BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Dr. Dylan Ferniany, the gifted education program specialist for Birmingham City Schools, has seen significant success through her use of TEDTalks to advance her students’ learning. So on September 22, Ferniany is participating in an event at UAB to educate others how to utilize TEDTalks in the classroom.
The wildly-popular TEDTalks are part of TED, a nonprofit “devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less).” These talks range in a variety of academic and social topics as well as current issues, and are typically recorded in front of a live audience and then posted later on TED’s website.
Ferniany said that using a TEDTalk as a hook to the rest of the lesson makes learning relevant and applicable while provoking questions and comments that lead to student dialogue.
“TEDTalks are usually on the cutting edge of what’s happening in the world,” said Ferniany. “You can expose students to what’s happening far away and what’s happening in science and technology. It’s really a lot about engagement.”
Because of her involvement with TEDX Birmingham, Dr. Ferniany was elected to participate in the first TED-Ed Innovative Educator Program, consisting of 28 educators from around the world, with Ferniany being the only person selected from Alabama.
Ferniany believes that TEDTalks are a key innovation to implement to help students understand social change.
“While one or two experiences led me to become a teacher, about a thousand have led me to stay a teacher. As an administrator, I try to create these experiences for my teachers and students by keeping current on the best programs and innovative practices out there and bringing them home to Birmingham,” Ferniany wrote on the Ted Ed Blog.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22 Dr. Ferniany will be a key speaker at UAB’s Edge of Chaos, an event that will explain how to use TEDTalks in developing students. Ferniany will be discussing the topic of taking a TEDTalk video and creating a lesson from it.
For more information on UAB’s Edge of Chaos, please go to theedgeofchaos.org.
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