Empowering Education Through Technology at Spartan Learning Academy

The Genesis of Innovation

Bernalillo’s journey began with a vision—to transform educational experiences by integrating culturally relevant and career-ready skills into everyday learning. This vision shaped the Spartan Learning Academy's Fab Lab, where technology and tradition merge to empower future-ready students. 

The Blueprint for Success: The Discovery Report

Educational leaders from Bernalillo Public Schools reached out to Bluum for assistance with actuating their vision for the Fab Lab. They brought in Bluum's educational strategists to gather information that moved the school leaders' vision to reality and laid the foundation for the Fab Lab in alignment with the district's strategic goals. This foundational document provided a blueprint for a state-of-the-art STEM/Fabrication Lab, tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of the learning community as a hub of innovation and learning.

Here’s how we tailored our process to align perfectly with Bernalillo Public Schools' vision and strategic goals:

• Initiating Collaboration: Nina and Chantell organized an initial kick-off meeting to establish a timeline and set up interviews, ensuring all key stakeholders were aligned from the start.
  
  
• In-depth Discovery: Blumm conducted detailed interviews with several Bernillio leaders to deeply understand the educational goals and required resources. This involved exploring the vision for the Fab Lab, assessing necessary equipment and support, and aligning with the district’s strategic objectives.
  
  
• Strategic Alignment: By integrating insights from the interviews, Bluum identified how the Fab Lab would support district-wide educational goals, align with frameworks for digitally responsive organizations, and meet ISTE standards for educators and leaders.
  
  
• Iterative Refinement: The findings were compiled into a discovery report. Bernillio’s team engaged in several review sessions, refining the draft into a final, comprehensive blueprint that would guide the successful implementation of the Fab Lab.

This strategic and thoughtful approach highlights Bluum’s commitment to ensuring that each project we undertake is not only well-planned but also perfectly aligned with our partners’ educational missions and visions.

Spartan Learning Academy's Fab Lab emerged from this vision, conceptualized to inspire and prepare students for a rapidly evolving digital world.

We invite you to request more information about Bluum's holistic planning services.

This report guided Bernalillo and Bluum in creating a space that was more than just a collection of high-tech equipment—it was a catalyst for educational equity and excellence.

Building the Dream: Culturally Responsive and Career-Ready Education

From this report, the Fab Lab was created around providing students with career-ready education. The Fab Lab focuses on: 

• Culturally Responsive Teaching: In line with Bernalillo’s Strategy, Bluum worked to equip the Fab Lab to support culturally relevant instruction. This included selecting technologies and designing spaces that reflect and respect the diverse cultural backgrounds of all students. This included capitalizing on emerging technologies to design learning spaces that not only reflect and respect the diverse cultural backgrounds of all students, but also prepare students for the future workforce.
  
  
• Career Readiness Across Grades: Aligned with Bernalillo’s strategy, Bluum helped the district focus on integrating college readiness standards and developing a career exploration curriculum. While the Fab Lab is located in the middle school and offers tools that bolster skills in reading, writing, mathematics, communication, and critical thinking, it is also open to the larger community, providing access to tools and processes that are essential competencies for the careers of tomorrow.
  
  
• Engaging and Retaining Students: Our collaborative efforts have made the Fab Lab a place where students want to be—a place that draws them in and keeps them engaged, thereby reducing absences and increasing involvement in the learning process. Along with providing their community with access to the lab after school, allowing an opportunity to impact their entire community.

Bridging the Digital Divide with Bluum and

Bernalillo Public Schools

At Bluum, we are committed to reducing the digital divide and enhancing educational opportunities. Our collaboration with Bernalillo Public Schools to launch  the Spartan Learning Academy's Fab Lab exemplifies this commitment. Here’s how we collaborated with Bernalillo for an extraordinary outcome.

Expert Technology Integration

• Customized Technology Planning: Aligned technology purchases and deployments with the school’s educational goals, supporting an environment where digital learning thrives.
  
  
• Strategic Planning Assistance: Bluum helped design the Fab Lab layout and selected appropriate technologies that foster both learning and creativity.
  
  
• State-of-the-Art Tools and Resources: The Fab Lab is equipped with the latest technology, including VR goggles, 3-D printers, laser cutters and robotics, ensuring more students and the broader community can access these tools to help spark innovation.
  
  
• Maker Mindset: The goal is to foster the Maker Mindset with students and staff. With Bluum’s professional development services, participants were able explore the mindsets best utilized to blend all aspects of STEM in a creative and functional capacity and engage in the design thinking process.
  
  
• Ongoing Technical Support: Bluum continues to support Bernalillo to ensure technology integration is smooth and effective, enhancing teaching and learning experiences.

Comprehensive Professional Development

• Empowering Educators: Delivered targeted training and professional development to teachers, focusing on the integration and effective use of digital tools in education.
  
  
• Building a Community of Learners: Supported the development of a learning community that includes students, educators, and the wider community, fostering collaboration and innovation.
  
  
• On-Going Collaboration: Teachers and staff collaborated to create a weeklong lesson plan and schedule for ongoing professional development and practice. 

Building the Dream: From Plan to Reality

• Inclusive Planning Process: Our approach was thorough and community-focused. We engaged educators, students, and community stakeholders in every step of the planning process to ensure the Fab Lab would meet the educational and innovative needs of all learners.
  
  
• Technology Tailored to Teach and Inspire: The lab was outfitted with cutting-edge technology such as 3-D printers, robotics, and VR systems, selected specifically to enhance student interaction and foster a hands-on learning experience.
  
  
• Professional Development and Ongoing Support: Recognizing the importance of teacher empowerment, we provided comprehensive training and ongoing support to ensure educators were equipped to bring the lab’s resources to life in their teaching.

A Hub of Community and Innovation

The Fab Lab at Spartan Learning Academy isn’t just a facility—it’s a beacon of future possibilities. Open to the entire community, it offers a canvas where students, teachers, and local innovators can collaborate on projects that blend technology and creativity, thereby extending the walls of the classroom into the community.

Transformative Impacts

• Elevated Student Engagement and Achievement: The Fab Lab has revolutionized how students learn and interact with STEM subjects, turning abstract concepts into tangible projects that capture the imagination and enhance learning outcomes.
  
  
• Empowerment Through Equity: By providing equal access to advanced technologies, we are leveling the educational playing field, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed.
  
  
• A Model for Future Endeavors: The success of the Spartan Learning Academy Fab Lab inspires other schools across the nation to integrate technology and education in meaningful ways.

Join Us on This Transformative Journey

We invite educators, schools, and districts worldwide to draw inspiration from our journey with the Spartan Learning Academy.

Discover how a partnership with Bluum can transform your educational practices, prepare your students for the future, and impact your community.

Contact us to learn how we can help your district achieve its educational goals through technology and strategic planning.