The Team
Ryan R. Goble, Ed.D. specializes in creating joyful and sustainable learning experiences that “pop” for learners in formal and informal settings. He began his teaching career as a high school English teacher in Ann Arbor, MI. Since 1998 he has taught, consulted and presented for a wide variety of students, teachers, schools, colleges, school districts and educational organizations all over the United States. Ryan's supervisory background includes working for the New York City Department of Education as a curriculum coordinator and professional developer at Banana Kelly High School in the South Bronx and as an Instructional Support Leader Chicago Public Schools’ K-8 Fulton Network. Presently, Ryan works as the Teaching and Learning Coordinator for Glenbard High School District 87 in Glen Ellyn, IL.
Ryan's teaching work has been featured in publications like Teacher Magazine, The Boston Globe and The Detroit News. He has written for publications including the Learning Forward Journal (formally the Journal of Staff Development), The Journal of Media Literacy, The School Library Journal and The New York Times Learning Network. His first book on literacy and collaborative learning titled Making Curriculum Pop: Developing Literacies across All Content Areas (co-written with his mother) was co-published by the National Council Teachers of English (NCTE) and Free Spirit Press in the fall of 2015.
Ryan began his working life in the entertainment industry working in marketing for Virgin Records, DJing at NPR in Detroit and doing production work at E! Entertainment Television in Los Angeles. His Hollywood background has allowed Ryan’s students to work with people like actors Robin Williams, Julianne Moore, rapper Ice-T, screenwriter William Goldman (The Princess Bride & All The President’s Men) and director Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Where the Wild Things Are). He also taught and produced the Teach, Think, Play: Popular Culture in the Classroom conferences at Teachers College Columbia University from 2007-2009.
Ryan is the founder of Mindblue.com an educational consulting company that specializes in interdisciplinary teaching and learning that embraces popular cultures and media. In addition to consulting for school districts Ryan has worked with organizations like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Virgin Records and - at present - NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. His NASA work includes the development of multimedia curriculum and professional development experiences for secondary teachers on climate change and sustainability. To complement all his work, Ryan shares teaching resources with 9,000+ educators all over the globe through his social network "Making Curriculum Pop" mcpopmb.ning.com.
Mr. Goble serves as an adjunct professor in the education departments of Aurora, Benedictine and Roosevelt Universities and teaches undergraduate writing courses at DeVry University. In 2010 Mr. Goble completed a seven-year term on the National Council of Teachers of English's (NCTE) Media Collaborative and served as co-president of that organization from 2011-2013.
Ryan holds a Master's Degree in Education and a Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of Michigan. His dissertation explored Experiential Learning Events (ELEs) and his doctorate is in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Cognitive Science, Cultural Studies & Literacies from Teachers College Columbia University in New York City. He presently lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and daughter.
Nicole Trackman has been a partner and Head Curriculum Designer for Mindblue since 2004. She is currently an English faculty member at the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) in Aurora, IL.
Before joining IMSA, Nicole was a Professional Development Advisor for the National Academy (NAfET) for Excellent Teaching at Teachers College Columbia University. As a NAfET advisor, Nicole worked in small public high schools in Harlem and the Bronx as a teacher mentor, principal coach, interdisciplinary curriculum coordinator and literacy coach. Nicole began her coaching career with the Secondary Literacy Institute (SLI) at Teachers College. At SLI she worked with secondary school faculty in the Bronx to develop literacy practices across the curriculum.
Ms. Trackman is an adjunct professor at Benedictine University, where she teaches graduate courses in education and at DeVry University, where she teaches undergraduate research and writing. She has taught 6-12 grade English, speech, and journalism in urban, suburban and international settings.
In 2007 Nicole began her Doctoral studies in English Education at Teachers College Columbia University. In New York City she co-produced, and co-taught the Teach, Think, Play course/conference at Teachers College Columbia University from 2006-2009.
Ms. Trackman is on the National Council of Teachers of English Poetry Commission and has presented at their national conference for the past six years with the Poetry Commission and Mindblue.
Nicole holds a Master's degree in English and Education and a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Iowa. During Nicole's tenure in Iowa City she was involved in the prestigious Iowa Writer's Workshop. She also served as poetry editor at the University of Iowa's literary magazine Earthwords.
Nicole enjoys working individually with teachers, principals, and full faculties; she has been presenting her work in curriculum design, differentiation and interdisciplinary constructivism at national and state conferences, district-wide professional development conference and school community teaching conferences since 2004.
Blake Goble is Mindblue's Digital Specialist. Currently working on his Masters in Cinema & Media Studies at DePaul University, Blake is a Digital Communications Specialist with NORC at the University of Chicago. He is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan's School of Art & Design, focusing on graphic design, new media, film and art theory. At Michigan, Blake wrote and edited for The Michigan Daily publishing over 150 pieces as a film and arts writer. His writing has been featured on IMDB and The University Wire. When he’s not spinning his new media magic with Mindblue he works as a freelance multi-media writer and designer.
