Ted Ed

By now, many people have heard of “ted talks,” and have most likely viewed a few. Ted talk topics (tongue-twister!) are wide ranging, covering everything from technology to education to business, science, global issues, and the list goes on and on! Ted talks can be used very effectively in the classroom…students can listen to speakers from a variety of backgrounds discuss virtually any topic. Imagine the possibilities if this media in the classroom setting!

Ted talks now have an education platform, called…Ted Ed! Teachers can find awesome lessons that are ready to use broken down by content and duration of the video. By clicking on the “series” link, teachers can choose videos categorized by specific content, like the 23 videos available in the “Inventions that Shape History” series. 

The most beneficial aspect of the site, in my opinion, is the “Create a Lesson” option. This allows teachers to choose a YouTube video or a Ted-Ed Original video and create a lesson around that video! If anyone is looking to “flip your classroom,” this would be an awesome place to start!

When you have decided to create your lesson, Ted Ed provides you with a variety of aspects to include.

First, students watch the video you provide, then they answer questions about the video in the “think” portion. Teachers can include background or enrichment information in the “dig deeper” section, and can encourage students to share their ideas of the subject through the “discuss” option.  

The possibilities really are endless with Ted Ed. When I create a lesson (or utilize a lesson that already exists), I upload it to a folder on edmodo, and my students can access it whenever they need to!