TED Talks

I've discovered a few TED Talks that have been some of the best I've come across.  I can't wait to use them and reference them in class next year.

Here they are.

Here is Ben Dunlap talking about what it truly means to be a life long learner.  He focuses on this man, Sandor Teszler, who was amazing.  He should be a name taught and known in every high school.



The end of the talk is classic.

Here is Salman Khan explaining how he invented what is now known as Khan Academy.  Brilliant.  His one 'accidental' creation has ushered in the current educational craze of 'flipping' classrooms.  Any time you can get a standing ovation from Bill Gates, it's a job well done.



Here is Don Tapscott.  The author of Grown Up Digital.  He talks about the importance of the openness of the flat world ushered in my social media.  His examples are outstanding, such as his neighbor who quit his job as a banker to purchase a gold mine.  The only problem? His geologists couldn't find any gold.  For two years.  So the man decided to do something revolutionary.  He offered a $500,000 cash prize to anyone who can tell him how much gold he has and where he can find it.  His $500,000 netted him 3.5 billion worth of gold!  The other example is about how unarmed Syrian student protesters were being picked off by snipers.  With the aid of their smart phones, they were able to take pictures of locations where they sniper fire was coming from.  Then it was triangulated and sent to a rival nation that then sent in fighters to neutralize the snipers.  Amazing.

And what can one say about the incredible Seth Godin?  Both of these talks are totally applicable to us in the education field.

The Tribes We Lead



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