I have been a
fan of TED talks since I watched
the very first one. I like them so much that a became an official volunteer for
the TED Translation Project, a volunteer for TEDxLaçador in Porto
Alegre, and the final paper for my MBA in translation was about the TED
Translation Project. First of all, let me give a brief explanation about
what TED and TEDx mean:
TED is a
nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a
conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology,
Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever
broader.
TEDx was
created in the spirit of TED's mission, "ideas worth spreading." The
program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the
opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local
level.
Many TED talks can be
powerful and valuable to use as a tool to enhance learning. Therefore, TED
launched TED-ED, Lessonl that are worth spreading, as a tool to support
teachers and learners, to use the videos to enrich the teachinng and learning.
Using the videos from TED and TEDx talks in the classroom or flipping a lesson
can be very meaningful to take a lesson beyond the limits of a school. My son's
Science teacher has already made use of this engaging tool. To get to know
more, check TED-Ed webiste.
On November
31st, I had the opportunity to watch for the second time a TEDxevent here in
Porto Alegre called TEDxUnisinos. The theme
was Education( same as last year since Unisinos is a large private university
in rio Grande do Sul). It was nice seeing different speakers with different
backgrounds, nationalities, experiences talking about one theme: Education. The
event was held on a Thursday different from last year that was on Saturday.
Luckily, I was able to get a leave from my school to watch it. The event was bigger than last
year's. This year was a large event for 1,000 participants. However, it was very well-organized.
The event
started with Rafael Parente who holds
an important positition at the Secretary of Education of Rio de Janeiro and
talked about Educopedia, an oline collaborative platform, used at city hall
schools in the city of Rio de Janeiro. After Rafael Parente, other
speakers/teachers came to talk about their experiences as teachers who try to
enrich their classroom through fieldtrips, songs, videos and project-based
experiences. A director from a large private school talked about a guide her
school created to help teachers, students, parents and community when using
the social networks. Gustavo Reis,a math teacher, talked with a lot passion
about being a teacher. Iberê Thenório talked about how we can raise students'
curiosity through videos about science. His Manual do Mundo is fun and
educational for kids and adults. There were some international speakers
as well. Sara Elisabeth Ippel talked
about a charter school in Chicago called Academy for Global Citizenship and her project that
teaching kids is much more than preparing them for exams and geeting high
grades. It is worth visiting the school's website. The school's mission "is to develop mindful leaders who
take action both now and in the future to positively impact their communities
and the world beyond". Justin Reeves ,who is the the director of the NGO 10x10 Rising Girls , talked about the project 10x10 Educate Girls. Educating girls is extremely powerful
and it can really change the world. Last but not the least, I was really impressed and touched about a project called I.D.E.A em movimento developed by a group of 13-year-old girls attending grade 7 at a private school in Porto Alegre. The project wants to help change the reality in the classrooms. I like every and each one of the talks, they were all very inspiring. The videos of some of the talks are already available at the TEDxUnisinos webiste.The subtitles in English are not available yet but it is worth watching them.
I think this is my last post from 2012. Merry Christmas and Happy NewYear!!!!
