The Personal Playlist Podcast

Carlee Fossella loves first and foremost her son Eros, time spent with family, and travels. The rest of her heart is devoted to French and teaching. She currently teaches Grade 1 French Immersion at the TDSB and prior to taught Core French in Middle School. Carlee is the Primary/Junior Lead.

Jillian DuBois serves as an elementary educator in Clearwater, FL. She has been in the field of education for two decades. She is the recently published author and illustrator of “Liv's Seashells”, and Optimistic Originator of Imparted Joy LLC. Jillian's journey continues to bring much fulfillment as she thrives on building authentic relationships with her students and guiding their curiosity and wonder. She uses her voice to foster hope for student equity and empathy. Her passion is to initiate and infuse joy to those in education by focusing efforts on listening, serving, and growing alongside colleagues and friends. Jillian spends her free time adventuring outdoors, soaking up the sunshine and surf on the local beaches, and finding new paths to hike with her husband, Tim, and their son, Austin. She says that, "Each day is a FRESH opportunity to listen, be slow to criticize, and quick to empathize. Keep dancing and dreaming with JOY."

As an educator, instructional designer, assessment specialist, and podcast host, Natalie has lived into her belief that learning is driven by our passions, aligned with our strengths, and at the heart of our humanity. Whether working with kids or adults, she strives to create an inclusive culture that embraces learning as the vehicle through which we find out who we are and how we might make a positive impact on the world. Natalie is currently the Assessment Instructional Design Lead for a K-12 special education school in Calgary, Alberta, and the host of the #EduCrush podcast (https://kite.link/EduCrush) which features inspiring educators, innovators, and activists who are reimagining education.

AJ Bianco is a husband, father of three amazing children (2 boys and a girl), and currently is the Vice Principal of East Brook Middle School in New Jersey. When it comes to the ideal classroom, AJ is an advocate for technology tools and methodologies. He is also a major proponent for Blended Learning practices, Personalized Learning and the Flipped Classroom model to enhance student learning. AJ is an avid podcast listener, host of ReflectEd Podcast, co-host of PodcastPD, and co-host of The Chas for 28, a Yankees podcast. He is also a co-host of #CoffeeEDU in Bergen County, New Jersey. You can find AJ at a variety of EdCamps and Conferences throughout New Jersey and New York. AJ shares his passions for education, educational technology, and leadership through his website at www.ajbianco.me.

Chris Quinn is an educational leader. He retired last year after 30 plus years in education serving as a district coordinator and classroom teacher in London's District Catholic School Board , finishing in kindergarten. Chris is a great uplifter of people and has started hashtags such as: #QofthWeek, #WWEd, and #FbFEd, is a supporter of #GlobalStaffroomSunday and a member of #CrazyPLN @ChrisQuinn64 @Gratefuledu64

Bonnie Nieves is a high school Biology teacher with a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership and is a member of the MassCUE board of directors. She is passionate about creating immersive and authentic experiences that fuel curiosity and creating student-centered, culturally responsive learning spaces that promote equity and inclusion. Her book “Be Awesome On Purpose” will be out this spring. She enjoys connecting with educators through social media, professional organizations, conferences, Twitter chats, edcamps, and now ClubHouse! She is currently working on a website “Educate On Purpose” where educators will be able to find and share lessons and units for all content areas that incorporate meaningful routines and assessments. Bonnie encourages you to connect with her on Twitter & ClubHouse @biologygoddess, Instagram @beawesomeonpurpose, and LinkedIn.

Erika Sandstrom is a Digital Learning Coach as well as a 6th through 8th grade Digital Media Teacher who is in her 30th year as an educator. Erika also founded the “Mindful Super Hero Club” @ClubMindful and is a Green Screen and Video Production online professional development presenter for educators. Her mindfulness enthusiasm is derived from 16 years as a Yoga/Pilates Instructor and she has found a FUN creative way to share and teach it to ALL. Erika was also dubbed “Green Screen Gal!” in 2018 and has a dream to teach ALL educators globally the benefit of utilizing Green Screen technology! Erika's new series for 2021 of lesson plans, tutorials, a digital book, an online course, and video series is called “Cultivating Compassion Through Creativity!.” Additionally, her NEW online course “3..2..1..ACTION! Become a Green Screen ROCK STAR” is launching in 2021 and is perfect for any educator who is excited to get started with OR sharpen their Green Screen and Video Production skills!

