Ted+Talks

TED TALKS

media type="custom" key="23592868" John Hunter is a fourth grade teacher who created a game called World Peace that he uses in his classroom to teach kids how to solve the problems of the world. The game simulates a global community in which the students must face environmental, social, economic, and political problems. The main goal is for everyone to achieve prosperity. Mr. Hunter's role is to be a facilitator and a clarifier; he never tells the children what to do. Mr. Hunter says he is amazed by the solutions that the students come up with on their own. This is yet another example of how interactive, real world learning is more effective than rote memorization.

media type="custom" key="23609428" Sir Ken Robinson is an advocate for the arts, especially in the classroom. In this TED talk, he discusses how creativity is being stifled by our current educational system. He points out the hierarchy of subjects in school: Math and Science, Language Arts, Humanities, and finally, the Arts. When more value is placed on academic ability, students with strengths in other areas are led to believe that they are unintelligent. I completely agree with him, and as an aspiring art teacher, I hope to teach my kids the value of creative thinking and risk taking. My favorite quote from this is, "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."

media type="custom" key="23610484" Johnny Lee addresses digital access by explaining how the infrared camera at the tip of a Wii U remote can be used to create and interactive white board. I really responded to this because it highlights the value of creative thinking. This is a very creative and affordable solution to the problem of digital access. Smart Boards are expensive, but this device can be made for less than $100. Schools that may not be able to afford technology resources can use this in the classroom. He also brought up the fact that online video distribution, specifically YouTube, helped to bring his ideas and research to millions of people in a matter of weeks.

media type="custom" key="23618348" Alexis Ohanian demonstrates the power of a connected population. Not connected by personal interactions or even common goals, but simply connected by the Internet. Social media has changed the way that information spreads. In his example, the Reddit community heard about a GreenPeace campaign to save the whales, and they were asking people to vote on a name for the whale. "Mr. Splashy Pants" was one of the options, and the Reddit community spread the word. Soon other social media sites were in on it, and "Mr. Splashy Pants" ended up with 70% of the votes. At first GreenPeace wasn't embracing the name, but eventually they created a very successful marketing campaign around "Mr. Splashy Pants." My favorite quotes from this are, "Don't be afraid to lose control," and "Be genuine."