TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader and it has begun releasing its talks online under a Creative Commons license so that they can be downloaded for free for non-commercial use. Their applications for education are endless. The purpose of this wiki is to share ideas how these talks can turn into broader discussions, projects, and actions.
The intent of this project wiki is to address:
How can the TED talks be used as springboards for further discourse, exploration, reflection, and action?
The wiki was initiated independently of TED by Jackie Gerstein, but the TED team in New York know about it and are excited by its potential.
The individual pages (see sidebar) not only contain the original TED talks but also additional references, resources, and activities about the topic and/or speaker.Using it is simple.Please add! Just choose a page from the RH sidebar and dive in. You can add your own comments or suggestion by selecting the 'Edit' tab.
Why study TED?
The collection of all these leaders in different fields means you will learn of things you have never considered within your immediate realm.http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks
THE FUTURE WE WILL CREATE is an exhilarating behind-the-scenes tour of this stimulating and paradigm-shifting meeting of the minds, an annual conference where theoretical physicists, 11-year-old violin prodigies, and venture capitalists present and exchange bold new ideas that will change everything. A veritable Cirque du Soleil of the psyche, TED (Technology Entertainment Design) brings the talent, energy, and collective spirit of the planet s top doers and thinkers together to plot a better future.
Who owns TED
TED is owned by The Sapling Foundation, a private nonprofit foundation, a 501(c)3 organization under the U.S. tax code. It was established in 1996 by Chris Anderson, who was then a magazine publishing entrepreneur. The goal of the foundation is to foster the spread of great ideas. It aims to provide a platform for the world's smartest thinkers, greatest visionaries and most-inspiring teachers, so that millions of people can gain a better understanding of the biggest issues faced by the world, and a desire to help create a better future. Core to this goal is a belief that there is no greater force for changing the world than a powerful idea. Consider:
An idea can be created out of nothing except an inspired imagination.
An idea weighs nothing.
It can be transferred across the world at the speed of light for virtually zero cost.
And yet an idea, when received by a prepared mind, can have extraordinary impact.
It can reshape that mind's view of the world.
It can dramatically alter the behavior of the mind's owner.
It can cause the mind to pass on the idea to others.
This will be a valuable addition to curricula at Charter Schools, home schools, and international schools. If you know anyone living in a country other than your own, please let them know about this. I'll be forwarding to people who are in the business of writing educational materials - perhaps there's a wealth-generating business in creating workbooks, games, study guides!
Jackie, fantastic idea. And excellent (albeit sad) point about teachers being unfamiliar with TED. I think TED (or maybe some of us independent TED-missionaries) should make a concentrated effort to broaden the talks' reach within the relevant communities.
Here are a few networks that tend to draw educators and various intellectual influencers:
There are also a number of large Facebook groups for and by teachers. A highly targeted Facebook campaign can work wonders in getting the right people introduced to TED – it's not that expensive or difficult to do, it could reach thousands (707,500, to be exact – I just did a quick test-target with Facebook advertising platform) of passionate educators for whom TED can be anything from inspirational to transformational in their understanding of education's role in shaping culture as well as their conception of themselves as change agents for the future.
Finally, I think TED should look into using Elgg (http://elgg.org/), a smart piece of social networking software designed specifically for educators and organizations. Why not build a Teaching With TED / TED Education social network where educators can watch the most relevant talks, exchange ideas inspired by them, and implement all the incredibly important issues brought up by TEDsters like Sir Ken Robinson and Liz Coleman? It could even be hosted on TED.com and, if done right, can ultimately become THE intellectual resource for educators worldwide, connecting them with each other and with ideas truly worth spreading.
I have shared many of the talks from TED with my children. Talks from David Merrill on Siftables, Caleb Chung on Pleo and they love it. They learn from it, ask questions and they are starting to think about all the different things that they can do as they grow up and go to college. We should definitely think about TED hour at schools and possibly even TED TV.
Jackie, CREATIVE idea, not to mention a great way to generate CREATIVITY and REFLECTION. I use TEDtalks for offline and on-demand play using Mogulus TV at http://wgraziadei.home.comcast.net/eLCStv.html
I agree, the potential for classroom use is tremendous. The challenge for educators will be scaffolding the talks, providing the appropriate context and support, particularly in classrooms with students with low skills and limited content knowledge. In fall '09, I am launching three new NYC public charter schools that will use TEDtalks as points of departure for inquiry-based learning. Stay tuned to http://learningloam.blogspot.com for a chronicle of our curriculum roll out. Suggestions welcome!
I'm working on a student conference themed around 'The Brain' - using TED talks to inspire, provoke and stimulate discussion. I'll let you know how I get on. On another note, do you have a spreadsheet with JUST the TED talks synopsis? I'm trying to create some wordles out of what your fantastic spreadsheet already contains but I end up with too much text. I'd really like to create a TED Talks Wordle that picks up the major themes, ideas and areas covered by TED talks - any chance you could let me have just the summary column from your spreadsheet?
Great idea - this whole site - thank you! Let's keep building and spreading the TED!
