Last night, I had the pleasure of hosting the TedxOntario Ed Satellite Event for Hamilton. When @zbpipe initially suggested this idea to me, I was intrigued, but I must admit that I knew very little about this event. Was it a technology conference? When the publicity said that the evening was about “motivation,” what did that really mean? While I don’t think that I really knew everything until watching the event last night, I’m still so glad that I went through with overseeing a satellite location, as it truly was an incredible evening.
TedxOntario Ed was not a technology conference at all. The event really was all about motivation, and from a teaching perspective, it truly was about how we can motivate all learners to succeed in the classroom. Teaching is about the students, and teaching is about ensuring that all students get what they need to succeed!
The most incredible thing for me though was sitting in a room of 15 people, some of which regularly use technology and some of which are new to using it, and watching an amazing transformation: a number signed up for Twitter accounts so that they could participate in the back channel, and then after reflecting on the night, they thought about how they could use these same tools with their students. Change is hard, and as Zoe Branigan-Pipe once told me, you need to be brave to make this change and start using these social networking tools. These educators were brave, and they are willing to make a change.
For those of you that watched the event live, at a satellite location, at home, or even participated in the event, please leave a comment here and share your thoughts on the night. I know that it’s one that I will never forget! Thanks to the incredible TedxOntario Ed Team that made it possible!
Aviva
Links of Interest
List and Description of Speakers
Script of Zoe Branigan-Pipe’s Five Minute TedxOntario Ed Talk
Last night I attended the TEDx Ontario Satellite session for Windsor with some friends. It was wonderful to meet and network with some teachers from the other local school board who have similar interests. We were all excited to be part of the event and left feeling motivated that we can try something new with our students and colleagues. Thanks to Jackie O’Bright of the Windsor Essex Catholic board, and all of the other people who took the time to organize the satellite events. My friend Sandra and I were trying to decide what to try first. I think we will re-watch Danika Barker’s talk to help narrow down our choices. Thanks again to all of the organizers for a great event.
Sounds like you had a great TedxOntario Ed experience as well! I echo your thanks. It was a great event!