Batsheva Frankel, MAT, the producer and host of the podcast, Overthrowing Education, is a veteran educator of over 25 years and the founder of New Lens Ed. where she gives online and in person workshops, courses and coaching for universities, conferences, schools, and educators across the US and around the world. In 2017, Behrman House published her book, The Jewish Educator's Companion.

Thaddeus Bourassa holds an Honours Degree in Psychology, a Bachelor of Education, a Master's Degree in Education and is a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. During his career he has spent time in early, middle, and senior high including a project-based learning program. Currently, he is a Grade 6 Teacher at the Learning From Home School, an EdTech Mentor and an Instructional Support Teacher in The Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He continues to explore the possibilities of research-informed practices to teaching and learning, purposeful technology integration and 21st century skill development. At the very core , Thaddeus cares deeply about people and is always working towards collaboratively creating sparks of light and removing barriers so individuals can live their best lives.

Bruce Reicher has been a teacher for 26 years. The past 14 he has been a middle school technology teacher. Bruce teaches Digital Leadership, Python Coding for games and TV Production. Reicher is also an author of the book Scripted - An Educator's Guide To Media In The Classroom and he's been a Board of Education Member for the past 8 years.

Because of her knowledge of ELs and her engaging and enthusiastic presentation style,Dr. Michelle Yzquierdo has become a very popular and sought-after trainer and presenter,receiving accolades from all facets of education. She has presented at the local, state, andnational level on a variety of topics including best practices for ELs, implementation of effectivenew arrival centers, factors contributing to the success of newcomer immigrant ELs as well asnumerous trainings addressing state and federal accountability and compliance concerns.Excelling in the field of education the last 20 years, Dr. Yzquierdo has worked closelywith ELs and teachers of ELs in multiple capacities. Her experience includes high school scienceteacher, new arrival team, where she taught students from all demographic groups, including ELsand first-year immigrant ELs. She has held a variety of other positions including sciencedepartment chair, sheltered instruction peer facilitator, district ESL instructional specialists andeducational program specialist. Dr. Yzquierdo has received numerous awards and honors duringher time in education including teacher of the year, commendations from the Texas House ofRepresentatives, and fellowships in both Switzerland and Swaziland.Dr. Yzquierdo holds an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, a master'sdegree from the University of Houston, and a doctorate degree from Lamar University. Herdoctoral research focused on the factors contributing to the success of high school immigrantstudents and she continues researching and presenting on this important topic. As the child of animmigrant, the teacher of numerous immigrant ELs throughout the years, and a researcher, Dr.Yzquierdo has seen first-hand what it takes to support ELs and immigrant ELs so they may seesuccess. She has dedicated her career to providing educators with the appropriate and necessaryresearch-based strategies and tools to assist ELs in becoming proficient in both English-languageand content acquisition. Dr. Yzquierdo lives in Houston, TX with her husband, Carlos, and sons,Kai and Karsten. She is the author of the book, Pathways to Greatness for ELL Newcomers:

Kyle is the K-12 Mathematics Consultant with the Greater Essex County District School Board, where his passion for mathematics fuels him to Make Math Moments by sparking curiosity, fuelling sense making, and igniting teacher moves. When he is not working on the next media-rich contextual math task and recording episodes of the Making Math Moments That Matter Podcast, he is spending time with his wife and two children. He shares his most recent noticings, wonderings, reflections and resources in mathematics content knowledge and pedagogy by delivering workshops across North America and blogging on www.makemathmoments.com, www.tapintoteenminds.com, www.mathisvisual.com and @MathletePearce on all social media platforms.

A passionate advocate for children, families, schools and communities, Dr. Susan Hopkins is the Executive Director of The MEHRIT Centre and the CEO of The MEHRIT Centre's sister company, Self-Reg Global. Over Susan's two decades of experience in education, she has worked in roles in the early years, K-12 and post-secondary across contexts from Italy to the Northwest Territories (NWT) including classroom teacher, program support teacher, vice-principal, district coordinator for inclusion, researcher, curriculum developer, and post-secondary instructor. Susan led the NWT implementation of the Early Development Instrument in kindergarten, co-authored the 10-Year Early Childhood Framework, developed the NWT play and culture-based kindergarten curriculum and led the Planning, Research and Evaluation division for the Department of Education. Under 5+ years of Susan's leadership, The MEHRIT Centre has evolved into a highly respected, accessible, and successful center for teaching and learning Self-Reg. Susan recently co-authored the Self-Reg Schools Handbook for Educators and developed the online resources for the Principal's edition with Stuart Shanker (Pearson, 2019). You can listen to an episode of #OnEdMentors with Susan and other "Self Reggers" on Remote Learning and Beyond here: https://voiced.ca/podcast_episode_post/self-reg-in-remote-learning-and-beyond/