I started my own TED wiki with the focus of making the talks more searchable, organizable, and indexable. I also want to see if predictions made in some talks are good or bad. Maybe you can link to this wiki as a resource: http:www.editTED.com.
It contains the full list of (the first 500) TED talks.
Comments (12)
TEDChris said
at 7:00 am on Feb 21, 2009
Amazed at what you've started here, Jackie.
Uli Kaiser said
at 7:12 am on Feb 21, 2009
I recommended doing a TED evening for all kids at EASTERN SEABOARD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL. They like the idea ... if it comes up I'll post info...
Uli Kaiser said
at 7:15 am on Feb 21, 2009
It's also amazing how many teachers have NEVER heard about TED. TED what? All teachers need to know asap.
Ruth Ann Harnisch said
at 7:30 am on Feb 21, 2009
This will be a valuable addition to curricula at Charter Schools, home schools, and international schools. If you know anyone living in a country other than your own, please let them know about this. I'll be forwarding to people who are in the business of writing educational materials - perhaps there's a wealth-generating business in creating workbooks, games, study guides!
Maria Popova said
at 8:33 am on Feb 21, 2009
Jackie, fantastic idea. And excellent (albeit sad) point about teachers being unfamiliar with TED. I think TED (or maybe some of us independent TED-missionaries) should make a concentrated effort to broaden the talks' reach within the relevant communities.
Here are a few networks that tend to draw educators and various intellectual influencers:
Nabuur (http://www.nabuur.com)
Classroom 2.0 (http://www.classroom20.com)
TeachAde (http://www.teachade.com/)
PBS Teachers (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/)
Teaching Network (http://www.teaching-network.com/)
The Apple (http://www.theapple.com/)
Classroom Earth (Environmental education, doubly TED-appropriate: http://www.classroomearth.org/)
Educate Interactive (http://www.educateinteractive.org/index.php)
There are also a number of large Facebook groups for and by teachers. A highly targeted Facebook campaign can work wonders in getting the right people introduced to TED – it's not that expensive or difficult to do, it could reach thousands (707,500, to be exact – I just did a quick test-target with Facebook advertising platform) of passionate educators for whom TED can be anything from inspirational to transformational in their understanding of education's role in shaping culture as well as their conception of themselves as change agents for the future.
Finally, I think TED should look into using Elgg (http://elgg.org/), a smart piece of social networking software designed specifically for educators and organizations. Why not build a Teaching With TED / TED Education social network where educators can watch the most relevant talks, exchange ideas inspired by them, and implement all the incredibly important issues brought up by TEDsters like Sir Ken Robinson and Liz Coleman? It could even be hosted on TED.com and, if done right, can ultimately become THE intellectual resource for educators worldwide, connecting them with each other and with ideas truly worth spreading.
Just some thoughts.
Arman Arami said
at 8:39 am on Feb 21, 2009
I have shared many of the talks from TED with my children. Talks from David Merrill on Siftables, Caleb Chung on Pleo and they love it. They learn from it, ask questions and they are starting to think about all the different things that they can do as they grow up and go to college. We should definitely think about TED hour at schools and possibly even TED TV.
Bill Graziadei, Ph.D. (aka Dr. G) said
at 4:53 am on Mar 9, 2009
Jackie, CREATIVE idea, not to mention a great way to generate CREATIVITY and REFLECTION. I use TEDtalks for offline and on-demand play using Mogulus TV at http://wgraziadei.home.comcast.net/eLCStv.html
As Arnold would say, "I'll be back." Thanks!
juliettelamontagne@... said
at 7:27 am on Mar 9, 2009
I agree, the potential for classroom use is tremendous. The challenge for educators will be scaffolding the talks, providing the appropriate context and support, particularly in classrooms with students with low skills and limited content knowledge. In fall '09, I am launching three new NYC public charter schools that will use TEDtalks as points of departure for inquiry-based learning. Stay tuned to http://learningloam.blogspot.com for a chronicle of our curriculum roll out. Suggestions welcome!
zelder71 said
at 8:40 am on Apr 16, 2009
I'm working on a student conference themed around 'The Brain' - using TED talks to inspire, provoke and stimulate discussion. I'll let you know how I get on. On another note, do you have a spreadsheet with JUST the TED talks synopsis? I'm trying to create some wordles out of what your fantastic spreadsheet already contains but I end up with too much text. I'd really like to create a TED Talks Wordle that picks up the major themes, ideas and areas covered by TED talks - any chance you could let me have just the summary column from your spreadsheet?
Great idea - this whole site - thank you! Let's keep building and spreading the TED!
schissel said
at 8:25 am on Sep 22, 2009
I started my own TED wiki with the focus of making the talks more searchable, organizable, and indexable. I also want to see if predictions made in some talks are good or bad. Maybe you can link to this wiki as a resource: http:www.editTED.com.
It contains the full list of (the first 500) TED talks.
Gardner Campbell said
at 12:11 pm on Oct 6, 2009
Great stuff, Jackie! Thanks so much for pointing me and my students here.
Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D. said
at 7:34 am on Oct 7, 2009
@schissel - This is an open Wiki - meaning you can edit it. Please add you resource!
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