For Linda Olejnik, attending her first Livestream for Education was like getting “a creative shot in the arm for teaching” in her American literature classroom. Olejnik, now the assistant principal at Catholic Central High School, said speakers were dynamic, talented and offered out-of-the-box ways of learning.
“What I really enjoyed was that the structure allowed for creative thinking,” said Olejnik, who also took students to the event.
The daylong conference places speakers on the stage – ranging from business people to poets – all focused on education and innovation. Between presentations, students get involved in breakout sessions where they can learn how to apply what they heard in their own lives.
The Details
Hundreds of educators and students will gather at the third annual Livestream for Education forum to share ideas and inspiration while watching TEDxGrandRapids speakers through a digital feed.
The event takes place May 7 at East Kentwood High School. The application is available at tedxgrandrapids.org, under the Livestream tab. Educators may apply to come alone or to bring up to 10 high school students.
While the lineup for this year’s event will be announced soon, past speakers have included Grammy-nominated musicians, national game designers, artists, people building communities in Africa, strategists from companies like Ford and all kinds of educators.
Dalin Clark, event creator and lead organizer, thought of the idea after attending TedX Grand Rapids 2011, and realized how much students and teachers could benefit. She wanted to offer a streamlined event where educators and students from all kinds of schools could come together and share.
“I saw the things people were talking about on stage,” Clark said. “They were so interesting. I wanted to be able to show students, through their teacher, how cool the world is.”
TED is a nonprofit company startedin 1984 to bring the worlds of technology, entertainment and design together. The TEDx programs are TED-like experiences at the local level.
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