Nikole Blanchard:
it, but we're gonna, like, add to it and do maybe, like, some
Nikole Blanchard:
deep fakes, like, I'm gonna put some Christmas trees on the door
Nikole Blanchard:
that are AI generated, and the kids are gonna have to determine
Nikole Blanchard:
which one's AI and which one is their teachers, you know, so
Nikole Blanchard:
it's just a fun way to build culture, and people come in, and
Nikole Blanchard:
so we're approachable, which is super important for a tech
Nikole Blanchard:
department to be approachable and not scary. Yes, it's
Nikole Blanchard:
stressful. The teachers are stressful. Everyone is but we're
Nikole Blanchard:
gonna be okay. We're gonna make it
Christina Lewellen:
I love that. I love that whole cultural
Christina Lewellen:
approach, because that is a really important part of the
Christina Lewellen:
work that you all do. If I can pivot now because you served as
Christina Lewellen:
CO president of the merged organization of ASCD and ISTE,
Christina Lewellen:
and I love that you took time to serve in this volunteer
Christina Lewellen:
capacity. I'm not sure if you know that both Bill and Hiram
Christina Lewellen:
are part of the volunteer leadership at Atlas. So Hiram is
Christina Lewellen:
a board member at Atlas, and Bill is a board member of the
Christina Lewellen:
newly formed certification Council, the Atlas certification
Christina Lewellen:
Council. These two governing entities are very closely
Christina Lewellen:
intertwined at Atlas, and so basically, I've got two board
Christina Lewellen:
members here on the call, and I'm always really intrigued by
Christina Lewellen:
the ways that it pulls on different leadership muscles. I
Christina Lewellen:
hear it a lot from my own board bill, Hiram and. Just the other
Christina Lewellen:
14 of them. They're always saying, like, I have leadership
Christina Lewellen:
roles at school, but it's different when you serve an
Christina Lewellen:
organization in this capacity. So tell me a little bit about
Christina Lewellen:
your leadership journey on the volunteer side of your life. Why
Christina Lewellen:
did you get involved in that organization and then serving as
Christina Lewellen:
CO president in this kind of newly merged environment? That's
Christina Lewellen:
gotta be kind of cool, by the way. We've had Richard gullada
Christina Lewellen:
both at the Atlas conference and on our podcast, and we're fan
Christina Lewellen:
girls, so love him.
Nikole Blanchard:
He's amazing. He really is, and he is one of
Nikole Blanchard:
the reasons it makes it fun the to be on the board, to be
Nikole Blanchard:
honest. So as shared, I believe in connections and believing in
Nikole Blanchard:
networking. And remember, at some point, once I was able to
Nikole Blanchard:
get my head above order with the one to one starting, I was like,
Nikole Blanchard:
I need to find my people. Like, yeah, they're here at school. I
Nikole Blanchard:
really need to find my people around the world. Like, I need
Nikole Blanchard:
them to help me be better at my job. I need them to challenge my
Nikole Blanchard:
thinking. And so at that time, ISTE had PLNs, and so I joined
Nikole Blanchard:
the PLN, and before you knew it, within a year, I was on the
Nikole Blanchard:
leadership of the PLN for global collaboration. Go figure,
Nikole Blanchard:
because that's like my I love connecting. So I'm meeting these
Nikole Blanchard:
people from all over the world. It's fabulous. And before I knew
Nikole Blanchard:
it, someone had said, Nicole, have you ever thought about
Nikole Blanchard:
running for the board? And I kind of giggled. I was like, a
Nikole Blanchard:
board. Why did I do that? You know, this is where my time
Nikole Blanchard:
like, I loved doing this, and so I just thought about it, great
Nikole Blanchard:
about it, and then took a leap of faith. And this December will
Nikole Blanchard:
be the end of my seven years on the board, so it has been part
Nikole Blanchard:
of my life journey. It has been just a wonderful experience,
Nikole Blanchard:
but, yeah, challenging at times too, because when I joined this
Nikole Blanchard:
I did not know that we were going to go through a merger,
Nikole Blanchard:
but all for the best of teachers and children at the end of the
Nikole Blanchard:
day. But why do I encourage people to join boards? A couple
Nikole Blanchard:
things. First is, for me, is the giving back. I just feel that
Nikole Blanchard:
I've always believed in Steve Jobs leaving your dent on the
Nikole Blanchard:
universe. How are you going to leave your dent on the universe?
