Theme: The Edge of Tomorrow

The theme of TEDxUniversityofLeeds 2017 is ‘ The Edge of Tomorrow’.

The edge is defined as the outer limit of an object or concept. Education today has fewer limits than ever before and the education system is on the cusp of transformational change. Technological advancements coupled with greater accessibility and inclusion has revolutionised the educational structure, making it border and boundary-less.

‘The Edge of Tomorrow’ explores the fascinating implications of movements in society towards technological advancements, widening participation and creative enrichment that’s transforming education as we know it.

Riley Smith Conference Hall
Leeds University Union
Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JZ
United Kingdom

Becky Stirrup

Technology Enhanced Learning Officer, University of Leeds

Becky Stirrup is the Creative Writing Programme Leader and Technology Enhanced Learning Officer at the University of Leeds. Becky is also the Blended Learning Coordinator for the University, with a special interest of research in playful learning. She is interested in game philosophy and she uses this to underpin her approach to teaching by designing game-like schemes of work and Alternate Reality Games for education.

Brendan Stone

Co-leader of Storying Sheffield and Professor at the School of English, University of Sheffield

Brendan Stone is the co-leader of Storying Sheffield and Professor at the School of English, University of Sheffield. Brendan’s academic interests include the relationship between narrative, identity, and trauma; mental distress and ‘recovery’; and engaged pedagogies. His PhD (2004) focused on the relationship between narrative and human identity, with a specific focus on experiences of distress and trauma as described in first-person autobiographical writing. Brendan was awarded a Chair in January 2013 for his work in the areas of social and civic engagement, teaching innovation and excellence, leadership in widening participation, and his work in equality and diversity particularly in the fields of disability and mental health. He is the founder and co-director of the University’s Storying Sheffield project, and a co-founder of the Sheffield Arts and Wellbeing Network. He is also Director of Learning and Teaching for the Engaged Curriculum.

Crystal Reece

Learning Champion and Professional Studies Student at the Lifelong Learning Centre, University of Leeds

Crystal Reece is a Learning Champion and a Professional Studies Student at the Lifelong Learning Centre, University of Leeds. She started working at the age of 14, education was not important in her family. The plan decided for her was to get a job, move out, and start a family. In her final year of high-school her family decided they were going to move to the UK. The Lifelong Learning Centre at The University of Leeds decided to reach out to her as a “forgotten” and plant a seed of interest. They told her that education is not just for the privileged and that every person, from all walks of life deserves these same opportunities. The University offered her social mobility which, will be the main focus of her talk.

James Pickering

Associate Professor in Anatomy, Leeds School of Medicine

Dr James Pickering is an Associate Professor in Anatomy at Leeds School of Medicine . His interests lie in Technology Enhanced Learning and learner gain. In 2014, Dr James Pickering won the Most Innovative Teacher of the Year Times Higher Education Award for his bold and imaginative use of technology to support his teaching. Dr Pickering takes an approach that’s “an outstanding example of the transformative use of new technologies in higher education and teaching”. He was lead educator for a massive open online course (MOOC), Exploring Anatomy: The Human Abdomen, which reached 8,500 learners across the world.

Melz Owusu

Education Officer at Leeds University Union

Melz is a recent graduate of Philosophy and Politics from the University of Leeds. She now serves as the Education Officer at Leeds University Union and is completing her second term in office. She is the pioneer of the ‘Why is My Curriculum White?’ campaign on campus. Melissa is also an artist, using much of her spare time to write and perform Grime music. Recently, she headlined at the ‘gal-dem’ takeover over at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. She is deeply passionate about imaging new forms of knowledge, new ways of being and becoming, and believes that a transformative education system is one key way of achieving this.