About Me

My name is Nicole Lakusta. Currently I am the Educational Technology Facilitator for Parkland School Division. It serves 9,500  K – 12 students residing on the western edge of Edmonton, Alberta, surrounding and including the City of Spruce Grove, Town of Stony Plain and Parkland County.

My facilitation is part of a two year Supporting Innovative Classrooms – SLItech (Supporting Leaders in Integrating Technology) Project initiated by Alberta Education. After teaching for 15 years, of which 8 were in an Assistant Principalship context, I am excited to take my passion for learning with technology out to the “masses”. I have the amazing opportunity to work with each school administrative team and some teacher leaders. Understanding the daily leadership opportunities and challenges and taking the time to listen to our administrative teams is a gift I will never forget. As well, having contacts outside the school division with other school divisions who are also involved in the SIC initiative has been rewarding. As we know, implementing emerging technologies in one’s school requires accepting new challenges and embracing new opportunities – and this is not always an easy step for administrators or anyone for that matter!

I believe that the success of technology integration initiatives such as our SLItech Project relies on our educational leaders to excel in supporting, implementing and sustaining school change. There are two critical understandings for administrators (as per ISTE).

1) Administrators must become comfortable collaborating with teachers and students globally.

2) Administrators need to think less about staying ahead and more about moving forward as members of dynamic learning communities.

I have thought A LOT about journaling my thoughts, reflections, comments, discussions in an online manner. Throughout the years, my students, parents and I have exchanged online dialogue so this is not a new medium for me. However, finding the time to move towards creating a professional blog over the past year has crossed my mind many many times.

I reflect on the how my parents have influenced who I am and what I stand for, ensuring that what I input here is also connected to their values, their wants and needs for a world that they now see as such a global community. For as they were growing up, my mother (Maman) in a French community west of Winnipeg, Manitoba and my father (Daddy) in a north west community in Germany understood then the importance of being dynamic members of their respective communities. They instilled and continue to instill in my younger brother and I to learn from others, to try our best in whatever we put our minds to and to leave a lasting legacy.

PERSONAL

Now for the title of my blog, for those of you who know me before married life….my maiden name is Otto and since I like technology, I couldn’t resist the play on words!!

Ah, those were the late ’80′s – all that glam and pouffy hair. Wait a minute, I think that is back in style now. What a trend setter

Anniversary celebration in Lethbridge – see Kurt (my brother) and wife Joy with some of us. Yes, it is ME with short hair.