Nikole Blanchard:
And like, this is my way that little bitty Nicole over here in
Nikole Blanchard:
Louisiana, can hopefully reach or help maybe students who are
Nikole Blanchard:
across the world, outside of us, they're struggling with, just in
Nikole Blanchard:
education, just general, and this is my way to be part of
Nikole Blanchard:
that, and that's really I'm honored. I'm honored to even
Nikole Blanchard:
have that opportunity, and then just having, like, the thought
Nikole Blanchard:
of having some sort of strategic influence, like I had the
Nikole Blanchard:
opportunity to work with these amazing educators in this
Nikole Blanchard:
organization and really, like, take the things with innovation
Nikole Blanchard:
I'm doing here and make it greater, right? It's bigger than
Nikole Blanchard:
just my school, but within the guidelines of that organization.
Nikole Blanchard:
So that's really fun, too, because some of the things I
Nikole Blanchard:
know won't work at Dunham, which is a okay, can work in other
Nikole Blanchard:
places, which is really cool, too. So just having that reach,
Nikole Blanchard:
I guess, and the impact that, hey, just like you guys are like
Nikole Blanchard:
bills working with the latest accreditation, you said. So
Nikole Blanchard:
having that impact, that I get to, like, have the opportunity
Nikole Blanchard:
to look at the standards, or the learning principles,
Nikole Blanchard:
transformational learning principles, before they're even
Nikole Blanchard:
released, and share my thoughts, like, why would they count
Nikole Blanchard:
anything, you know, and that's pretty cool, like, just to have
Nikole Blanchard:
that opportunity to be part of that. And then I've said I feel
Nikole Blanchard:
like it's like the theme of this podcast, but just together,
Nikole Blanchard:
we're better connecting. And I always tell folks that if we
Nikole Blanchard:
just stop and listen to each other serving on the board, has
Nikole Blanchard:
made me a better person, because it's allowed me to meet people
Nikole Blanchard:
with different views. It's allowed me to meet people from
Nikole Blanchard:
different schools. It's allowed me to stretch my thinking and,
Nikole Blanchard:
you know, to be empathetic in situations that I don't know,
Nikole Blanchard:
because I just thought everybody did school, I timed in school,
Nikole Blanchard:
you know, and so well, what's that wrong about that? So the
Nikole Blanchard:
connecting has really changed me as a person. So I always
Nikole Blanchard:
recommend anyone who has this passion and get involved just
Nikole Blanchard:
take a baby step like I did, go to the conference first, try to
Nikole Blanchard:
get to a conference, or try to do some webinars, or participate
Nikole Blanchard:
like I love the Atlas group. The Atlas group is one of my
Nikole Blanchard:
favorite groups, the email group. It's so easy to
Nikole Blanchard:
participate and be part of it. So just start to get to know
Nikole Blanchard:
people, and then you see, wow, there's a lot of people out
Nikole Blanchard:
there that think like me, or that don't think like me and
Nikole Blanchard:
help me to be a better educator.
Bill Stites:
Having attended both the ISTE conferences and
Bill Stites:
the ASCD conferences over the years, I've always. Enjoy what
Bill Stites:
I've been able to take out of each of those, because I think,
Bill Stites:
as you're mentioning, you get out there, you hear from
Bill Stites:
different people, you meet, it's all about connecting with the
Bill Stites:
different people and really seeing each of the areas for
Bill Stites:
what they, I'll say, were focused on, because now, as
Bill Stites:
they've come together, some of that focus has been able, I
Bill Stites:
think, probably, to sharpen, and then you've been able to do a
Bill Stites:
lot more with that. But I'm curious, because of where you
Bill Stites:
now sit at this intersection of these two organizations that
Bill Stites:
have come together now, what are you seeing in the way of trends
Bill Stites:
or things that are beginning to pick up in the directions that
Bill Stites:
things are going based on where you sit at this point.
