Journeys to Belonging

Justin Garcia (pronouns are they/them) currently teaches First Grade in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They have been teaching for nearly a decade, and have experience across four unique countries and educational settings. They are passionate about ELL best practices and social justice in education. 

Twitter: @kruu_justin

Website: https://justingarciaell.com/home

Twitter chat: #queer_educhat 

I have been teaching and mentoring Primary learners in several IB schools of Gurgaon, India for 14 years. I have worked in manifold capacities and roles as an IBPYP Practitioner. Currently, I facilitate English Support Lessons and assists ES students in the Unit of Inquiry lessons at the Pathways World School, Aravalli, Gurgaon, India for PYP 5 learners. I hold a Masters in English literature and a Bachelor's in Education. I am a certified Montessori Early Childhood Educator.  Additionally, in pursuit of my goal as an educationist, I am a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Flipgrid enthusiast, Adobe Creative Educator, Seesaw, Wakelet, and Teach SDG Ambassador. I love to collaborate with various educators around the world and have participated in plentiful Global projects to promote 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Twitter: @MathewBhavna

Email: [email protected]

youtube video: https://youtu.be/khoGtcT_nFM

                             https://youtu.be/TrkA9eBo00Y

Global collaboration: https://wke.lt/w/s/vjFY3k

Resources mentioned: Strive for Happiness in Education by Robert Dunlop (https://amzn.to/35RcnYw)

       @RobDunlopEDU on Twitter

Kristina A. Holzweiss is a high school educational technology enrichment specialist on Long Island, New York. She shares ideas and resources about her school library and makerspaces on her website bunheadwithducttape.com. Kristina was named the School Library Journal Librarian of the Year in 2015, a National School Board 2016 - 2017 "20 to Watch" emerging education technology leader, and a 2018 Library Journal Mover & Shaker. She is also the winner of the 2015 NYSCATE Lee Bryant Outstanding Teacher Award and 2015 Long Island Technology Summit Fred Podolski Leadership and Innovation Award.  Kristina is the Long Island Director of NYSCATE.     

In 2015 she founded SLIME - Students of Long Island Maker Expo (slimemakerexpo.com) where schools, libraries, museums, nonprofit organizations, civic associations, and educational companies can celebrate creativity and innovation. Kristina is an international speaker on the libraries and the Maker Movement and has presented at conferences including ISTE, AASL, ALA, and NYSCATE. In 2016 she was invited to represent Long Island, NY in Washington, D.C. during the National Week of Making.

Twitter: @lieberrian

FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HackingSchoolLibrariesAndOtherClassrooms

Website: http://www.bunheadwithducttape.com (Check out her Free Resources that include guidebooks and so much more!)

https://www.amazon.com/Kristina-A-Holzweiss/e/B072WGM13T/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

Melody McAllister is a wife, mother of five, educator, and author. She and her family relocated to Alaska from the Dallas area in 2019.  McAllister is 2017 Garland NAACP Educator of the Year and author of the I’m Sorry Story, a children's book about taking responsibility for mistakes and making sincere apologies.  She is also the Logistics Manager for EduMatch Publishing.  McAllister has spoken at ISTE and ASTE about equity issues in education and writes about her journey in her blog, HeGaveMeAMelody.com.

Twitter: @mjmcalliwrites

FB: https://facebook.com/mjmcalliwrites

Website: https://www.mjmcalliwrites.com

Erika Sandstrom is a Digital Media Teacher for grades 6th-8th who is in her 30th year as an educator.  She currently serves on the 21st Century District Team. as a Digital Learning Coach for 6-8  as well as a Mindfulness District Coordinator.  Erika also founded the “Mindful Super Hero Club” @ClubMindful for 6th-8th grade students and is currently launching other clubs for all of K-12.   Mindful Super Hero Club members help students to learn, practice, and share Mindfulness in a creative way through video production and participate in Green Screen volunteer opportunities at assisted livings and beyond.  Additionally, she is a Green Screen and Video Production online professional development presenter for educators, has been featured in several Podcasts, magazines, educational summits, LIVE Instagram streams.  Erika’s Mindfulness enthusiasm is derived from 16 years as a Yoga/Pilates Instructor. and she is featured for Mindfulness on Wakelet Community Webinars monthly.   Erika was dubbed “Green Screen Gal!” in 2018 and has a dream to teach ALL  educators globally the benefit of utilizing Green Screen technology in their schools for all types of the curriculum including Mindfulness and Social-Emotional Learning!

Some things I am working on are Online courses to teach all how to create stellar videos and all about video production and  Green Screen, and I have a digital book mini-course coming out soon called "Become a Green Screen ROCKSTAR!"!    I am also working on several things with my Mindful Super Hero Club, including a possible YouTube Show teaching Mindfulness and green Screen fun! (still in works and brainstorming phase though)  I did recently team up with Tony Gugliotta and we created a company called @ViDucators as we are creating tons of things to teach educators all about video production to help them with remote teaching and beyond!  UPCOMING: LIVE interview for ADOBE Education on Facebook, and more Wakelet Community Webinars that are hosted monthly.  I call them "My Mindful Moments with Misbah!"

