Megan Lowe was an early adopter of TED-Ed Clubs. “I think I saw one of the first tweets announcing the program, and once getting the okay from my principal and board, ran with it!” says this elementary school teacher. Today, Megan is in her 4th year of guiding TED-Ed Clubs. As a TED-Ed Innovative Educator in Ontario, Canada, she used this expertise to create Sprout, a safe online environment that helps students to exchange feedback on their TED-Ed Club ideas. Below, learn more about Megan’s innovation — and find out how to start using it with your TED-Ed Club.
In a TED-Ed Club, the goal is to help every member “find an idea that they are truly passionate about, that is worth spreading, and that they will eventually be able to talk about for at least 2-3 minutes,” says Megan. Peer-to-peer feedback can help members gain clarity on a talk idea. “Let’s get students talking more, sharing more, and giving each other quality feedback,” she says.
Sprout is an online space where students can pitch their TED-Ed Club talk ideas and get feedback from other students around the world. Feedback always includes a star rating, which gives a quick impression of what people think of that idea. It often includes questions and suggestions, as well as links to resources that could help further develop the idea. This combination helps students to quickly learn which of their ideas are resonating with others, and use the feedback to further refine and clarify a favorite concept. The site is designed to be a safe environment where no real names or identifiers are used, and all ideas and feedback are moderated by teachers or TED-Ed Club Leaders, prior to being posted. Over time, Sprout has the potential to become a rich bank of inspiring and innovative student ideas.
Below, read Megan’s advice for educators working on side projects:
This article is part of the TED-Ed Innovation Project series, which highlights 25+ TED-Ed Innovation Projects designed by educators, for educators, with the support and guidance of the TED-Ed Innovative Educator program. You are welcome to share, duplicate and modify projects under this Creative Commons license to meet the needs of students and teachers. Art credit: Shutterstock.