A whole, hole in the middle
Past five, doughnut mind.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
TEDxOrlando
Just so you know, I am giving up Eastbound and Down for this. I am also listening to Iron and Wine, so excuse the melancholia, if it surfaces. FYI, best Iron and Wine song ever:
I am a TEDaholic. Speak to me for more than five minutes, and I will likely bring up the awesomeness that is Benjamin Zander's shining eyes talk, the completely sobering hilarity of Ken Robinson's "Why Schools Kill Creativity," the unabashed fervor of J.J. Abram's "Mystery Box" or the immersive beauty of Andrew Bird's "One man orchestra of the imagination." I love TED. I think I might love TED more than I love cheese, though, a TED-shaped cheese log might beat out both of those. I spend so much time as a teacher helping others learn new ways of looking at the world that I feel a real sense of loss at the thought that I do not get the same opportunities to discover something new, to learn, to engage in what I loved so much about being in school for sooo long: the aha moment, the moment of internalization of new knowledge.
My orgasm aha! moment.
When I discovered TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design), it felt like Keats' "On First Looking on Chapman's Homer," which is somewhat like discovering that Blue Bell makes banana pudding ice cream or like seeing the entire Star Trek: The Original Series on my post-TED date's living room shelf. Basically, it was like having an awesome parfait.
I had the pleasure of attending the first annual TEDxOrlando conference this past Saturday, November 13. I attended the conference determined to break out of my extreme communication apprehension in situations where I know no one and am outside of the classroom. Yes, I am shy around new people--I am that girl on her phone, pretending to tweet about something really important.
Nope, no, I don't want to socialize.
So, does it make sense for a public speaking teacher to be shy? Only if aforementioned teacher never had any inclination to light up a stage or hear applause or be the center of anyone's attention. But, after seven years of teaching, there is something so wonderful about standing in front of a classroom. I believe this is because I am a control freak and fancy myself being the mistress of said classroom. I suppose knowing I am also teaching an activity most people dread as I dread speaking to strangers helps in the empathy department. Thankfully, my social anxiety was alleviated by the presence of super student Roxie Richardson, whose love of TED prompted her to apply for a scholarship to attend the conference for free. Once I accosted Roxie and forced her to hang out with me, I felt much better.
I was a bit worried about the turnout, considering that so many people I'd talked to had no idea the conference was going on (despite my screaming it from several rooftops, classrooms, offices, Facebook pages, people's homes), but the healthy number of folks I saw formed an eclectic group of energetic and enthusiastic thinkers. Thinkers like Nathaniel, who effusively discussed his idea for implants that could work out your abs for you (as someone who curses abdominal exercises like Frodo in one of his fits, this made me perk up), that could enable you to massage yourself, even help regenerate the body and extend life, helped set the tone for the knowledge ass kicking about to begin. So, on to the presenters. Note: I am an idiot, and actually thought a date was more important than the third set and only made it through sets one and two. Please forgive me TED...it was a great date, though, as most dates go lately, resulted in no second date.
Marc Sardy
The man earns awesome points right away for using a Prezi instead of a Keynote or Power Point. Sardy spoke from the heart, bringing who he is into what he does. His stories kept me engaged, even if I felt a bit unsure as to purpose. The message was right on point with TED--educating for peace, working to move beyond the desire for peace to a student-run film festival whose goal is to create immediate resonance with an audience.
Sharon Butler
An artist in the blogosphere, Butler works to turn the pyramid of the art world into an equal playing field, where artists do not feel like peons or slaves to a top down system. She was very funny and I now love her blog, Two Coats of Paint.
James Neihouse
Talk about someone who embodies the TED commandments. Engaging and impacting storytelling from a man who is unafraid to be vulnerable and shares his curiosity and passion for the sadly forgotten NASA. His talk did not come with a set of typical slides, instead, images of his work played in the background as he spoke of what NASA has done for us and what it has yet to do. The S.T.A.R moment in his talk: Neihouse spoke of the friends lost as a result of two shuttle disasters. Unafraid to show the impact of this loss on him, Neihouse spoke of their bravery, their resolute belief in the mission of NASA.