Sara Candela taught high school English and journalism in New York for 14 years before moving to California 3 years ago to pursue interests in various aspects podcasting and writing, among other explorations. Part of the journey always included a search for ways to still work with teachers and students - or at least serve them in some way. To bridge between her old teaching life and her new one, Sara started the podcast From Bell to Bell - A Podcast About School, in which she invited teachers to choose a film that takes place in school and talk about what it tells the public about education or kids. After learning how to launch, produce, and manage many podcasting clients at once, and getting to know the podcasting world of Los Angeles pretty well, Sara somehow became connected to Swivl, and slowly made a transition to working on a podcasting tool they were developing for the classroom, Synth. When the pandemic hit, a year and a half of work on Synth started to close as the Swivl side of the business demanded more help, and Sara began transitioning over to learning about the core of the company. Now, she serves as Marketing Manager for Swivl - which includes Synth and skilled.space - and loves facing the challenge of shaping the future of not only educational technology, but the landscape of coaching. Sara loves deep conversations, podcasts, yoga, getting lost in the woods, hiking with her two dogs, reading, paddling, music, her family, the California sun, & constantly getting better at being a human. She co-hosts The Dock with Stephen Hurley on Saturday nights on VoicEd Radio.

Bill Cotter entered education after completing his M.A. in Anthropology at UC Davis, where he conducted his fieldwork in Madagascar and Tanzania. After a year of teaching in California, Bill sought to combine his passions for education and travel by becoming an international school educator in 2009. During his seven years abroad Bill taught in China, Mexico and Peru. In Peru, Bill helped build the Roosevelt Innovation Academy, a project-based program for high school students focused on real world learning. After 8 years in the classroom, Bill took a remote-based position with Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder, a nonprofit focused on developing the next generation of ethical leaders by developing transformational experiences abroad for high school students. In his current role, Bill develops programming for high school students in partnership with 12 inspiring nonprofits spread across 4 continents. Bill is based in Costa Rica where he lives by the beach with his wife Luz and dog Mar.

Steve Floyd is an award winning computer science and computer engineering teacher and currently an Education Officer at Ontario's Ministry of Education. He has a passion for technology in schools, and it's potential to change how students think and learn. Steve is currently a PhD candidate in Curriculum Studies at Western's Faculty of Education, where he is researching computer science curriculum in K-12 education. Steve has 3 boys, ages 12, 10 and 7, and is married to his wonderful wife Lisa.

Scott is an ELA Teacher turned Edtech Coach, with a focus on PBL & amplifying student and teacher voices. Scott is an MIE Expert & hopes to become a Google Innovator soon. Additionally he loves all things edtech, STEM, & 3D printing. Scott has two podcasts: TNT Edtech and Education Today.

Beth Lyons is a mom, a wife, a reader who loves to be outside. She is currently a teacher librarian in the Peel District School Board. She reflects and shares about her own learning journey as an educator and a teacher-librarian on her blog The Librarian's Journey and on Twitter (@MrsLyonsLibrary). Currently, Beth is serving as OSLA vice-president, is a contributor to both The Teaching Librarian Magazine and the Canadian School Libraries Journal, and is one of the co-hosts for the podcast Read Into This (@into_read).

Dr Verena Roberts is a passionate online and blended K-12 educator, instructional designer consultant who completed her EdD in Learning Sciences with a focus on K-12 Open Educational Practices with the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. She is currently a sessional instructor and research assistant with the University of Victoria (Canada) and the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada. She is a 2018-2019 OER Research fellow and 2018 Global Open Graduate Network (#GO-GN) member. Verena has taught and designed online/blended courses and consulted about curriculum and technology integration from pre-K to Higher Education in Canada and the United States. Verena has presented at a wide variety of national and international conferences and she is the 2013 iNACOL Innovative Online and Blended Learning Practice Award Recipient and the 2019 CNIE K-12 Excellence and Innovation in the Integration of Technology. In 2019, she presented a UNESCO Open Education for a Better World project on Storytelling and Perspectives: Weaving Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Open Educational Practices (OEP) and SDG's in High School Learning Environments at the Conference in Slovenia.

