LinkedUp: Breaking Boundaries in Education

In this podcast we bring back two former guests, Ken Shelton and Yaritza Villalba to discuss the work they are doing with Microsoft on culturally responsive curriculum.  Ken (He/Him/His) currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and spent most of his classroom experience teaching technology at the Middle School level. As a part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Ken is an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and a Google Certified Innovator. Ken has worked extensively at the policy level with a number of State Departments of Education, Ministries of Education, non-Profits, and was appointed to the Education Technology Task Force formed by a previous California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ken regularly gives keynotes, presentations, consults, and leads workshops, covering a wide variety of Educational Technology, Equity and Inclusion, Anti-Bias/Anti-Racist, Multimedia Literacy, Cultural Intelligences, Visual Storytelling, and Instructional Design Topics. Ken is the ISTE Digital Equity PLN 2018 Excellence Award winner.  Yaritza Villalba is the Founding President of YV Educational Resources Inc. 501(c)3 and Host of the Flipgrid series #AskYaritza: Culturally Responsive Teaching, Yaritza Villalba has eleven years of experience in education. She started her career teaching Social Studies to high school students in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York.  Throughout the years she has developed Culturally Responsive curricula and conducted a variety of professional development webinars for educators around the world. Her overall mission, in education, is to provide teachers and students with an array of strategies and materials to assist in connecting what is being taught with the world in which they live in.