Teachers College at Columbia University held its inaugural TEDx Conference on Innovations in International Education this past Friday, March 23.
TED is a nonprofit organization focused on discussing issues related to technology, entertainment, and design. TEDx is an offshoot that is local and self-organized. The TEDx Teachers College brought together educators, policymakers, and students who are passionate about education at the international level. For the past eight months, it was a collaborative and communal effort to put together the conference.
“It’s been a great experience to work with speakers because they share personal stories,” said Tamar van Gelderen, a Comparative and International Education student who acted as curator and worked on speaker management.
The event featured 20 live and additional video talks with the areas of Gender and Equity, Education Policy, Peace and Justice, and Technology and Media in Education.
“Education policy is broad enough to incorporate many things,” explained van Gelderen on the themes that were chosen for the conference. “It guides and directs international education in every single way.”
With a full day of speakers and discussions, the conference was able to shine light on important issues in the field of international education.
“It’s so great to see amazing people and innovative things in education. I thought TED was a great platform to spread powerful ideas and inspirations,” said Consuelo del Canto, a student studying Education and Sociology who was also on the planning management team. “I think about my community and my country, how helpful this talk and idea can be helpful in education in Chile or elsewhere in the world.”
To find out more about the event, the videos from the inaugural TEDx Teachers College Conference will be posted online at the end of April.
