Watch TEDxYouth@Winchester
Watch TEDxWinchesterTeachers
Summary of Winchester TEDx events
On 17 November, The Winchester School Dubai held two spectacular TEDx events for students and teachers. It was an inspirational day of exchanging ideas, sharing optimism, and taking about the future. TED is a non-profit devoted to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading.’ It brings together the best minds on the planet from three spheres: Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED believes passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. TEDx events are independently held under official licence from TED. So far there have been over 3,200 TEDx events worldwide.
The morning began with TEDxYouth@Winchester. The theme of the event was ‘Ideas that will change the world’ and the speakers included some of the best and brightest students from various schools in Dubai, such as Jumeirah College, Repton School, Our Own Indian School, and the Winchester School.
The stage was all set with three dramatic big screens in the background. The audience area of the hall was atmospherically dark; however, the stage was brilliantly lit and carpeted in TED red. The organiser, Rohan Roberts, took the stage, welcomed the audience, and introduced the delightful student hosts for the morning, Simrah Ali and Courtney Long. After that, one after the other, the youth speakers strode up on stage and spoke with great confidence, eloquence, and flair about mind-expanding topics, such as: What if we lived in a simulated universe? What if we could upload our consciousness into computers? What if we didn’t have to sleep? What if we upgraded our morality? What if we colonised space? Each of the 20 speakers educated, entertained, and enlightened the audience with their meticulously researched and superbly scripted talks.
After a short break for lunch, it was time for the next event: TEDxWinchesterTeachers. The speakers at the teachers’ event included Principals, Deans, Senior Leaders, and Educational professionals from various schools and universities in Dubai. Isobel Abulhoul, the Director of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature was also among the speakers. The theme of the teachers’ event was ‘Education and the Future.’ Each of the speakers at the teachers’ event approached the theme from a different angle. Some looked at web 2.0 tools and the digital butterfly effect. Others spoke about bringing a cosmic perspective into the classroom, building online professional learning networks, and various other aspects of education in the information age. The most inspirational speaker at the teachers’ event was undoubtedly 15-year-old Behshid Behrouzi, whose rousing and inspirational talk focused on obliterating standardised testing. The teachers’ event came to a close with a moving performance by Lara Matossian-Roberts titled, “Let students keep their wings,” – a physical theatre piece that touched many in the audience.
The organiser, Rohan Roberts, said at the end of the events, “This was an incredibly inspirational day. A lot of hard work and many months of effort have gone into making this event a success and I’d like to thank our Principal, Mrs Ranju Anand, and our sponsors, Murdoch University, EduZone, and Laureate Hospitality Education for all their support.”
All in all, the day was a phenomenal success with many in the audience saying it was one of the best TEDx conferences they had attended. The event, which was covered by Khlaeej Times, not only had two elegant iPhone apps for download but was also webstreamed live over the internet. It was watched by over 2,300 people from different parts of the world. The event was the top event on the Dubai Twitter feed and also “trended” on the worldwide Twitter page.
The morning began with TEDxYouth@Winchester. The theme of the event was ‘Ideas that will change the world’ and the speakers included some of the best and brightest students from various schools in Dubai, such as Jumeirah College, Repton School, Our Own Indian School, and the Winchester School.
The stage was all set with three dramatic big screens in the background. The audience area of the hall was atmospherically dark; however, the stage was brilliantly lit and carpeted in TED red. The organiser, Rohan Roberts, took the stage, welcomed the audience, and introduced the delightful student hosts for the morning, Simrah Ali and Courtney Long. After that, one after the other, the youth speakers strode up on stage and spoke with great confidence, eloquence, and flair about mind-expanding topics, such as: What if we lived in a simulated universe? What if we could upload our consciousness into computers? What if we didn’t have to sleep? What if we upgraded our morality? What if we colonised space? Each of the 20 speakers educated, entertained, and enlightened the audience with their meticulously researched and superbly scripted talks.
After a short break for lunch, it was time for the next event: TEDxWinchesterTeachers. The speakers at the teachers’ event included Principals, Deans, Senior Leaders, and Educational professionals from various schools and universities in Dubai. Isobel Abulhoul, the Director of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature was also among the speakers. The theme of the teachers’ event was ‘Education and the Future.’ Each of the speakers at the teachers’ event approached the theme from a different angle. Some looked at web 2.0 tools and the digital butterfly effect. Others spoke about bringing a cosmic perspective into the classroom, building online professional learning networks, and various other aspects of education in the information age. The most inspirational speaker at the teachers’ event was undoubtedly 15-year-old Behshid Behrouzi, whose rousing and inspirational talk focused on obliterating standardised testing. The teachers’ event came to a close with a moving performance by Lara Matossian-Roberts titled, “Let students keep their wings,” – a physical theatre piece that touched many in the audience.
The organiser, Rohan Roberts, said at the end of the events, “This was an incredibly inspirational day. A lot of hard work and many months of effort have gone into making this event a success and I’d like to thank our Principal, Mrs Ranju Anand, and our sponsors, Murdoch University, EduZone, and Laureate Hospitality Education for all their support.”
All in all, the day was a phenomenal success with many in the audience saying it was one of the best TEDx conferences they had attended. The event, which was covered by Khlaeej Times, not only had two elegant iPhone apps for download but was also webstreamed live over the internet. It was watched by over 2,300 people from different parts of the world. The event was the top event on the Dubai Twitter feed and also “trended” on the worldwide Twitter page.