TED Community » Reine Azzi

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Education and working toward the Common Good! and TEDxLAU!

An idea worth spreading

we deserve to make a difference! Our input, in whatever field we focus upon, needs to promote a better life, for ourselves and for those around us.

People don't know that I'm good at

belly dancing, salsa, and tango.

My TED Story

I was checking my Facebook newsfeed when I saw a title that caught my attention: Why schools kill creativity. I watched Sir Ken Robinson's talk and was fascinated! I had never even heard of TED! But I knew one thing...this was a talk to be shared on our campus, with my colleagues and students. And I did...and it was only the beginning. Later on I helped in organizing the first public TEDxBeirut salon on our campus, and then went on to get the first university TEDx license in Lebanon. We seem to keep growing, in ways I hadn't fully planned...and this is my ultimate satisfaction. With TED, the connections seem to form without our full awareness..and the surprises make it all the more worthwhile!

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1950.50 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Talk: Stewart Brand: The dawn of de-extinction. Are you ready?

  Mar 13 2013: This is one of those talks I can't stop talking about! are we fully aware of the consequences? should we be more careful? or are we responsible and need to do this??
  
  In spreading awareness regarding the TEDx event and this open debate, I just wish more people can join in. Love this discussion! and thank you for posting right on time!!! I was calling out for that :)
  
  We even create a survey to see what our audience thinks. Join us! https://www.facebook.com/tedxlau

• A reply on Talk: Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong

  Mar 12 2013: Thank you :) And this talk is on my "must-share" list for debatable topics in my class in Beirut. I have a feeling it will generate quite a discussion!

• A comment on Talk: Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong

  Mar 12 2013: This was the one talk which drastically changed the way I view "nonprofit". we are constantly restricting ourselves to this slightly Kantian model of intentions for effective altruism. the emphasis on proper motives and the "bleeding heart" is blinding us to the fact that these acts don't necessarily lead to the greater good. I love the utilitarian undertones to this talk.
  
  One of my absolute favorites at TEDActive this year.
• +1

  A comment on Talk: Follow the Frog

  Mar 2 2013: my favorite!! really goes well with the GiveWell talk and Peter Singers ideals for effective altruism.

• A comment on Conversation: Can you define your life in just six words?

  Jan 15 2013: writing this on behalf of my significant other.
  
  Never Settle. Always ask for more.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: Can you define your life in just six words?

  Jan 15 2013: i love this idea! will use it with my students and my fellow organizers!
  
  My contribution
  
  Memory: knowledge stored; beautifully fades away!

• A comment on Conversation: A college level course using TED as the driver for discussion, research, and learning.

  Jul 23 2012: Thanks for the vote of confidence :) Having a full blown TED class would be awesome! Honestly, I don't see how it work in our institution, but good luck to anyone who does! in the meantime, though, TED talks continue to enrich whatever we currently teach... as for the question of documentation, I haven't... not officially that is.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: A college level course using TED as the driver for discussion, research, and learning.

  Jul 21 2012: of course! Have been using TEDTalks for the past two years in my rhetoric, oral communication, and even ethics classes! Truly inspires discussion and creativity... and students adore it! they usually go back home and ask for more! They've even critiqued transcripts of TEDTalks!

• A comment on Conversation: If you have chance to perform a TED talk , what topic you will choose?

  Apr 29 2012: do we take the easy way out and avoid trouble? or fight for what we believe in.... even if it might cause us some harm!
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: How will TEDx change the world?

  Apr 19 2012: we just finished the first meeting with the student organizers at TEDxLAU in Lebanon, and this was our final activity!
  
  Wish i could show you the poster! but some of the comments were:
  "Geeks of the world unite",
  "inspire thoughts and ideas",
  "pause, reflect, and reconsider",
  "motivation: urging people to make a move",
  "defying challenges",
  "by not talking about change but paving the way for it",
  "the lack of inspiration is a major source of human misbehavior; the abundance of inspiration is the source of progress. TEDx is the future.",
  "TEDx is about making outstanding ideas reachable. It's about making people understand that anyone can be heard.",
  
  and we also had a student who chose this quote by Eric Hoffer: “In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.”
  
  Thanks a lot for this discussion topic! We all loved it!
  
  From Beirut, TEDxLAU :)