Break time and the end of set one! I met a young man who is a forest ranger! Ocala is apparently not as beautiful as he imagined it would be.
More from TEDxOrlando tomorrow!
I am a TEDaholic. Speak to me for more than five minutes, and I will likely bring up the awesomeness that is Benjamin Zander's shining eyes talk, the completely sobering hilarity of Ken Robinson's "Why Schools Kill Creativity," the unabashed fervor of J.J. Abram's "Mystery Box" or the immersive beauty of Andrew Bird's "One man orchestra of the imagination." I love TED. I think I might love TED more than I love cheese, though, a TED-shaped cheese log might beat out both of those. I spend so much time as a teacher helping others learn new ways of looking at the world that I feel a real sense of loss at the thought that I do not get the same opportunities to discover something new, to learn, to engage in what I loved so much about being in school for sooo long: the aha moment, the moment of internalization of new knowledge.
My orgasm aha! moment.
When I discovered TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design), it felt like Keats' "On First Looking on Chapman's Homer," which is somewhat like discovering that Blue Bell makes banana pudding ice cream or like seeing the entire Star Trek: The Original Series on my post-TED date's living room shelf. Basically, it was like having an awesome parfait.
I had the pleasure of attending the first annual TEDxOrlando conference this past Saturday, November 13. I attended the conference determined to break out of my extreme communication apprehension in situations where I know no one and am outside of the classroom. Yes, I am shy around new people--I am that girl on her phone, pretending to tweet about something really important.
Nope, no, I don't want to socialize.
So, does it make sense for a public speaking teacher to be shy? Only if aforementioned teacher never had any inclination to light up a stage or hear applause or be the center of anyone's attention. But, after seven years of teaching, there is something so wonderful about standing in front of a classroom. I believe this is because I am a control freak and fancy myself being the mistress of said classroom. I suppose knowing I am also teaching an activity most people dread as I dread speaking to strangers helps in the empathy department. Thankfully, my social anxiety was alleviated by the presence of super student Roxie Richardson, whose love of TED prompted her to apply for a scholarship to attend the conference for free. Once I accosted Roxie and forced her to hang out with me, I felt much better.
I was a bit worried about the turnout, considering that so many people I'd talked to had no idea the conference was going on (despite my screaming it from several rooftops, classrooms, offices, Facebook pages, people's homes), but the healthy number of folks I saw formed an eclectic group of energetic and enthusiastic thinkers. Thinkers like Nathaniel, who effusively discussed his idea for implants that could work out your abs for you (as someone who curses abdominal exercises like Frodo in one of his fits, this made me perk up), that could enable you to massage yourself, even help regenerate the body and extend life, helped set the tone for the knowledge ass kicking about to begin. So, on to the presenters. Note: I am an idiot, and actually thought a date was more important than the third set and only made it through sets one and two. Please forgive me TED...it was a great date, though, as most dates go lately, resulted in no second date.
Marc Sardy
The man earns awesome points right away for using a Prezi instead of a Keynote or Power Point. Sardy spoke from the heart, bringing who he is into what he does. His stories kept me engaged, even if I felt a bit unsure as to purpose. The message was right on point with TED--educating for peace, working to move beyond the desire for peace to a student-run film festival whose goal is to create immediate resonance with an audience.
Sharon Butler
An artist in the blogosphere, Butler works to turn the pyramid of the art world into an equal playing field, where artists do not feel like peons or slaves to a top down system. She was very funny and I now love her blog, Two Coats of Paint.
James Neihouse
Talk about someone who embodies the TED commandments. Engaging and impacting storytelling from a man who is unafraid to be vulnerable and shares his curiosity and passion for the sadly forgotten NASA. His talk did not come with a set of typical slides, instead, images of his work played in the background as he spoke of what NASA has done for us and what it has yet to do. The S.T.A.R moment in his talk: Neihouse spoke of the friends lost as a result of two shuttle disasters. Unafraid to show the impact of this loss on him, Neihouse spoke of their bravery, their resolute belief in the mission of NASA.
Break time and the end of set one! I met a young man who is a forest ranger! Ocala is apparently not as beautiful as he imagined it would be.
More from TEDxOrlando tomorrow!
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