5 TED Talks to watch

1. Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?
This is a little piece of pure inspiration - it'll get you thinking about the difference between learning and education, get you thinking about the role of creativity in the curriculum, challenge some of the notions of academic hierarchy... and his delivery style is warm and engaging (and interestingly he doesn't use any slides!).  Very highly recommended!




2.  Eli Pariser: Beware online "filter bubbles"
If you're wondering what a filter bubble is, then this talk not only takes you through the terminology, but gives you some insight into the issues that tailoring search results to individuals can bring about.  Use this as part of your digital literacy toolkit!



3. Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world
Heard about game-based learning?  If you haven't... then watch this to see what the research says about the worth of gaming.  It isn't just being locked away in a bedroom, staring aimlessly at a screen - there's a lot more to it and Jane McGonigal gives an excellent overview of what it is that we can take from gaming into learning.

 

4.  Dan Pink:  The surprising science of motivation
If only education were about pouring facts into learners' heads - or so it might often feel... but people are complex and learning equally so. And motivating people in their learning?  Well, that's an extra slice of complicated!  If you want a little insight into motivation and why people are motivated to do what they do - then Dan Pink's TED Talk is just the ticket.



5.  Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education
The founder of the Khan Academy - where you can access thousands of tutorials on subjects from maths and physics to history and economics - talks about the role of video in education.  This is at the heart of a lot of the discussions about the 'flipped classroom', where people watch videos in their own time and the lecture takes part in learners' own time... and then within the classroom the learning becomes more active / project / discussion based.  Whether or not this approach is a real game-changer in education or not, if you want to understand what's being talked about when people mention the 'flipped classroom', this is the one to watch.



These are just some of the talks which I've seen and liked though.  I'm sure there are other good ones out there to watch - TED-Ed was recently launched to help further share great ideas and bits of educational inspiration.

What would be on your list of TED talks to recommend?

Sarah