Reaching the Globe

On November 16th I presented at the 2010 Global Education Conference (http://www.globaleducationconference.com/).  This was an incredible honor bestowed upon me because I got to speak to Educators around the world.  I spoke about my findings in my independent study as well as the concept of microfinance.  To my knowledge, 28 people attended my session live, not including those who tuned in at a later date.  I had people from Côte d'Ivoire, Nicaragua, Western Canada, and all over the USA.  Going into the presentation, I had no clue what it would yield me, if nothing else I would improve my speaking skills.  Afterwards I realized that it had a better outcome than I could have ever expected.  Firstly, people in my session exchanged contact information and are now working on projects together.  Secondly, one teacher from Côte d'Ivoire contacted me to consult on programs to do with her children.  Thirdly, a teacher at my school has decided to start loaning on Kiva after she saw my presentation.  Lastly, I am set to speak to a group of 8th graders about microfinance to prepare them for loaning with Kiva that they will do in their class.  I am very proud that all these various things came from my 30 minute presentation at the conference.  However, most importantly, this showed me that these seemingly little acts have such a big product.  If nothing else,  I learned that I can educate a lot of people about microfinance by doing small things like this.  Although I didn't think I would reach such a large audience, I am pleasantly surprised how big this conference really was.  This historic event had upwards of 20,000 in attendance.  This number not only gives me hope for the future but also shows me that educators around the world are committed to see advancement in Global Education.  

Here is the link to my presentation:http://bit.ly/drxdUe