Computer Science Teacher & Technology Leader

I’m an educator who builds technology.

I teach computer science to K–5 students at The Rufus King Public School in NYC, lead the technology behind a school of 1,000+ students and 100+ staff, and build software for educators under Big Brain Labs. Next, I’m completing my SBL/SDL certification to lead schools where technology truly serves teaching.

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Queens & Long Island, NY NYC DOE · since 2018 English & Greek
▶ Watch 1-minute introBig Brain Labs bigbrainlabs.org ↗For my students gbalaskas.com ↗
8 yrsteaching — six of them in computer science
1,000+students and 100+ staff supported by the technology I run
99%+uptime across an Azure-based MDM fleet of 1,000+ iPads
$100K+in budget & procurement decisions informed by data systems I built
Meet me · about a minute

A minute in my world.

A quick tour of my classroom, our computer lab and a few of my lessons — from Minecraft blockchains to password safety. It’s the intro video for my tutoring, for kids, teens and adults.

Tutoring with George
▶ Tutoring intro1:02
About

Not a teacher who happens to know tech.

A technology-focused educator who works across every layer — from a kindergarten computer lab to the network behind it.

I understand education from the classroom up and technology from the infrastructure down — and translating between the two is most of what I do.

In one week I might teach young students to debug a Scratch project, push a new configuration profile to a thousand iPads, meet with our School Leadership Team about digital strategy, and write code for a tool I wished I had as a teacher.

I care about technology that solves real problems in schools, not technology for its own sake: tools that make teachers’ jobs easier, give every student hands-on access to emerging technology, and turn kids into creators instead of consumers.

My background is in English, digital art and publishing. I came to computer science through teaching, and I still care as much about how something is explained as how it is built. I’m comfortable talking to technical and non-technical audiences alike — explaining a firewall rule to an administrator or a loop to a second grader.

george.js
const george = {
  role:     "CS Teacher & Technology Leader",
  teaches:  ["Scratch", "Python", "micro:bit", "robots", "drones"],
  supports: { students: "1,000+", staff: "100+", iPads: "1,000+" },
  builds:   "tools for teachers & school leaders",
  next:     "SBL/SDL → school leadership",
  speaks:   ["English", "Ελληνικά"],
};
// also: volunteer firefighter (Firefighter 1 certified) 🚒
In my classroom

Where kids become creators.

My K–5 students don’t just use technology — they code it, build it, fly it and make things with it. Lessons are hands-on by design, and every student gets a turn.

Scratch

Characters, stories and games built block by block.

Python

First lines of real, typed code.

Robots & micro:bit

Programs you can see light up, sense and move.

Drones

Code takes flight — literally.

3D printing

Design it on screen, then hold it in your hand.

AI & machine learning

How computers learn — and how to think about them.

AI escape rooms

Crack codes and solve puzzles as a team.

Media & making

Video, livestreams and a maker space to build in.

Next chapter · Educational leadership

Leading schools where technology serves teaching.

I’m completing my School Building Leader and School District Leader certification. Technology decisions shape classrooms every day — I want to make them as someone who understands both the classroom and the infrastructure, and who has spent years helping teachers feel confident with the tools in front of them.

In progress · 2026 – 2027 SBL / SDL Certification

School Building Leader & School District Leader · Russell Sage College

Strategy

Active member of the School Leadership Team — long-term digital strategy, infrastructure planning and instructional transformation.

Decisions & data

Primary technology decision-maker. Built data systems tracking student performance and program effectiveness that informed $100K+ in spending.

Coordination

Single point of contact between district IT, outside vendors, administration and instructional staff.

People

Ongoing professional development and coaching — the goal is confident, effective teachers, not just adoption.

Experience

One role, many layers.

My job combines teaching with school-wide technology leadership. SPOC means Single Point of Contact: when technology touches the school, it comes through me.

Computer Science Teacher & SPOC

The Rufus King Public School · NYC Department of Education
2019 — present
Teaching

K–5 Computer Science curriculum

Designed and taught hands-on units in:

  • AI & machine-learning concepts
  • Scratch and Python fundamentals
  • micro:bit, robotics and drones
  • 3D printing and multimedia production
Leadership

Technology operations

Infrastructure reliability, device deployment, classroom technology and day-to-day support for 1,000+ students and 100+ staff, plus planning, procurement and vendor coordination.

Devices

Azure-based MDM for 1,000+ iPads

Architected and managed enrollment, configuration profiles, security policies, updates and lifecycle management with 99%+ uptime.

