The 2017 TEDxAmsterdamED event was inspiring, educational and FUN! For full details of the day, along with recordings of the talks, visit the official website here: http://tedxamsterdamed.nl
As I’m writing this a while after the event, they have also already published their after movie:
Here’s my memories of the day….
I arrived early on a beautiful, bright morning, and after picking up my lanyard, a beautiful notebook and a cup of coffee, settled into the front row with a friend, Amanda.
From the very beginning, our attention and creative spirit was nourished by world class performances and talks.
Our host was Drew Wackerling, who did a great job of keeping us entertained, informed and making sure the day was on track.
As with every TEDx event I’ve attended, there are many amazing speakers on a range of topics. At this one, the ED stands for EDUCATION, so they were all themed around this. I enjoyed and agreed with the first speaker, Niels Huisman about the importance of lifelong learning.
It’s also great at TEDx events to get the chance to meet the speakers later and discuss their ideas further!
The day was split into 3 blocks and though it was a long day, it was really well organised, with a nice balance of high energy, entertainment and more serious topics. I really liked the mix of ages and perspectives of the speakers, all centred around the 2017 theme “from an outside perspective”.
It was such a fantastic surprise at the end of the first block to have us all invited up on stage….then the back curtains opened and there was a fun fair!!! How cool is that! I went on that mini ferris wheel and had a play in the ball pit…..absolutely love the idea of bringing more fun into education. We start out that way with young children but somehow lose it along the way.
Then it was back to the talks, and many more interesting ideas to process.
Fantastic day, a huge thanks to all the organising team, and I look forward to being back next year! Here’s my own Google Photos album which will give you an idea of just how much amazing information there was to absorb on the day. I regularly got the telltale “goosebumps” when an idea connected with me. Did you know that TEDx events are not always just about talks, there are usually a number of creative performances involved as well – the Dario FO choir was one of my favourites and literally took my breath away with “Run to You”.
I am actually planning to apply to TEDxAmsterdamED as a speaker for 2018. I’m thinking through ideas about a talk based on my Masters thesis connecting elearning and study success and my experiences as both a student and lecturer. I’m particularly passionate about bringing more flexibility into higher education to make academic qualifications accessible to parents, and recently gave a short valedictorian speech about this. Making it to that red spot on a TEDx stage is no easy process, but I’m inspired by attending around 10 live events already and feel this real drive to be up there. Also am slightly terrified, but have learned that a combination of excitement and fear can be a good combination! So thank you to all the speakers who have inspired me so far and watch this space.
If you are in Amsterdam or surrounds, I highly recommend coming to check out TEDxAmsterdamED. Or no matter where you are in the world, take a look at the official TEDx website and see if there is an upcoming event near you – the videos are great to watch but it’s amazing being there at a live event: www.tedx.com
Renee
Zestee 