I’m not sure why this article is appearing in the Journal of Sustainability Education, but for those new to TED, it is worth a read.

Who is TED, and Why Can’t I Talk for More Than 18 Minutes at a Time? (May 9, 2010)

I first learned about TED through a middle school science teacher.  He was excited to share with me how he found the lectures outstanding to use with students – the right length, and not blocked in the K-12 classroom (at least not his classroom).

TED is well aware of its role in education.  The organization has created the TED-Ed Brain Trust, “a private forum created to shape and accelerate TED’s push into the realm of Education. The aim of this community is to assemble a new archive of remarkable TED-ED videos, each designed to catalyze learning around the globe. Unlike TEDTalks, TED-ED videos are less than ten minutes long and may assume a variety of different formats.”

I’m excited.  I’m seeing more and more students arrive on campus that have heard of TED, and some have even explored and watched TED videos on their own.  I’m not sure how to measure the impact of TED videos on my students and their learning, but if it gets them engaged and talking in and out of the classroom, it can’t be a bad thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzQ-r5ifusc