Nikole Blanchard:
Absolutely great question. Trends. We all
Nikole Blanchard:
know AI is a trend. We all know it's out there, and it's a hot
Nikole Blanchard:
topic, so definitely something to consider, something out there
Nikole Blanchard:
that, how are schools going to adopt it? Because it's not going
Nikole Blanchard:
away. That's a biggie. Another trend is really which I think
Nikole Blanchard:
sometimes it's ignored, is privacy. Privacy is a huge thing
Nikole Blanchard:
for me. My identity has been stolen, and I am the tech
Nikole Blanchard:
director, and my identity was stolen. So it happens it is not
Nikole Blanchard:
only violating, it is just overwhelming to try to fix that.
Nikole Blanchard:
So how might we protect our students data and make sure that
Nikole Blanchard:
we are aware of those privacy laws and have a good lens on
Nikole Blanchard:
those? Just a little trick, Nicole trick, I take a lot of
Nikole Blanchard:
privacy laws, I put them into my favorite AI and I say, summarize
Nikole Blanchard:
these, tell me what they're saying. I do that too. Yeah,
Nikole Blanchard:
great mindset. Go live. So I use what's out there to help me,
Nikole Blanchard:
because when I tell a teacher, hey, we can't use this. I need
Nikole Blanchard:
to be able to understand or share why another trend that's
Nikole Blanchard:
out there, or a hot topic, I'm going to say, is funding. A lot
Nikole Blanchard:
of people are worried about funding. Many people think it
Nikole Blanchard:
doesn't affect independent schools, but it does. We get a
Nikole Blanchard:
lot of federal dollars at our school for professional learning
Nikole Blanchard:
as well as equipment for stem so it does affect it. So I think
Nikole Blanchard:
that unknown and that uncertainty is a hot topic right
Nikole Blanchard:
now.
Christina Lewellen:
You clearly have a passion for design
Christina Lewellen:
thinking, and a big part of independent education is around
Christina Lewellen:
project based learning, sort of letting kids go at their own
Christina Lewellen:
pace, letting teachers have a lot of autonomy in terms of how
Christina Lewellen:
they deliver on the portrait of a graduate that the school is
Christina Lewellen:
working toward. So I'm curious how you sort of approach
Christina Lewellen:
technology programs across all these different grade levels
Christina Lewellen:
that you serve, so that you're bringing some level of
Christina Lewellen:
consistency and scalability sustainability and yet giving
Christina Lewellen:
teachers the autonomy to come into this from wherever they're,
Christina Lewellen:
however they view education and delivering on education. You
Christina Lewellen:
know, we have to be flexible with our teachers, too. So how
Christina Lewellen:
do you approach it big picture? If that's not too big of a
Christina Lewellen:
question to ask, because it seems to me like you're kind of
Christina Lewellen:
a yes, let's get it done person. And so that, I would think
Christina Lewellen:
brings some amount of flexibility into your program,
Christina Lewellen:
and yet you probably do want to make sure that it's sustainable
Christina Lewellen:
and scalable. So how do you walk that
Nikole Blanchard:
line? So the ultimate goal I look at for our
Nikole Blanchard:
mission of our school is really that most of our students go to
Nikole Blanchard:
college after so we need to make sure that you feel comfortable
Nikole Blanchard:
in college and you have the skills you need in order to go
Nikole Blanchard:
to college. And I think it's more than just college. It's
Nikole Blanchard:
really in the world in general, but you have to have some sort
Nikole Blanchard:
of digital literacy. You have to and if we are ignoring schools,
Nikole Blanchard:
we really need to rethink it. And what I have done with the
Nikole Blanchard:
help of teachers, and they don't really know that I'm doing this
Nikole Blanchard:
in the background. But if a child stays here from first
Nikole Blanchard:
grade all the way to 12th grade, or even if they come in, we have
Nikole Blanchard:
an umbrella of the skills that they are going to have on the
Nikole Blanchard:
time they leave. And a lot of those skills, let's just say
Nikole Blanchard:
this, all of those skills seamlessly mesh with curriculum,
Nikole Blanchard:
and that is where I work, for example, next week, which I'm
Nikole Blanchard:
super excited about, and third grade, we will be starting some
Nikole Blanchard:
green screening with the students. They will be
Nikole Blanchard:
meteorologists, because they are studying natural disasters, and
