Talking about TED talks

I love TED Talks!

I love how accessible they are. I don't have to download them, I can watch them on youtube or Netflix. I have them on all day and get such a thrill when someone presents a talk that makes me think about my world in a new way.

With my background in education, I obviously find the education based lectures the most interesting and inspiring.

These are my favorites from the past week:

Adora Svitka: What Adults Can Learn from Kids




I adore Adora! I think she is all of fourteen. She reminded me not to underestimate what children are capable of because most of the time they will rise to meet your expectations if you give them the chance. So we'll read my baby girl nursery rhymes in addition to more complex works, and encourage her to pursue the activities she loves (unless its binge drinking or narcotics ring organization, obviously).


Steve Jobs: Commencement Speech for Stanford 2005



This speech gave me so much hope. I seem to flit from activity to activity and interest to interest randomly and erraticaly. But maybe these sewing lessons, and language lessons, and blog reading and column writing, and art journaling, and rug painting will lead to something. Its okay not to know what that something is right now.


Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity?




Don't discourage kids from doing the things they are good at in the hopes of pushing them to do what is "academically good for them." He says fostering creativity and innovation is as important as fostering literacy. We need to stop preparing our children for the future with a school system invented to prepare kids for finding jobs during the rise of the industrial revolution.


Hannah Fry: Is Life Really That Complex?



I can see why she loves her field of study. Finding patterns in random activities is fascinating. There IS reason in what seems like chaos. I'm not sure why that is comforting, but it is.


Daphne Koller: What We're Learning From Online Education



Her TED talk brought me to tears, because I truly believe that if everyone had access to the education programs she is speaking of we could truly change our world for the better.


Barry Schwarts: The Paradox of Choice



Anyone who has ever been wedding dress shopping can attest to his assertion that too much choice is detrimental to happiness.


The Power of Vulnerability: Brene Brown



The only way to experience joy is to allow yourself to be vulnerable and take the risk of getting hurt. This is something I struggle with on a daily basis with regards to building relationships with other people.

My favorite quote from this video was that we must tell our children, "You are imperfect, and you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging."

Finally,

Salmon Khan: Let's Use Video to Reinvent Education


His talk makes me want to hop online and start my math education from the beginning. Who knows what direction our lives might have gone if we were allowed to truly master the things we were taught.

Is anyone else obsessed with these videos? Have you found one that has changed your way of viewing the world? Please share in the comments!