Welcome

I have worked with school districts for more than 25 years, designing and delivering strategies for equitable access to technology, remote learning, and 1:1 technology. The work has been recognized nationally and includes collaborations with ed tech companies, universities and NGOs resulting in tens of thousands of students and teachers engaged in learning experiences which otherwise would have been impossible.

Providing students and teachers with devices and online resources is a great start to an effective program, while strategic planning and professional development are the keys to success. I’ve led many learning communities in their shift from “teaching” to “learning” and designed instructional strategies that promote formative assessment and mastery learning.

From 2006 through 2017 I blogged regularly, and I’ve left posts available as they represent a running record of a very active decade of edtech!

Strategic Planning and Professional Development

Regional Leadership

After working with teachers and students to help create Google Classroom, I chose to serve as a regional leader and support the ongoing shifts from site based resources to those that are available anytime and anywhere. This included developing equitable 1:1 and BYOD learning environments, including Chromebooks and cellular hotspots. I co-founded, marketed, and managed the Emerging Technologies Service in New York’s Hudson Valley. Starting with two pilot school districts, Bronxville and Tuckahoe, the service quickly expanded to nine additional districts. I hired three certified and nationally recognized experts to support these districts in the complex shifts they were embracing. The work had a broad impact, some of which is shared in the examples and excerpts below.

A Look Ahead: CS-First, 20 Percent Projects, Google Expeditions and Beyond

Google Cloud Official Blog

Tuckahoe Schools Launches ‘Technology for All’ Initiative

Bronxville-Eastchester, NY Patch

Bronxville Schools To See More Technology In Classrooms

Bronxville Daily Voice

Samsung Officials Visit Tuckahoe Schools To Observe Technology

Eastchester Daily Voice

COLLABORATION AND PILOT PROGRAMS WITH GOOGLE EDUCATION

I have worked closely with Google EDU since 2009, including collaborations that have been recognized internationally and played an important role in reshaping the ed tech landscape. Examples include piloting CR-48 devices (which later became Chromebooks) with students and teachers and, most notably, serving as the primary school district in the development, pilot, launch, and promotion of Google Classroom.

New York State K-12 Schools are Going Google, Supporting 697 Public School Districts

Google Workspace YouTube channel

View Video

Google Introduces Classroom Featuring Students and Teachers from Clarkstown

Google YouTube channel

View Video

Innovative Clarkstown Central School District Helps Google Create Its Newest Product, Classroom

Google for Education Promotional Collateral

New York School District Designs Collaborative, Integrated Online Curriculum with Google Apps Education Edition

Google Apps Education Edition Case Study

Clarkstown Teachers Presenting at Google’s Headquarters

New City, NY Patch

Developing Google Classroom: How One District’s Students and Teachers Helped Shape a Global Learning Tool

THE Journal Webinar

How Newburgh Enlarged School District Gains Visibility Into Online Activity with G Suite Enterprise for Education

Google for Education Case Study

Going Google 101 in New York, Co-hosted with Google Education (second half of presentation)

Education Week Webinar

Clarkstown Central School District Builds a Collaborative Curriculum with Google Apps Education

Clarkstown Central School District set-out to make a curriculum portal that would connect faculty across all the buildings, campuses, and departments of the district. With Google Sites, Google Docs, and Google Calendar, they built a a collaborative curriculum for teachers

But don’t take our word for it – hear from them directly! Learn what factors helped them decide to “Go Google,” the results they’ve seen so far, and a walkthrough their curriculum portal.

John is one of the most talented education technology leaders I have had the pleasure of working with during my time at Google. I supported John when Newburgh went 1:1 with Chromebooks and rolled out G Suite district-wide. I was particularly impressed with his vast technical expertise and leadership skills. I work with hundreds of school districts across the northeast, and consider John to be a top tier leader.

Sam Canning-Kaplan
Program Manager, Google for Education

Certifications and Awards

New York State School District Administrator – Permanent Certification
New York State School Administrator/Supervisor – Permanent Certification
New York State English 7-12 – Permanent Certification
CoSN Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL)
Certified Google Educator Levels 1 and 2
Certified Google Trainer
Certified Google Innovator
LHRIC Technology Leadership Institute Pioneer Award, 2009 and 2013

Under my leadership, the Clarkstown Central School District ranked 3rd in the nation in the ninth annual Digital School Districts Survey 2012-13 sponsored by the Center for Digital Education and the National School Boards Association.

Accepting recognition as a top-ranked school district in the 9th annual Digital School Districts Survey by the Center for Digital Education and the National School Boards Association.

WELCOME