GFG Event Recap: A Conversation with the Spelman Innovation Lab

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On Sept. 9, 2026, the Google for Education educator community gathered for a live discussion titled "A Conversation with the Spelman Innovation Lab." Hosted by Zac Chase, global lead for scale programming at Google for Education, the panel featured Jaycee Holmes, director of Spelman Innovation and the Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab and assistant professor in the Department of Art and Visual Culture, alongside Blanca Burch, creative technologist, educator, and AI innovation strategist at Spelman College. Together, they shared how Spelman transformed a closet-sized maker space into a vital, campus-wide ecosystem serving more than 1,500 unique visitors annually across Spelman College and the broader Atlanta University Center. From there they have gone on to work across campus to bridge the spaces between technology, AI and all departments.

The overarching takeaway from the session was clear: true technological innovation in higher education stems not from chasing tool adoption for its own sake, but from grounding technology in human creativity, psychological safety, interdisciplinary collaboration, and intentional space design. By anchoring their innovation lab within the Division of the Arts rather than a traditional STEM silo, Spelman demonstrates how centering storytelling, equity, and empathy turns intimidating technical concepts into accessible avenues for student self-efficacy and career readiness.

Bridging Emerging Technology and the Arts

Situating innovation spaces within creative disciplines rather than isolating them inside technical departments reframes technology as a medium for human expression and problem-solving. At Spelman, placing the lab adjacent to music, photography, dance, and documentary film programs creates a natural bridge between technical tools and liberal arts inquiry. Students and faculty from non-technical disciplines engage with emerging tools - including artificial intelligence, robotics, and mixed reality - not as abstract concepts, but as instruments to advance their own creative and scholarly narratives.

"People often think when we're talking about the world of emerging technology that we only need people who are computational thinkers and in many ways that's true," Holmes said. "We need people who are algorithmic thinkers, who are computational thinkers, but we also need people who are creative and storytellers, who are people who are going to figure out what this new technology means and how to actually apply it to different users, different audiences, different people."

 

Cultivating Psychological Safety and Navigating "Change as Loss"

Faculty hesitation around artificial intelligence and rapidly evolving software often reflects a deeply human reaction to systemic change: the anxiety of losing established expertise or instructional control. To address this, Burch designs dedicated off-hours workshops specifically for faculty and staff. These sessions offer a judgment-free environment where educators can ask foundational questions, critique emerging tools, and experiment without the pressure of having to act as instant subject-matter experts. By acknowledging that AI tools evolve daily, the lab fosters a culture of collective learning.

"I try to make sure that everyone in the space understands that this is a new space for all of us," Burch said. "Being able to understand that we're all learning tends to break down a couple barriers of like anybody necessarily feeling like they have to know everything because it's constantly evolving."

Designing Space as a "Third Teacher"

Physical environments actively communicate institutional values and shape learning behaviors. The layout of the Spelman Innovation Lab intentionally manages user intimidation through structured spatial zones. Visitors are greeted at the entrance by student leaders wearing bright yellow vests at a welcoming front desk. High-tech machinery, such as 3D printers and laser cutters, occupies the front area to invite hands-on engagement. In contrast, the back of the lab features a tech-free "dining room table" space reserved entirely for reflection, non-technical study, and community dialogue. Approximately one-third of student visits utilize this space for social interaction and peer connection, establishing psychological safety before technical engagement even begins.

"We see these students come in and all of a sudden, you know, they're dealing with the unit circle or they're working with matrices because they're working on a project that requires it," Holmes noted. "And it suddenly becomes less of a scary unknowable concept and more of something that, oh actually I know how to do this in this particular circumstance."

Culture over Capital: Building Sustainable Innovation Hubs

Establishing an impactful innovation hub does not require immediate, multi-million-dollar funding allocations or advanced equipment arrays. The Spelman Innovation Lab began a decade ago with a single 3D printer and laser cutter in a converted closet. Institutional sustainability relies on building intentional relationships with department leadership, institutional advancement teams, and external maker networks (such as New York University's ITP Camp). By prioritizing community culture, student leadership, and interdisciplinary partnerships over hardware, institutions can build resilient programs that scale naturally over time.

Practical Takeaways for Faculty

• Reframe Technology as an Instrument for Storytelling: Anchor classroom technology use around discipline-specific inquiry and student identity rather than software mechanics.
• Normalize Co-Learning and Uncertainty: Be transparent with students when digital tools change or yield unexpected results, positioning educators and students as joint explorers.
• Establish Low-Stakes Exploration Spaces: Design ungraded, judgment-free opportunities for faculty peers and students to test, critique, and play with emerging tools.
• Structure Environments Mindfully: Incorporate intentional "tech-free" zones in physical or virtual learning environments to encourage dialogue, reflection, and psychological safety.
• Prioritize Culture over Hardware: Focus initial innovation efforts on gathering a collaborative core of educators and students before pursuing major equipment investments.

What's Next?

• Review Session Materials: Revisit key discussion points through the full session recording and transcript links below.
• Connect with Spelman Innovation: Contact the lab team directly at [email protected] or visit the Spelman Innovation Lab Official Website to explore collaborative initiatives.
• Participate in Future Community Sessions: Join us for future events
• 9/23/2026 - How can critical literacy help higher education navigate an AI world? With Sam Illingworth
• 10/7/2026 - How can higher education, industry, and government realign to prepare the workforce for an unpredict...With MIT PATH
• 10/21/2026 - How does AI allow for humans to be more relational in our time and efforts? With Isabelle Hau

Shared Event Resources

• Calendar Event Page
• Spelman Innovation Lab Official Website
• Spelman Innovation Lab Email Contact: [email protected]
• Who Has Hair Like Mine?
• How Spelman’s AI Innovation Scholar is Shaping an Inclusive Tech Future
• Third Teacher

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