Cam Jones collaborates in the development of learning experiences with children from kindergarten to high school, and adults; with industry partners from music to aerospace, the skilled trades to apiarists, urban farmers to food banks, filmmakers to politicians. Cam's leadership is thoughtful and responsive, oriented towards understanding needs in the development of creative possibilities. Cam's thinking begins with listening to people, and reading voraciously: and then wondering about how the world should be and taking the first steps in that direction, encouraging others to join him from wherever they are. Cam is the Leader of Experiential Learning in Ottawa, Canada, and the writer/co-host for VoicEd Radio's “The 55 Minute Question” on Tuesday nights at 8pm. You can hear Cam's thinking-til-now Tuesday mornings on Hurley in the Morning.

Dr. Marialice B.F.X. Curran is a pioneer in digital citizenship and is the Founder and Executive Director of the Digital Citizenship Institute. She has served as an associate professor, middle school teacher, principal and library media specialist. She co-authored DigCitKids: Lessons Learning Side-by-Side to Empower Others Around the World with her son and works with school communities around the world to create positive and powerful shifts in how we engage online. https://linktr.ee/mbfxc

After years of teaching in England and China, Kavita is now the Deputy Director of Inspire Citizens. As a full-time facilitator for all mission-driven work across full school communities, she is guided by the famous philosophy accredited to Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Kavita's mission is to connect with like-minded individuals who wish to empower children through inspiring, interconnected, and globally-minded holistic education. In webinars, workshops and long-term partnerships, she co-designs learning experiences and coaches educators with the roles they play in shaping the identities, attitudes and behaviours of our youngest learners, offering practical ideas for supporting discovery and building the foundations for global and intercultural-mindedness. Through her work as a passionate advocate and mentor for social-emotional-ethical intelligence and wellbeing integration in learning at all age levels, including admin, teachers, parents and students, she is developing this expanding community. The vision is to see holistic wellbeing practices embedded into global competence education, using the Inspire Citizens' Impact Frameworks, including the implementation of the Global Impact School Self-Study and the Empathy to Impact teaching methodology and student project-cycle. https://inspirecitizens.org/

Melanie grew up in Rexdale, a suburb of Toronto when Maestro Fresh Wes was the hottest new act on radio and colour was coming to neighbourhoods along with the smells of jerk chicken, curry, and gelato. She spent a year at Jacksonville University in Florida before returning to finish her meandering path in academia to the University of Guelph where she thought she would major in botany, then urban and rural planning, then geography, and finally settling on English. She worked in government and learned about conflict resolution and mediation before realizing her lifelong wish to be an educator. She has three grown children, one of whom is disabled and lives at home. After moving around the Ottawa Carleton District she now works as the English and Fine Arts Department Head at her high school. Melanie's educational passions include disrupting the canon, promoting and honouring student voice, media studies, equity, and anti-Black racism.

Christine Chin is a classroom teacher and leader who is dedicated to student success and well-being. Over the past 14 years, she has spent her time as French Immersion teacher dedicated to creating and nurturing collaborative learning cultures that support teachers, students and their families. Her experiences have informed her understanding of how to support students who face challenges within the French Immersion setting. As an NTIP Mentor and Literacy teacher, she has enjoyed the process of supporting teachers to further develop their skills and continue along their learning journeys. Her participation on the Leadership Team at the Mentoree has allowed her to be inspired by others and find creative ways to give back to her community.

Brian Smith is currently the North Texas Territory Manager forNearpod and Flocabulary with the privilege of providingdigital culture changing opportunities for teachers,administrators and students in regards to technologyintegration within the learning Environment. His passion fordigital equity by providing equal access and learningopportunities for all students in a culturally responsive environment getshim up each morning ready to work. He has produced several student andadult podcast, developed District 1:1 Laptop programs, Student TechSquads, Innovation Leadership Committees with the emphasis onproviding a opportunities for students to Create, Collaborate,Communicate Critically Think and Change their current educationalenvironments in several districts.Brian is most importantly the proud father of 4 wonderful, technologysavvy, athletically active, artistically minded kiddos (2 girls and 2 boys)and a faithful husband of 1 loving wife. He also dabbles in PhotographyVideography and Singing. He also hosts his very own Live Videobroadcast shows entitled Making Learning Addictive and The CaptainKindness ShowYou can connect with Brian on Twitter: @BrianRSmithSr or via hiswebsite: www.brianrsmithsr.com

Julie Mueller, is a Professor and founding member of Laurier's Faculty of Education. She is currently the Associate Dean and Coordinator of the Bachelor of Education program. She was an elementary teacher with the Waterloo Region District School Board for almost a decade, teaching grades 2 - 5 and K - 6 Health and Physical Education. Following the birth of her second daughter, she returned to Graduate work to answer the many “I wonders” that constantly swim through her mind, completing a Ph D in Social and Developmental Psychology. Her research has morphed from investigations of computer integration in classrooms, through the transformation of learning with mobile technology, to understanding and investigating Computational Thinking as a way of thinking in problem solving in a digital world. Her passion is active learning--finding ways to stay physically active while learning in an increasingly sedentary age. Most current publication: Hennessey, E., & Mueller, J. (2020). Teaching and Learning Design Thinking (DT): How Do Educators See DT Fitting into the Classroom? Canadian Journal of Education, 43(2).