Nikole Blanchard:
they will actually video themselves. They'll write a
Nikole Blanchard:
script, which is writing, they'll use the vocabulary that
Nikole Blanchard:
they're learning in science, and then they will video themselves
Nikole Blanchard:
and learn the green screen process. And these are skills
Nikole Blanchard:
that in third grade we're starting, but they will use
Nikole Blanchard:
throughout their time here at Dunham, so having that big
Nikole Blanchard:
umbrella is where it's taught, where. It is taught again,
Nikole Blanchard:
having the teachers. It's not a separate class, it's part of
Nikole Blanchard:
what we do. There's different philosophies on that. But in my
Nikole Blanchard:
opinion, when we start to look at if our curriculum is
Nikole Blanchard:
relevant, then we have to have some of those projects in those
Nikole Blanchard:
we did a project with Apple, where we looked at retention
Nikole Blanchard:
rights of high school students on their exams. And we learned
Nikole Blanchard:
when none of us on this podcast did this, the kids were saying,
Nikole Blanchard:
Oh, I only need a 75 to make an A in the course, or I need a 42
Nikole Blanchard:
I think we heard that one to make an A. So like, what's the
Nikole Blanchard:
point of the exam? Right? Yeah, they need to know how to take
Nikole Blanchard:
exams. But what's the point? So we have taken exams off the
Nikole Blanchard:
plate for grades seven through 12, for history in the spring.
Nikole Blanchard:
So seventh grade, based on their curriculum, there's choice in
Nikole Blanchard:
everything, but they have, like, guidelines, but in seventh
Nikole Blanchard:
grade, they make a virtual museum. On co spaces, they make
Nikole Blanchard:
this virtual museum. My son actually did it last year, and
Nikole Blanchard:
he did the decades, and in each room there was something that he
Nikole Blanchard:
created based off of what he wanted, and the teacher had
Nikole Blanchard:
expectations. In eighth grade, they make a website. So this is
Nikole Blanchard:
a skill that kids think about it like you probably need to know
Nikole Blanchard:
how to make a website and know how to do it and see how easy it
Nikole Blanchard:
is for anyone to produce a website. We talk about digital
Nikole Blanchard:
citizenship with this. But then ninth grade, they make a book,
Nikole Blanchard:
an interactive book. 10th grade, which was one of my favorite
Nikole Blanchard:
when my daughter did, it was a podcast. It's really interesting
Nikole Blanchard:
to let high schoolers talk about history in a podcast. Very fun.
Nikole Blanchard:
11th grade they do a documentary, and then 12th grade
Nikole Blanchard:
they do a mini dissertation, that's kind of like a TED talk
Nikole Blanchard:
in front of their peers. So we're trying to involve kids in
Nikole Blanchard:
their learning, and we've learned now through research,
Nikole Blanchard:
that when you do a deeper dive into a topic, you're more likely
Nikole Blanchard:
to retain that information. So the big answer to your question
Nikole Blanchard:
is really taking all of these skills that we teach and making
Nikole Blanchard:
some key points along the journey at Dunham that these
Nikole Blanchard:
kids are involved in movie making. These kids are involved
Nikole Blanchard:
in podcasting. We start coding. Guys at three years old. They're
Nikole Blanchard:
coding. They're interacting with the robot. They may not know
Nikole Blanchard:
it's coding, but they are controlling that robot. We have
Nikole Blanchard:
CAD design. That's March in fourth grade. We are trying to
Nikole Blanchard:
make sure, like, for instance, like you know, a novel is good
Nikole Blanchard:
at a specific grade level. Well, we know that fourth graders are
Nikole Blanchard:
good with CAD design any younger. If you've ever watched
Nikole Blanchard:
a 3d printer, it just is a bunch of mess. Any younger we've
Nikole Blanchard:
tried, so we keep those things that we know are that are
Nikole Blanchard:
working and have the big umbrella.
Bill Stites:
So one of the questions that I actually have
Bill Stites:
is, as I was thinking about like, what we're doing here at
Bill Stites:
MKA, and the way in which we're building out our spaces. We
Bill Stites:
spent a lot of time this summer in our series of STEM and I'm
Bill Stites:
very curious, based on the work that you've done with Shell and
Bill Stites:
LSU, to do work in the field of STEM, and I'd like to hear about
Bill Stites:
that a little bit, if you could share some of what you've done
Bill Stites:
there, absolutely.