Data

Data & visualization systems

Tracked student performance, instructional outcomes and program effectiveness, directly informing $100,000+ in budget and procurement decisions.

Security

Infrastructure & security

Azure AD, Jamf, pfSense firewalls, SIEM logging, Docker-based services and network security protocols for data integrity and compliance.

Innovation

AI-powered escape rooms & maker spaces

Pioneered programs that raised engagement and widened equitable access to emerging technology and hands-on learning.

Media

School-wide multimedia

Live-streamed events, video production and editing, content publishing and ongoing school website management.

Staff

Professional development

Ongoing PD, instructional technology support and classroom implementation help that builds adoption and confidence.

Planning

School Leadership Team

Long-term digital strategy, infrastructure planning and instructional transformation alongside school leadership.

What I build

I build the tools I wish I had.

Under Big Brain Labs I design, code, test and ship practical software for educators — each one started as a real problem in a real school. For my own students, I built gbalaskas.com.

Visit bigbrainlabs.orgVisit gbalaskas.com
  1. Idea
  2. Design
  3. Development
  4. Testing
  5. Deployment
  6. Real-world use
For school leaders

Master Scheduler

Builds a school’s specials and common-prep rotation and flags specialist double-bookings before they happen.

bigbrainlabs.org ↗ For school leaders

Walkthrough

A fast classroom-observation notes app for principals and assistant principals doing walkthroughs.

bigbrainlabs.org/walkthrough ↗ For classrooms

brb.

A sign-out kiosk that turns any classroom device into a simple, trackable hall-pass station.

brbkiosk.us ↗ For classrooms

Morning Meeting

An interactive morning-meeting board for elementary classrooms: calendar, weather, attendance, jobs and more.

bigbrainlabs.org/toolkit ↗ For everyone · free

PDF Lab

A free PDF editor that runs entirely in the browser — edit, sign, redact and combine without uploading anything.

bigbrainlabs.org/pdflab ↗ For my students

gbalaskas.com

The link hub and game arcade I built for my students, with in-house browser games and learning links.

gbalaskas.com ↗

Beyond the software

In school and in the lab

In the classroom

  • AI-powered escape rooms
  • Maker-space programs
  • Robotics, drones and 3D printing
  • Live-streamed school events and video production

In my home lab

  • Virtualized infrastructure and containerized services — Proxmox, Docker, Ubuntu
  • Secure networking and remote access — pfSense, VPNs, Cloudflare
  • AI, automation and data pipelines — OCR, local LLMs, analytics
  • Raspberry Pi, electronics and computer hardware
Technology

The toolbox.

What I use to teach, run a school’s technology, and build things — grouped by where it lives in the stack.

01Infrastructure & systems

ProxmoxDockerUbuntuVirtualizationContainerized services

02Identity & devices

AzureAzure ADJamfMDMiPad fleet management

03Networking & security

pfSenseVPNsCloudflareSIEM / loggingNetwork security

04AI & automation

Local LLMsOCRData pipelinesAnalyticsAI-assisted development

05Software

Web applicationsAPIsDatabasesCloud deploymentEducational software

06Classroom & making

ScratchPythonmicro:bitRoboticsDrones3D printingMultimedia
Education

Always learning.

Degrees in teaching, publishing and the arts, advanced training in K–12 computer science — and now, school leadership.

  1. 2026 – 27

    SBL / SDL — School Building & District LeaderIn progress

    Russell Sage College
  2. 2024 – 25

    Advanced K–12 Computer Science Education Certificate

    Molloy University
  3. 2018

    Master of Arts in Teaching, Childhood Education

    Queens College, CUNY
  4. 2014

    Master of Science in Publishing

    Pace University
  5. 2013

    Bachelor of Arts in English & Digital Art

    Pace University
Community & more

Outside the classroom.

Service, languages, and the things I tinker with for fun.

Volunteer service
Volunteer Firefighter

✓ Firefighter 1 certified

Roslyn Highlands Volunteer Fire Department. Service, teamwork and responsibility to the people around me matter to me as much as anything I build.

Languages
Bilingual

Fluent in English and Greek.

For fun
Tinkering

Music, 3D printing, electronics, networking, home labs and taking technology apart to see how it works.

Contact

Let’s talk schools, technology — or both.

Leadership opportunities, school technology, computer science education, or something you want built. I’d love to hear from you.

Email me Connect on LinkedIn Download résumé (PDF)
Georgebalaskas91@gmail.com
Big Brain Labs bigbrainlabs.org ↗For my students gbalaskas.com ↗LinkedIn in/georgebalaskas ↗