Abigail French is an accomplished presenter, an online instructional coach and mentor, an educational course designer, and a sixth grade teacher at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School in Woodstock, Virginia. Abby is passionate about facilitating teacher and student growth in the areas of student self-assessment, student-led learning experiences, and the inclusion of 21st Century skills. Most recently, Abby has been selected as one of 21 educators across the United States as a member of the ASCD Class of 2020 Emerging Leaders Program. In addition to teaching, Abby serves as a board member with UnisonEDU, a non-profit organization committed to providing equitable professional development to schools. She also advocates for public education and better working conditions for teachers and students as an officer with the Shenandoah County Education Association. Outside of school, Abby enjoys spending as much time as possible with her family, preferably outdoors.

Alanna King, is an agent of change in the Upper Grand District School Board. As a secondary educator specialist in school libraries, English, drama and media arts, she has a tormented past of musical indulgences. As an avid reader and public education advocate, Alanna co-hosts the podcast Read Into This. She is also a TVO Regional Councillor, a member of the Ontario Library Association's White Pine Selection Committee and a blogger at https://threadbarebeauty.com/. You can reach her at https://www.teachontario.ca/people/aking or on Twitter​ @banana29. https://voiced.ca/project/read-into-this/

Pawan (Pav) Wander is an elementary school teacher with 15 years of experience, hailing from the same neighbourhood where she and Chey currently teach. She teaches a grade 1/2 split class, and has a real love for teaching Science and Math. She has run many programs at school involving Robotics and Engineering, as well has hosted and prepared students for several math competitions. Along with her former teaching partner Chey Cheney, Pav co-hosts a podcast called “The Staffroom Podcast,” as well as a live educational music radio show on VoicEd Radio called, “The Drive.”

Chey Cheney is a middle school teacher with 20 years of teaching experience, originally from Ottawa, Ontario. He currently teaches English and Physical Education in the north Toronto area, and does lots of coaching and leadership work with students in the school. Along with his former teaching partner Pav Wander, Chey co-hosts a podcast called “The Staffroom Podcast,” as well as a live educational music radio show on VoicEd Radio called, “The Drive.”

Rachelle Dene Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher. Rachelle teaches Spanish and STEAM: What's nExT in Emerging Technology at Riverview Junior Senior High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master's in Instructional Technology. She is a Consultant and Speaker, owner of ThriveinEDU LLC Consulting. Rachelle is an ISTE Certified Educator. She serves as the past-president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network and serves on the Leadership team of the Mobile Learning Network. At ISTE19, she received the Making IT Happen Award and a Presidential Gold Award for volunteer service to education. She is also a Buncee Ambassador, Nearpod PioNear and Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. Rachelle is the author of four books, ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU” (EduMatch) and “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” Rachelle Dene's latest book is with ISTE “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow's World." Rachelle is a blogger for Getting Smart, Defined Learning, District Administration, NEO LMS, and the STEM Informer with Newsweek. Rachelle is the host of the weekly show ThriveinEDU on Learning Revolution. The show is on Wednesdays and invites guests to discuss topics related to education and emerging technology. Rachelle has a podcast at https://anchor.fm/rdene915 Her blog is www.Rdene915.com Follow Rachelle on Twitter and Instagram @Rdene915 and @ThriveinEDU

Dr. Nicholas Ng-A-Fook is a Full Professor and former Director of the Teacher Education and Indigenous Teacher Education Programs at the Faculty of Education. He is actively engaged in addressing the 94 Calls to Action put forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in partnership with local Indigenous and school board communities. His teaching and research are situated within the wider international field of curriculum studies. As a curriculum theorist, he draws on different life writing research methodologies—autobiography, ethnography, oral history, and narrative inquiry—to co-create, support, and sustain culturally responsive, relevant, and relational curriculum with school leaders and teachers who seek to serve their different communities. He is a Past-President of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, the largest research association in Canada. For his ongoing service to his field of study, in 2018 he received the Canadian Association of Curriculum Studies Ted. T. Aoki Distinguished Service Award. He is the co-editor for the University of Ottawa Press Education Series. Check out his podcast: https://www.fooknconversation.com/

