Reflections from TEDxUBC, FastForwardEd

Can we afford to wait for the next generation of educators to “be the change”? Tomorrow’s teachers are in our classrooms today! @terryainge #TEDxUBC

Much more to come from the event, er, movement. One of the most amazing experiences of my life as the TEDx licensee.  What an incredible mash-up of teenagers, university students and adults passionate about helping youth succeed.

TEDxUBC trended at #2 in Vancouver on Twitter (ahead of the Canucks!) during the event yesterday and was one of the Top 10 Vancouver trends of the week according to Trendsmap.com. Over 100 people watching the livestream, others mind-mapping online, prizes for best tweet, entertainment and mostly The Power of Youth.  Here's a screen capture from our Wall of Tweets.

Thank you next generation for letting this generation serve you.

The Directors of TEDxUBC: Faye Chen, Randy Sangha, David McMichael, Judy Eng and myself are amazed and humbled by the talent and enthusiasm of our student volunteers and contestants. Our generation is truly in good hands when your turn comes.

Oh right, it's already your turn.

Here's how you can get involved in rethinking, remixing, hacking and creating a 21st century solution for our education system.  Get involved, starting with the links below:

• Build on the speaker’s, attendees and viewer’s ideas with TED Talk mind-mapping courtesy of Mindmeister.
• Join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tedxubc
• Join the Wall of Tweets by posting with the hashtag #tedxubc on Twitter.
• View the TEDxUBC photo stream on Flickr.

TEDxUBC speakers and directors: Bill Jensen, Matt Giammarino, Chris Kennedy, Carla Rieger, Sunddip Panesar Nahal, Dan Pontefract, Paul Cubbon, Yellow Banana,  Josh Klein, Bret Conkin, Alex Jurgensen, Jeff Piontek, Faye Chen, David McMichael (missing: Basil Peters, Barry MacDonald, Elysa Hogg,  Judy Eng, Randy Sangha) 

Join the conversation. The first step to a learning revolution.  

The action step is then up to you!  

Take a cue from best tweet prize winner Terry Ainge an innovative teacher in Delta.  Fittingly, we presented Terry with a copy of TEDTalk speakers  Josh Klein and Bill Jensen's Hacking Work.

@terryainge Can we afford to wait for the next generation of educators to “be the change”? Tomorrow’s teachers are in our classrooms today!

Social Media 101 Small Business Panel -Squamish Oct. 27th

A little event I'm working on....

Fast forward education with TEDxUBC

Leading thinkers and innovators in business and technology education to inspire a new generation

Vancouver, BC – The first TEDx event ever to be held in downtown Vancouver, TEDxUBC, takes place on Oct. 23, 2010. Themed FastForwardEd, the event will help shape the future of business and technology education in British Columbia’s secondary and post-secondary institutions. In the spirit of TED, TEDxUBC is an independently organized, one-day event combining live speakers and TEDTalk videos to spark deep discussion and connection in the education, business and technology sectors.

“How do you educate students for jobs that don’t yet exist? What skills will you need to be successful in the 21^st century? TEDxUBC was created to help answer these questions,” says Bret Conkin, Co-organizer and Licensee of TEDxUBC.

“It’s a grassroots forum on key education issues that will shape secondary and post-secondary education in the 21^st century,” he continued. “We’re bringing together 100 key leaders and innovators in business and education, who together can help spread ideas about the skills needed in the work force vs. those currently being taught, all in the unique spirit of TED.”

Presenters at TEDxUBC:

TEDxUBC will take place at UBC’s Robson Square campus in downtown Vancouver and will feature renowned local and international thinkers.

Josh Klein is a hacker of all things, including social systems, computer networks, institutions, animal behavior and corporate culture. His book, Hacking Work: Breaking Stupid Rules for Smart Results, has been hailed as “one of the breakthrough ideas for 2010” by the Harvard Business Review. At TED2008, he delivered a speech on the intelligence of crows and the possibilities of forming mutually-beneficial systems between humans and animals.

Bill Jensen’s credits include authoring Work 2.0, Building the Future, One Employee at a Time and the recent co-release with fellow TEDxUBC presenter Josh Klein, Hacking Work.  Harvard Business Review, CNBC and Fast Company have called Bill today’s foremost expert on work complexity, helping people to do less and accomplish more.  Bill is a passionate simpleton and an outspoken gadfly against corporate stupidity that wastes people’s time, attention and dreams.

Alex Jurgensen is a young entrepreneur who enjoys speaking about and using technology, with a special focus on products and services designed to be used by everyone. As a secondary student, he is a strong believer in the principles of universally-designed learning.

Barry MacDonald is a registered clinical counselor, educator, and international advocate for learners—especially boys—who struggle with traditional classroom learning. As the founder of MentoringBoys.com and best-selling author of Boy Smarts, Barry was identified as one of 25 Influential People to Watch by the Vancouver Sun for his innovative approaches to mentoring boys for success.

For much more on TEDxUBC, visit http://tedxubc.com