Sabba Quidwai, EdD 🙌🏼 Designing Schools

For too long, schools have relied on pockets of excellence, brilliant ideas trapped in silos. Now, by treating talent and technology as part of the same ecosystem, we can scale that excellence across every classroom, every team, every learner. open.substack.com/pub/designings… #ISTELive

“I want to get better at AI this year.” Great goal. But progress doesn’t come from motivation—it comes from systems. AI isn’t something you learn once. In this video, I show how to turn that goal into a real routine. Watch here 👇 youtu.be/ZNlEUoQ6Nbo

Your AI rollout isn’t failing because of the tools. It’s failing because of the story. People don’t change behavior because of strategy memos. They change because they believe something different about what’s possible. Watch the full video below 👇 @SabbaQuidwai/videos" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@SabbaQuidwai/…

“Focus on relationships, not dollars.” Jennifer is a top 1% realtor in Arizona, consistently ranked among the top realtors in Scottsdale. What stands out most is how intentionally she builds trust + seamless experience for the people she works with: youtu.be/-Yi2SiTfyzU?si…

Many women hesitate to use AI—not because they don’t understand it, but because it challenges how we’ve been taught to work. This conversation with @schuliving is about confidence, agency, and permission to work differently.

We talk about personalizing learning. But what if the person doing the personalizing… was the student? Tools like NotebookLM let students turn their notes into summaries, quizzes, or audio explanations. That’s not studying. That’s learning how to learn.

A principal was spending 3 hours a week on social media. We didn’t give her AI tools. We built her an AI team member trained on her school, voice, and goals. Now she spends 15 minutes approving posts. AI isn’t a tool. It’s a teammate you train.

Students use AI when they’re overwhelmed, anxious, confused, or racing impossible deadlines. Not because they’re lazy. Because they’re human. If we focus only on detection, we miss the opportunity to redesign learning, teach ethical use, and create work too meaningful to fake.

Custom styles for Infographics are rolling out TODAY! With 10 (!) preset options and the ability to create your own, choose from editorial, clay, brick, fan favorite kawaii 😻, and more! Turn your complex source material into beautiful, easy-to-read visuals with a single click.

Every teacher asks: “How do I know if this is AI?” Stop detecting. Start making thinking visible. When students show how they arrived at an answer—not just what it is—AI stops being a shortcut. Design for process, not product.

That weird feeling when AI finishes your sentence and you wonder, “Was that mine?” It’s not insecurity. It’s an identity shift. As AI mirrors our voice and completes our thoughts, we’re being forced to rethink what human contribution actually is and where it really lives.

My latest podcast episode explores why design thinking is becoming the leadership skill of the AI era and how to start designing your response instead of reacting to change. Click the link below to tune in today: designingschools.org/podcast/

Some people use AI to make content. Leaders use it to redesign how teams work. NotebookLM isn’t a toy—it’s a system. Centralized knowledge. Clear next steps. Faster alignment. The difference? Playing with tools vs. building systems.

AI agents flooding your feed? I keep thinking about the App Store. Remember when apps felt revolutionary? Now we don’t think twice. This moment isn’t about chasing what’s next. It’s about noticing the shift—and choosing how intentionally you move inside it.

This clip from my interview with @schuliving is one I keep coming back to. Real influence isn’t visibility or polish. It’s trust. Especially when no one has the perfect answer. Click the link for the full episode: designingschools.org/podcast

What if students aren’t cheating because they’re dishonest but because they’re disconnected? AI didn’t create the problem. It exposed it. The answer isn’t better detection. It’s better design. When work is relevant and gives real choice, students create not cheat.

Great session with @askMsQ at the @learningandtheb Teachiing Generation #AI to Z #education #edchat #teaching

POV: Your org adopted AI to reduce workload… and everyone’s still exhausted. Automation didn’t fix burnout because burnout was never about tools. It was about design. The real questions: → What should I do? → What should AI do? → What should we stop doing? Redesign > speed

The shift wasn’t asking “what’s the next AI tool?” It was asking “what if?” What if I solved the problem? Built the thing? Thought bigger? When you lead with thinking, AI stops feeling like catch-up—and starts becoming a signal for where judgment matters most.

We talk nonstop about what AI can do. We rarely talk about what it’s doing to us. Meaning. Identity. Agency at work. If you know more about ChatGPT updates than the people you collaborate with, something’s off. In 2026, we need to learn people as intentionally as we learn tools.

You weren’t hired to be plagiarism patrol—you’re an educator. If AI can finish an assignment in 30 seconds, the problem isn’t the tool. It’s the task. Design work that invites thinking, reflection, and creation—and cheating loses its appeal.