Coach Adam is a Certified Master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) His education includes being a Certified Hypnotherapist from Leidecker Institute in Chicago and an MBA from Capella University . Coach Adam's The Extraordinary Me Program and 3 into 4 includes being a Mentor for the Illinois Youth Corrections facility Mentoring program and The Mental Approach program for over 12 years with Mike Ryan's Fastball USA. Additionally, Adam has Mentored/Coached thousands of student/athletes on personal challenges with beliefs, approach, and mental blocks for over 15 years. Including 9 years of mentoring on Identity and Beliefs for Turning Point Counseling in Mokena IL . His passion for coaching & mentoring inspired him to write his first book You Are Extraordinary . The book not only reflects Coach Adam's extraordinary mindset, its publication has been an aspired accomplishment of his. Coach Adam's The Extraordinary Me Program Podcast (https://anchor.fm/coach-adam) features guests who are ordinary people who have chosen the Extraordinary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNcse-H6e1g&t=20s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWklyqGNuDY&t=18s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Isvx-V_nAc&t=9s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxrWyLKN1nA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH120ipS3oA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1wITp0JQ-4&t=22s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4veuwdAA0H8

An educator for the last 23 years, Kristen Nan's passion for building relationships with her students, colleagues, and community continues to ignite change for the better! Kristen has served as an emotional support teacher, learning support teacher, and classroom teacher from Pittsburgh, PA. She is currently a 3rd-grade teacher. With keeping a future-ready mindset at the forefront for every child, she has been recognized as an award-winning educator for innovative practices. Kristen's book, “ALL IN, Taking a Gamble in Education” is co-authored by Jacie Maslyk and focuses on the importance of risk-taking, chances, and building relationships between teachers and administrators for the betterment of all stakeholders. you can connect with her by visiting her website at http://kristennan.com

Dr. Jenni Donohoo is a researcher, educational consultant, and international keynote speaker. Jenni works with systems, school leaders, and teachers around the world to support high-quality professional learning. She has a PhD in Educational Studies and has taught elementary, secondary, and post-secondary classes. She is also a four-time best-selling author including Collaborative Inquiry for Educators, The Transformative Power of Collaborative Inquiry with Moses Velasco, and Collective Efficacy: How Educators' Beliefs Impact Student Learning and Quality Implementation- Leveraging Collective efficacy to make what works actually work with Steven Katz. Jenni's areas of expertise include collective efficacy, metacognition, adolescent literacy, and facilitating collaborative learning structures. You can find Jenni on Twitter or look for First Educational Resources, and at the Jenni Donohoo Centre for Collective Efficacy at teacher-efficacy.com. You can also learn more about her and her work at jennidonohoo.com.

Rob Cannone has been a teacher with the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) for 10 years. In his time as a teacher, he has worked as a Junior and Intermediate teacher, Special Education teacher, and most recently, a Pathways and Careers Teacher. He is currently a graduate student at OISE where he is working towards a master's degree with a focus on Curriculum and Pedagogy.

Bernadette Taylor-Dolha graduated from the University of Windsor in 1986, with a B.F.A Honours degree in Acting. She enjoyed a successful professional career in both the U.S. and Canada in music theatre, commercials and voice work. In 1997, She received her B-ED with a "drama" specialty from York University and joined the staff at Arts@Baythorn as a drama and vocal teacher. She is the 2010, Toronto Star "Teacher of the Year! She shares her love of teaching through the arts with her husband Andrew Dolha who is the head of Drama and and Dance at Arts Westmount. Her daughters Adelaide and Audrey are proudly named after musicals. Bernadette believes that music belongs in the classroom.

Diana Maliszewski is a Teacher-Librarian at the Toronto District School Board . She's on the board of directors for the Association for Media Literacy and and MakerEdTO. Newly retired Editor-In-Chief, "The Teaching Librarian" magazine and retired OLA super conference planner. Diana is a Teacher-Librarian AQ instructor, blogger at Monday Molly Musings and part of the The Mentoree.

Jason Trinh is a Hybrid-Teacher Digital Lead Learner for the Toronto District School Board working as a classroom teacher and as an educational technology coach. He is a Google Certified Innovator, Apple Distinguished Educator and is the recipient of the Ontario Premier's Award for Teaching Excellence as well as the ISTE Digital Equity award. He is the founder of Racialized EDU, a collective of educators curating and creating content focused on diversity and equity and a member of the Our Voice Academy. Jason is an innovative educator who shares his passion for creativity, technology and equity as a published writer and speaker throughout North America.