Nikole Blanchard:
So in 2015 I was named an Apple Distinguished
Nikole Blanchard:
Educator, and when I received that, I went to this training,
Nikole Blanchard:
and I learned so much about the importance of involving students
Nikole Blanchard:
in learning. And I came back and I was like, we've got to do
Nikole Blanchard:
something here. And that initial idea has grown with LSU and
Nikole Blanchard:
shell, but basically, research shows that, I guess I was his
Nikole Blanchard:
student. Like, I really was not the best student. Like, I mean,
Nikole Blanchard:
I was an average student. I made Bs and Cs my whole time in
Nikole Blanchard:
school, until I got to education. And I was like, Ah,
Nikole Blanchard:
I'm in my heaven, you know. And I really think it was because I
Nikole Blanchard:
was not involved in my learning. And I always thought that you
Nikole Blanchard:
have to be smart to go to stem Well, it's really amazing when
Nikole Blanchard:
you create spaces and create opportunities for kids, all
Nikole Blanchard:
kids, to test their ideas and be part of that, to be involved in
Nikole Blanchard:
our learning, how they imagine the possibilities. So the
Nikole Blanchard:
research shows if you put a science credit on a kid, even a
Nikole Blanchard:
teacher, it's hilarious. They feel like they're scientists,
Nikole Blanchard:
right? We feel like we're part of the moment. We're part of it.
Nikole Blanchard:
Kids are told all the time, these are the guidelines. This
Nikole Blanchard:
is what you have to do. So when you come into our innovation
Nikole Blanchard:
lab, or the things I do at Shell yeah, there's some guidelines.
Nikole Blanchard:
They're not what you think, like if you want your pig to be
Nikole Blanchard:
purple. So be it like you're using your imagination have a
Nikole Blanchard:
purple pig. But for instance, we're going to build hurricane
Nikole Blanchard:
houses next week, and there are going to be some really great
Nikole Blanchard:
hurricane houses that. But if you're in this area, you really
Nikole Blanchard:
having a house on stilts is important because you want the
Nikole Blanchard:
water not to get into your house, right? So having your
Nikole Blanchard:
house high is important, but I'm not going to tell that to kids.
Nikole Blanchard:
They're going to have to use what they know about hurricanes
Nikole Blanchard:
to build their house. And then we're going to have a fan that
Nikole Blanchard:
determines the different levels, the categories of the hurricane
Nikole Blanchard:
to blow down the house. It is amazing the confidence that
Nikole Blanchard:
children who are not that a student will get in these
Nikole Blanchard:
courses and having the opportunity to build I kind of
Nikole Blanchard:
feel like if I had that when I was a kid, wow, I would have
Nikole Blanchard:
enjoyed learning so much more just to be involved. I kind of
Nikole Blanchard:
tease one of my science teachers, physics teacher, they
Nikole Blanchard:
make a boat, they make a boat in physics, and then they go to a
Nikole Blanchard:
pool, and they test the boats. And this is part of the
Nikole Blanchard:
curriculum. It's one of those things that I talk about that
Nikole Blanchard:
sticks because we tried it with test. It it works. But my
Nikole Blanchard:
goodness, I would have loved physics, if I would have been
Nikole Blanchard:
doing that, right? I would have had a little bit of confidence
Nikole Blanchard:
in myself with physics. So I think involving kids in the
Nikole Blanchard:
learning process and giving them choices, they feel like they're
Nikole Blanchard:
part of it, and it's kind of like a buy in, right? So I guess
Nikole Blanchard:
there's a passion there, because I think about the kids like
Nikole Blanchard:
myself who were just bored to death listening to a lecture or
Nikole Blanchard:
listening to something so trying to involve kids in their
Nikole Blanchard:
learning has always it's so much fun to see where their thinking
Nikole Blanchard:
goes. And if you just stop and listen to them and don't talk
Nikole Blanchard:
much, but just let them do it and be that facilitator, like
Nikole Blanchard:
we're pulling ourselves out. They're the expert. And I just
Nikole Blanchard:
like, wow, why did you do it that way? Or teach me something?
