Global learning
Suzan Brandt was driving when she received an email from TEDGlobal. The Mountain Brook Junior High technology coordinator knew the email would determine whether she was among a handful of individuals accepted to attend the TEDGlobal>Geneva Conference.
“I had to pull over and read the email as soon as I got a glimpse of it,” Brandt said.
It was an acceptance email, which means Brandt will be traveling to Geneva, Switzerland, this month. TED — Technology, Entertainment, and Design — is a nonprofit “devoted to spreading ideas,” usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less), according to its website. The talks cover almost all topics, from science to business to global issues, in more than 100 languages. Attending a TEDGlobal conference requires a lengthy admission process.
“It was the most intimidating application I have ever had to fill out,” Brandt said. “I knew people from across the world were applying, all types of impressive individuals.”
That’s saying something. Brandt, who began her career in education with Hoover City Schools in 1994, has filled out her share of applications.
She earned her B.A. in elementary education from Auburn University and an M.A. in special education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she also completed course work for her educational leadership certificate. Brandt then went on to earn an Ed.S. in educational technology from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Brandt said when she received the invitation to apply for a spot at TEDGlobal>Geneva, she didn’t hesitate. The lengthy application paid off. Now, she is one of only 400 from around the world selected to attend both the pre-conference and the classic TED event themed “Critical Junctures.”
Brandt said she has always been a fan of the internationally known TED Talks, in part because of their ability to distribute a multitude of ideas from one hemisphere to the other.
“It’s important to have an international appreciation of ideas,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in learning about how people live, wherever they live, and about what they believe.”
Her parents instilled that respect for the international community when she was a young child. Brandt traveled with them to Costa Rica when she was in first grade, and said her family hosted foreign exchange students in their home for as long as she can remember.
“It is part of who we are as a family,” said Brandt, whose husband is of Honduran descent.
Brandt first blended her interest in TED Talks with her professional background when she served on the organizational team for TEDxRedMountain, Birmingham’s first TEDx event in 2011. TEDx events, she explained, are TED-style events held at the local level. They are planned and coordinated independently, under a TED license. From there, Brandt went on to assist with the first TEDxBirmingham event. She currently serves as a TEDxBirmingham Educator Fellow and is active in their professional learning community.
Eventually, Brandt decided to incorporate what she learned at the student level. In 2014, she teamed up with Andrew Cotten, Mariya Breaux and Sharon Flowers from MBJH to organize the middle school’s TED-Ed Club. The TED-Ed Club, she explained, provides students with an opportunity to learn how to present their big ideas in the form of short TED-style talks. The group of students who participate in the MBJH TED-Ed Club take part in the club during school hours, said Brandt.
“[They] will not only be able to develop their own TED-style talk, but will have the opportunity to collaborate and connect with students globally to share their big idea, get feedback, and practice their presentation skills,” she said.
Her students, like millions of others around the world, were instantly hooked.
Soon after the club started, Brandt said her students asked for more. The MBJH TED-Ed Club asked Brandt to take their experience one step further and apply for a TEDx Youth license so they could publicly present their ideas as a TEDx talk. TED granted the license, said Brandt, and the students are now planning a possible TEDx event.
“We are excited for what the future may hold,” said Brandt.
That future will be facilitated by her participation in the TEDGlobal>Geneva Conference next month.
Attending December’s events will qualify Brandt to hold a TEDx event with more than 100 attendees, unlike the previous TEDxYouth@MBJH that had a size limit. Brandt said the opportunity to hold a larger event will allow Mountain Brook to expand its TEDx events and presence in the community. TEDGlobal>Geneva speakers will not be announced, said Brandt, until the invited attendees arrive.
“I’m honored to be able to represent the people of Mountain Brook and the students at MBJH,” said Brandt. “I’m looking forward to meeting people from all over the world, sharing a little bit of home with them and learning about their ideas.”
Brandt said TEDGlobal>Geneva will waive the $8,500 cost to attend the event. Airline and lodging fees, however, are on her. The school board, she said, is trying to work out a way to help with those costs.
For more on TEDxYouth@MBJH, visit tedxyouthmbjh.com.