Dr. Monica Burns is a Curriculum and EdTech Consultant and Founder of ClassTechTips.com. As a classroom teacher, Monica was part of her school's leadership team and used digital tools to create an engaging, differentiated learning experience to meet the unique needs of her students. Then, Monica started ClassTechTips.com in 2012 to help make EdTech easier for fellow educators. She now visits schools across the country to work with teachers to make technology integration exciting and accessible. In addition to being named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2013, Monica completed a Doctorate in Global Education Leadership at Lamar University in 2016. Monicas has presented to teachers, administrators and tech-enthusiasts at numerous national and international conferences including SXSWedu, ISTE, FETC and EduTECH. She is the author of Tasks Before Apps: Designing Rigorous Learning in a Tech-Rich Classroom (ASCD), #FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scalable Formative Assessment with Technology (Corwin), co-author of 40 Ways to Inject Creativity into Your Classroom with Adobe Spark (Elevate Books), and several other publications. Monica is also the host of the Easy Ed Tech Podcast. https://classtechtips.com/category/podcast/

Sandra Chow is Director of Innovation & Digital Learning at Keystone Academy, in Beijing. Sandra has taught in multiple grades in Canada & Taiwan, and believes firmly in the power of collaboration for teachers and students. She loves sharing her experiences with other educators, and has done so around the world. She has won 2 National Technology awards, is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, SMART Exemplary Educator, Google Certified Innovator and Trainer and part of the Google Geo Education Expert Team. She loves to hear and tell stories, and strives for authentic connections in daily life.

Raina is a mom, educator, children's performer and folk/roots singer-songwriter. For 16 years she has been a Primary educator with YRDSB, both as a homeroom and music teacher. TRIBES trained, with Reading and PhysEd Specialists, she also has a keen understanding of children's mental health and special needs, having raised a son with Tourettes' & ADHD. Raina uses co-operative learning, music, singing and her sticker-covered guitar, to impassion her students, (largely ELL learners), bring out their unique personalities, teach language and other subjects. In YRDSB, she's participated in the "Music & Literacy Project", which brought her class to the Markham Theatre where they performed their original song on "Empathy", as part of the boards' initiative on "Character Matters." For over 15 years, Raina has also had her own business entertaining kids at music groups, daycares, private birthday parties and festivals like "Telling Tales", "Cosmo Music Fest" & Richmond Hills' "Canada Day" & "Taste of the Hill." Raina taught her Grade 1 class one of her favourite songs by Canadian music icon's Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi" and entered them in the "CBC Music Challenge, where they came in the TOP 10 out of thousands of Canada-wide submissions. Raina's voice is often heard throughout her school singing "O'Canada" on the school PA, every time there are "technical difficulties." She has inspired many students over the years to be creatives themselves and they have later reached out as graduates to tell her how much they were inspired, loved and remembered singing and learning in her classes. Growing up in a musical family herself, Raina become a musician and songwriter at a young age, playing guitar, piano and harmonica and has successfully merged her passion for music with her passion for teaching. Raina has released 1 kids CD, 1 folk/roots CD, 3 singles and is currently working on her next CD and artistic journal book- "Headbangers- A Musical Recovery of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury," planned for summer 2021.

Maggie is a mom of two boys and a public school educator for students with autism and developmental disabilities. She wrote the book “Hallway Connections” which is about how we all communicate differently. Maggie is a strong advocate for people with disabilities. She was also on a recent episode of #OnEdMentors https://voiced.ca/podcast_episode_post/world-autism-awareness-day/

Evan Whitehead has been an educator for more than 20 years spanning three decades. Over the course of his career, he has held the following positions: special education paraprofessional, special education high school teacher, Latino parent outreach coordinator, dean of student discipline, community outreach coordinator, director of special services, director of bilingual education and English learners, Title I director, and assistant superintendent of special services. Currently Evan is the director of special services for a PK–8 school district in Illinois. In his current role, Evan oversees all federal programs (special education, McKinney-Vento, English learners, and Title I); early childhood education; multi-tiered system of support (MTSS); social emotional learning, equity, diversity, and cultural competency.Evan is also National Consultant, Trainer ,Presenter, Speaker; Frequent Podcast Contributor; Mental Health Advocate;Mindfulness Practitioner ;and proponent of Equity, Diversity and Intercultural competency. Evan's 3Bs” Balance, Boundaries, and Breaks” (#BalanceBoundariesandBreaks) promotes self -advocacy in the areas of mental health, self-care, and wellness. “It's OK to be SELFISH about your mental health/wellness in order to be the best version of yourself so that you can be SELFLESS for others you help and serve.”

