TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas. They currently have a library of 2600 plus talks (typically under 18 minutes). Their user-friendly site, TED Talks, allows you to search by topic, language and duration, as well as filter by newest, oldest, most viewed, funny, informative and many other options. The videos are closed-captioned and have transcripts (in multiple languages).
The TED Talks can be used in a wide-variety of courses and instructional strategies. Use them as
- a discussion starter (or prompt in an online class).
- a “guest” speaker. There are many well-known experts/speakers.
- an opportunity to incorporate global issues and diversity.
- an assignment. Have students select a course topic and a talk that aligns with a real-world application.
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