Resources mentioned: Apps: Calm, 

https://www.mindfulnessthemovie.com

Twitter: @GreenScreenGal

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRJav9WaJzSdrEXddF5AMw/videos?view_as=subscriber

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenScreenGal

Website: https://www.greenscreengal.com

Wakelet webinar: https://youtu.be/j8N9iOAB-8g

Matabishi Narukako John (Mata), is a refugee in Kakuma camp, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Before fleeing his home in 2012, he earned a diploma in Business Administration. He was settled in Kakuma camp, Kenya the same year. Since he wasn’t able to register for university, Mata completed various international NGO training programs offered in Kakuma such as Counseling, case management, Applied Human Rights from the University of Geneva, and other certificates related to managing a non-profit organization. He was particularly interested in computer applications after completing a course with Don Bosco and a certificate in Android Development. Mata has worked in various roles in Kakuma including a community mobilizer for three years and then as an ICT trainer. He is the Founder and CEO of the Kakuma Vocational Center (KVC) established in 2018. KVC is the first maker space for youth in Kakuma.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kvc.vocational

Twitter: @KVC45966042

Fundraiser: https://bit.ly/3dX3H5m

About KVC: https://spark.adobe.com/page/Rac5s4XP7w4qG

Kitala Mupenge Fabrice was born in 1991 in a village called Kakulu, Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-torn area. He studied business administration in primary and secondary school., but fled his country due to insecurity and the fear of being persecuted. He reached Kakuma in 2012, continued his studies through Geneva University in Human Rights Law, and led a team of law students in Kakuma for two years. Kitala worked with several national and international organizations in Kakuma refugee camp such as UNHCR, and International Organization for Migration (IOM) as an interpreter, for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) promoting hygiene, Ata-Nayeche Radio as a reporting journalist, and many other organizations. In 2015, Kitala established several organizations with fellow Kakuma residents, and then in 2017, he decided to establish There is Hope Africa (THA), a community-based organization to empower his fellow refugees through technology and vocational training skills. THA is currently offering hairdressing training for young women and other vocational skills training.

Kitala has always been an advocate for social justice. His principal of life is the Ubuntu system or the golden rule that is "do unto others what you would like them to do to you".

Twitter: @EMupenge

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EMupenge

Fundraiser: https://www.airfunding.net/s/ecae140e-b4e5-45ac-bc53-36c199661d97

THA Presentation: https://spark.adobe.com/page/7IcH4WxUHA39Z

Ebengo Honoré Alfani is the founder of African Initiative for Human Development( AIHD2). He earned a Bachelor's degree in International Relations at the University of Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a Certificate in Business and Impact Planning for Social Enterprise with MIT's online program). Education is very important to Honore, so he has also achieved a certificate in Applied Human Rights with Inzone from the University of Geneva and a certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising Essential with Acumen Academy (Online Program) 

Since fleeing his home in DRC and arriving in Kakuma in 2012, he has volunteered as a leader in several community-based organizations including, co-founder of the French speakers Kakuma Association and served as the General Secretary (2013-2018), Co-Founder of Kakuma Ventures, and Director of Communication (2017-2019), Senior Interpreter at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) (2016-2019), Protection Monitor at Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK) (2015-2016), Hygiene Promoter (NRC/Wash department)(2015-2016) He has applied and is a candidate for the Master's program at Windle Trust International.

Fundraising campaigns:

COVID19 Wellness: https://www.airfunding.net/s/2678633d-0530-4372-b659-88d0a4e36139

AIHD2 Construction: https://spark.adobe.com/page/saJVZs7gox0ML

Twitter: @AfricanInitiat3 

                 @AlfaniEbengo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIHD2

                  https://www.facebook.com/EbengoHonoreHondfgoa

In this episode, I tell the story of how I met and became involved in supporting three special refugee educators in Kakuma settlement, Kenya, and preview the next three episodes. I'm excited for you to meet these amazing leaders, Mata, Honore, and Kitala.  

You can find them on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/EbengoHonoreHondfgoa

https://www.facebook.com/kvc.vocational

https://www.facebook.com/kitala.mupenge

Bit Space Chicago: https://bitspacechicago.com

Participate: https://www.participate.com

Carrie Baughcum is a mother, wife, mismatch sock wearer, a self-described inspiration junkie, and most of all a believer that all children can learn, we just need to find out how. She is also a Special Education teacher with 22 years of experience. She is currently the teacher of  6th, 7th and 8th grade Special Education classroom at a middle school in the northwest suburbs of Illinois. In her classroom, she uses creative thinking, a fearless attitude, the power of gamification, endless doodles, and the power of technology to enable her students to enhance their learning and empower them to achieve things they never knew they could. Carrie shares her experiences, ideas, and passion in... 

Twitter - @carrie_baughcum

#HomeRoomEDU - http://carriebaughcum.com/home-room-one-room-that-shares-all-about-you

Her book - My Pencil Made Me Do It: A Guide To Sketchnoting 

Blog - carriebaughcum.com

Weekly youtube show- Doodle and Chat she hosts with her daughter, speaking and teaching other educators at conferences and workshops and on her YouTube channel youtube.com/carriebaughcum.