Melanie Mulcaster is the Instructional Coordinator for Libraries K-12 for the Peel District School Board. A life long learner and maker of mistakes, she is passionate about inspiring and empowering modern learners to discover, connect, innovate and explore. She recently appeared on a panel at #DigCitTO and The Teacher Librarian episode 2 of #OnEdMentors: https://voiced.ca/podcast_episode_post/april-9-teacher-librarians/

Lisa Noble is a Grade 7 teacher with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. She has been teaching for over 25 years, in a variety of contexts, including Core French, instrumental music teacher, and class room teacher. She is also a parent of teenaged boys, a spouse, a knitter, spinner, baker, Pokemon Go walker, musician and paddler. She is currently exploring podcasting with the Read Into This podcast on VoicEd radio, with Alanna King and Beth Lyons. Distance learning during a pandemic has allowed her to work on her passions for equity and for meaningful use of technology in learning.

Angela shared that her, "best learning and work happens at the intersections of making, writing, and attending to issues of equity. She spent twelve years teaching elementary, middle, and high school writers in western New York state before stepping out the classroom to become a professional learning facilitator. Most weekdays find her learning beside K-12 writers and teachers in classrooms and schools throughout the United States and into Canada. She is the author of two Hack Learning books--Make Writing: 5 Strategies that Turn Writers Workshop into a Makerspace and Hacking the Writing Workshop: Redesign with Making in Mind. Her next book, Creating Inclusive Writing Environments in the K-12 Classroom: Reluctance, Resistance, and Strategies that Make a Difference, will be released by Routledge later this year."

Colinda Clyne is an Anishinaabe kwe (Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg) and Curriculum Lead for First Nations, Métis and Inuit education, Upper Grand District School Board. An educator for 27 years, Colinda has been leading and facilitating professional development for over 18 years. In her current role, Colinda creates the system wide action plan for First Nations, Métis and Inuit education in her board, building capacity in K-12 teachers and administrators, connecting Elders and knowledge keepers with educators and students, and implementing strategies to improve Indigenous student well being and academic success. This work is grounded in relationships and she works hard every day to build and strengthen relationships within her local community, school communities and beyond. Colinda also works as a writer and consultant for a number of Canadian publishers. here is a link to the OnEdMentors Equity panel episode: https://voiced.ca/podcast_episode_post/an-equity-panel-how-to-be-an-antiracist/

A teacher for the past 15 years, Roman has taught varying subjects from grades 7 to grade 12. A passionate ELA teacher, department chair and leader for several years, Roman has transitioned to various roles from the classroom, to student success coach and leader, to a specialist in the integration of technology in the classroom and a coach to develop 21st-century skills. A father of two, he is passionate about pedagogy and researches strategies to increase student engagement and motivation. Presenter and speaker at various conferences in Canada and the United States, Roman loves to collaborate with educators across the globe on various projects. An active member on Twitter and founder of the #BuildHOPEedu chat, his objective is to participate in the active changes in the education system through equity, HOPE, and student engagement.

Dr. Ilene Winokur AlZaid has lived in Kuwait for more than thirty-five years and recently retired as Director of the Foundation Program Unit (Math and English) at Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST). She taught and was an administrator at the early childhood and elementary levels, in addition to teaching intensive English in private institutions in Kuwait for twenty-five years. She is currently blogging about her experience living in Kuwait and providing support to refugee teachers in a variety of locations around the world. Ilene's new podcast, Journeys to Belonging, features guests sharing how they feel they belong. In this episode, my guest, Ilene, shares her songs, her story, and the power of the journey.

Chris Woods has taught math for 20+ years in Michigan. In addition to his work in the classroom, Chris is also the host of “The STEM Everyday Podcast,” he produces a weekly 1 page newspaper called The Daily STEM to help connect STEM & reading, is a STEM education presenter & trainer, and is the author of the book Daily STEM. Chris loves finding creative ways to inspire his students, especially by adding STEM to his everyday classroom. He believes that inspiration is just as important as instruction, and that teaching kids is not just a job, it's the most important job. He was on the panel of a resent OnEdMentors episode called Making STEM Stick: https://voiced.ca/podcast_episode_post/making-stem-steam-stick/