TLI: Technology Leadership Institute

TELL is an annual awards ceremony that allows us to celebrate and learn from educators and leaders from across the region who Transform Education through Leadership and Learning (TELL). Awardees apply for or are nominated by their peers for their outstanding accomplishments and innovation and are recognized by LHRIC leadership through a selection and review process. Attendees will benefit from hearing directly from each awardee (Outstanding Innovative Teacher and Outstanding Innovative Leader). We are planning a morning event this year.

Location: Edith Macy Conference Center, Briarcliff Manor, NY
Date: Thursday, March 6^th • 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Register to attend the TELL Awards >

Mad Scientists in the Lyric Lab: Supporting 3-12 students in Subject Specific Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension

Keynote: Dr. Mervin Jenkins

Vocabulary and reading comprehension are obstacles to achievement across subject areas, especially science. Join this hands-on interactive experience to see the power of hip-hop, storytelling, and emotional connections to cultivate literacy across the curriculum. Dr. Mervin Jenkins, respected author, educator, and hip-hop artist, will model and highlight free resources to engage students, bring the curriculum to life, and reinforce core knowledge and skills, including reading comprehension.

About Dr. Mervin Jenkins
Dr. Mervin Jenkins, also known as Spectac, is an author, entertainer, and lifelong educator whose work has landed him an NPR interview and a seat at the table in the 2014 Barack Obama White House as a participant in the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. For almost three decades, he has served as a teacher, school administrator, assistant director for a national nonprofit, and senior manager in the ed tech arena. Dr. Jenkins’ love for music has afforded him the opportunity to work with Grammy-nominated hip-hop artists and producers. Dr. Jenkins is the author of two books: Before They Leave Here, While They Are with Us, and most recently, To the Beat of Leadership: A Story of High and Low Notes. He lives on Johns Island in his native state of South Carolina, with his wife, Chiffon.

2024 TELL Award Recipients > 

TECH EXPO: Our capstone event will take place over two days with two separate registrations. Join us on the beautiful Crotonville Conference Center campus in Ossining, NY with expanded opportunities for presentations and deeper learning strands delivered by your peers from our region. Connect with vendor partners. Network with neighboring districts. Learn about the innovative educational technology work being done in our region. Theme for the event is still in the works.

Location: Crotonville Conference Center, Ossining, NY
Date: Thursday, May 15th • 8:00 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Register for TECH EXPO Day 1 >

Embracing An Inclusive Mindset Through Accessible Technology

Keynote: Jordyn Zimmerman

Jordyn Zimmerman will share how today’s dynamic technology landscape is transforming access to reliable communication and inclusive education for students with disabilities. Jordyn will present her own lived experience as a nonspeaking autistic person, who at age 18 after years of frustration, was given access to communication via iPad and robust AAC. Jordyn’s message about accessing the power of technology, while challenging the status quo, will push you to think deeply about how you can affect change and challenge perceptions in your own learning community.

About Jordyn Zimmerman
Jordyn Zimmerman is a passionate educator and disability advocate. After being diagnosed as autistic at a young age, she did not receive access to augmentative communication until the age of 18. She now thrives on boldly showing up and redefining what is possible in learning spaces and throughout the broader community — and has personal experience challenging the status quo, which is featured in the 2021 documentary, This Is Not About Me. 

Jordyn is Head of Product Strategy at The Nora Project, an Apple Distinguished Educator, and serves on The United States President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. She previously earned her Bachelor's degree in Education Policy from Ohio University and her Master's of Education at Boston College. Jordyn is currently pursuing her Master's of Business Administration. 

TECH EXPO: Our capstone event will take place over two days with two separate registrations. Join us on the beautiful Crotonville Conference Center campus in Ossining, NY with expanded opportunities for presentations and deeper learning strands delivered by teachers and leaders from our region. Connect with vendor partners. Network with neighboring districts. Learn about the amazing work educational technology work being done in our region. Theme for the event is still in the works.

Location: Crotonville Conference Center, Ossining, NY
Date: Friday, May 16th • 8:00 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Register for TECH EXPO Day 2 >

Shaping Tomorrow’s Skills, Today

Keynote: Dr. Mason Mason

As new technologies catalyze changes in the workplace, learning environments are impacted as well. Students must build and develop new skills to succeed in the classroom and beyond. And it’s more important than ever to empower educators to teach those skills. Join Apple to discuss how to invest in your educators so they have the technology and tools needed to engage, instruct, and assess students so they thrive today and into the future.

About Dr. Mason Mason 
Dr. Mason Mason is a K-12 Education Leadership and Learning Executive with Apple’s Worldwide Education Team. In this role, he serves as a trusted advisor to some of the largest school districts in the nation, driving meaningful transformation in their learning environments. Before joining Apple, Dr. Mason dedicated over a decade to secondary public education, working as a teacher, instructional coach, and campus administrator. He holds a B.A. in English and Education from The Ohio State University and both a Master’s and Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Southern Methodist University. Dr. Mason is passionate about the intersections of liberal arts and technology, particularly in closing the digital divide for underserved, underrepresented, and under-resourced communities.