{"id":61583,"date":"2018-11-19T11:48:15","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T17:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/instructional\/?p=61583"},"modified":"2018-11-19T11:48:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-19T17:48:15","slug":"ted-tips-issue-20-ted-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/instructional\/2018\/11\/19\/ted-tips-issue-20-ted-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"TED Tips \u2013 Issue 20: TED Talks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Mission: Spread ideas<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been asked several times where the inspiration for TED Tips originates, so this week I want to explore that source of inspiration. TED Tips talks TED talks. As such, what are TED Talks?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics \u2014 from science to business to global issues\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TED<\/a>

https:\/\/www.ted.com\/<\/p><\/div>\n

While TED Talks have been around since 1984, they saw a spike in interest and use correlated to the increase in popularity of YouTube. Most TED talks are recorded, of high quality, and the videos are made easily accessible. Another feature of TED Talks lends itself well for internet consumption. TED talks follow strict guidelines and adhere to high quality standards. No talk can exceed 18 minutes in length… According to TED Talks curator Chris Anderson, 18 minutes is “short enough to hold people’s attention, including on the Internet, and precise enough to be taken seriously.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I have named this blog TED Tips for similar reasons. I cannot resist a good pun and acronym \u2013 so basing the blog name off of my name \u201cTed\u201d made sense in the context of my job in the Learning Technology Center as a Teaching, Learning, and Technology Consultant. My job title can apply directly to the use of TED as \u201ctechnology, education, and design\u201d as it applies to higher education. Finally, I find affinity with the mission of the original TED Talks, exploring all ideas and sharing those ideas with others. I hope that this blog lives up to those standards and source of inspiration.<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to share a couple of my personal favorite TED talks and some of the ideas worth sharing. I recently discovered the following talk on the TED Radio Hour. NPR produces a radio version of the show and the accompanying podcast works wonders during my commute. Podcasts and radio broadcasts keep me thinking and engaged while I can focus driving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, I was visiting with my goddaughter \u2013 a spunky, somewhat awkward, still discovering herself twelve year old. She likes cooking, acting, polar bears, and obsessed with the band BTS. Like many pre-teens, she struggles with confidence and overcoming perceived obstacles, social barriers, and school drama. A version of Megan Washington\u2019s talk entitled: \u201cWhy I live in mortal dread of public speaking\u201d played on the TED Radio Hour. I immediately connected some of the themes and strategies outlined in the talk to the struggles of my goddaughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

The synopsis of her talk reads and I\u2019ll share the embedded link.<\/span><\/p>\n

Megan Washington is one of Australia’s premier singer\/songwriters. Since childhood, she has had a stutter. In this bold and personal talk, she reveals how she copes with this speech impediment\u2014from avoiding the letter combination \u201cst\u201d to tricking her brain by changing her words at the last minute to, yes, singing the things she has to say rather than speaking them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n