TED

TED (Technology, Education, Design) contains over 1,000 videos encompassing a range of subjects. When a video is selected, users will see a recording of an expert in the selected field discuss a relevant topic to that field in front of what was a live audience at the time of the recording. Videos range from a few minutes to around an hour, and TED permits users to search for videos by topic or speaker. Users also have the ability to save videos or share them using a social networking website or through email. Lastly, TED allows users to toggle video subtitles on and off in English, as well as a large amount of foreign languages.

Instructional Ideas

1. To introduce a new unit of study, teachers can find a video in TED that is relevant to the topic to be studied and play it for their class. After the video has been viewed, teachers can begin a conversation about the upcoming unit by asking students what they thought was interesting in the video and then relating those comments to the upcoming unit.
2. Teachers can assign students independent-learning opportunities in which they are to watch a video using the TED app and then summarize the speaker’s three most important points.
3. Teachers can build students’ research skills using TED. For example, teachers could instruct students to pick and view a video. Next, students would be required to find outside sources that either support or refute the speaker’s information or point of view. Finally, students would compose a piece of writing that draws on the sources they found to explain why they think the speaker’s information is or is not reliable.
4. Teachers can have students analyze how speakers build and retain their audience’s interest as they speak. To do so, students would first view video(s) for specific techniques used to draw the audiences’ attention. Some techniques to look for could include the speaker’s body language, dress, voice, and visual aid(s). Students could be instructed to take notes of the techniques observed. After viewing, the teacher can then facilitate a class conversation in which they discuss the techniques used and their effectiveness.
5. As a final assessment for an instructional unit, teachers can have a “TED Day” in which students present speeches modeled after videos in this app. For example, students could first be instructed to watch a few videos to gain an understanding of what they will need to do. Next, students could select topics focused on how the instructional unit they just studied relates to their lives. Students could then conduct research about their topics and prepare a 5- to 10-minute speech. Finally, on TED Day, students deliver their speeches, and following, submit all notes used during the speech, a copy of any visual aids (if used), and a works-cited page that lists the sources that informed the speech.
6. Foreign Language teachers can use TED to have students view a video without the sound by muting the video and enabling the subtitles for the specific language being studied. In this way, students will have to read the subtitles to understand what the speaker is saying. After watching the whole video or pausing it at different time increments, students can be instructed to compose short explanations of what the speaker has said, thereby reinforcing students’ learning and understanding of the foreign language.

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