Nikole Blanchard:
There's a sense of confidence that, oh my gosh, I'm seven, and
Nikole Blanchard:
I can teach Miss Nicole how to do this, you know? And that's
Nikole Blanchard:
how it should be. It really should.
Christina Lewellen:
Nicole, this has been really interesting. I
Christina Lewellen:
love how excited you are. Your energy is infectious. Before we
Christina Lewellen:
let you go, I'd love to ask you real quick. We're in this back
Christina Lewellen:
to school season. I know you're already back, but I'm curious
Christina Lewellen:
what's your favorite approach to PD for faculty, if you do need
Christina Lewellen:
to teach teachers something, can you just tell us a little bit
Christina Lewellen:
about what your go to toolbox might be there.
Nikole Blanchard:
Sure, first I'm gonna, I'm just gonna share
Nikole Blanchard:
this. I really love calling it professional learning. I love
Nikole Blanchard:
taking away that professional development and try to call it
Nikole Blanchard:
learning many times. I think it's just the wordsmithing. I
Nikole Blanchard:
think that development seems like, Hey, this is a one time
Nikole Blanchard:
thing. We're learning a continuous process, and it's
Nikole Blanchard:
what we're trying to do with our students, right? So I really try
Nikole Blanchard:
to create this active environment by calling it
Nikole Blanchard:
professional learning. So one thing that right now I'm just
Nikole Blanchard:
gonna tell you, teachers are overwhelmed. Beginner school is
Nikole Blanchard:
non stop, so I'm just trying to make sure that they have what
Nikole Blanchard:
they need. As a tech director, what do you need? I'm not I'm
Nikole Blanchard:
not coming at you with the new ideas just yet they're coming,
Nikole Blanchard:
don't worry. But I'm just coming at making sure everyone has what
Nikole Blanchard:
they need. I am really challenging myself this year.
Nikole Blanchard:
Now you'll have to check with me in May to approach professional
Nikole Blanchard:
learning as individualized. Someone challenged me at the
Nikole Blanchard:
ISTE conference and said, Why do we expect teachers to
Nikole Blanchard:
individualize for students, but we don't individualize for
Nikole Blanchard:
teachers? And it was like, oh so true. Like, I shouldn't assume
Nikole Blanchard:
that everybody needs to learn how to do something as simple as
Nikole Blanchard:
turning on the computer or, you know, that's very simple, but I
Nikole Blanchard:
shouldn't just assume that. So I'm really trying to use some
Nikole Blanchard:
techniques I've learned from Apple learning coach to really
Nikole Blanchard:
make sure that my teachers are met at their needs. One thing I
Nikole Blanchard:
did at the end of the year was i Another simple survey. So I'm
Nikole Blanchard:
using that survey to kind of drive some of the professional
Nikole Blanchard:
development. So I can now group people based on their needs, and
Nikole Blanchard:
I can kind of help people at different places. One of my
Nikole Blanchard:
favorite professional learning is I did 92nd little videos
Nikole Blanchard:
teachers. One thing, just like students, quick, fast, they are
Nikole Blanchard:
on the move. They're on the move. So they were able to watch
Nikole Blanchard:
them on their phone while they're walking their lunch.
Nikole Blanchard:
They were able to help. So I would say, make sure everybody's
Nikole Blanchard:
up and running. Make sure we're all happy, and then we can
Nikole Blanchard:
approach them individually where they are.
Christina Lewellen:
I love that so much. That's perfect advice
Christina Lewellen:
and a great way to wrap this all up, Nicole, I want to thank you
Christina Lewellen:
for your time today. It's been such a pleasure to get to know
Christina Lewellen:
you. I appreciate not only you sharing what you've learned in
Christina Lewellen:
your experiences at your school, but also just how you serve the
Christina Lewellen:
broader technology and education community. So thank you so much
Christina Lewellen:
for joining us. We hope you'll come back and share. Share with
Christina Lewellen:
us how everything is going at your school. This was a
Christina Lewellen:
pleasure, and thank you very much Absolutely.
Nikole Blanchard:
Thank you for having me and I wish everyone a
Nikole Blanchard:
wonderful school year.
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This has been talking technology with Atlas produced
Narrator:
by the Association of technology leaders in independent schools.
Narrator:
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