Ask any student who has spent a significant amount of time learning online during the pandemic about their experience and you will almost certainly hear groans. Student mental health has deteriorated. Fortunately for educators and students, most students have resumed in-person learning in the 2021-22 school year. With virtual learning likely to become unnecessary in the near future, many have closed books on online education as failing as a necessary supplement to adapt to highly unusual circumstances. Unpopular forms of education are just a small part of online learning, and there is one aspect of virtual education that does not deserve a wave of disdain.
YouTube hosts a wide variety of channels and people who create educational content for free. Many individuals, such as author John Green and multifaceted educator Michael Stevens, have spent years building short-form education brands on their websites. , MIT and their “OpenCourseWare” series, publish certain course materials on YouTube. Individuals and institutions alike have contributed their fair share to the noble cause of educating the online masses, but one group has gone beyond education and completely changed the way people view online learning. has hosted some of the most transformative intellectual colloquiums in recent history. With over 21 million subscribers in their channel, TED Talks, as individual presentations are commonly known, tell compelling stories that provide insight into different facets of the human condition. Captivating online audiences with its amazing ability to platform speakers with
TED is the brainchild of 20th-century architect Richard Wurman, who wanted to explore the interdisciplinary nature of technological and ideological innovation. After struggling to find an audience in the 1980s, Forum found its footing in the next decade, establishing itself as a marketplace for high-profile ideas. The brand name is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, but the range of content covered by the TED Talks library is much broader than those three areas. Lectures typically last 10-15 minutes and give experts from a wide range of disciplines the opportunity to speak about the life lessons and transformative discoveries their unique experiences and situations have revealed.
TED Talks aren’t hard moral lessons. They teach through the incredible power of storytelling and empathy.One of his most striking examples of this unique approach to learning is that of African-American her R&B pianist Darryl Davis. It’s a lecture. In 1983, Davis had a strange affair with the Ku Klux Klan’s Imperial wizard Roger Kelly. In order to understand how individuals can surrender their entire beings to bigotry and hatred, Davis met with Kelly despite his personal safety being threatened, and spoke with him about the Klan’s ideology. did. Davis was eventually invited to a Clan event where he met and made friendships with several other members. It was not because of subscribed to inhumane beliefs, but because of the mutual curiosity between the parties about how the other views the world. It was born out of my willingness to listen to life stories and think about what led the other person to my position.
The story is notable for the degree of tolerance shown from an organization founded on hate, but Davis is quick to point out that his story should not be judged solely on its novelty. The pianist provides a simple yet powerful summary of the underlying dynamics of his relationship towards the end of his talk. We fear what we do not understand. If you don’t suppress that fear, that fear will breed hate. This story is not a complete success his story, as the Clan and its members have not been reformed in the decades since Davis interacted with the Imperial Wizard. Nor does it imply that such changes will be easy. Prejudices can only be challenged by meaningful discourses that emphasize common humanity among people. Davis’ talk is also a meta-commentary on the whole TED format. TED is a conference that challenges audiences to rethink their preconceptions through the presentation of other people’s stories.
TED talks prove the versatility of storytelling as a medium because no two talks are alike. One of his most infamous TED Talks was given by Kyle MacDonald. Kyle MacDonald recounts the incredible story of how he embarked on a behavioral economics experiment at his home in Saskatchewan, Canada, by exchanging red paper clips for a series of increasingly valuable objects. doing. His lingering story takes him to the Americas as he meets quirky individuals and makes bizarre deals with objects such as vans, kiss-themed snow globes, and Budweiser autographs. An incredible story is made even more spectacular by the way MacDonald tells it. Dressed in a generic button-down and slightly baggy trousers, McDonald establishes himself as the quintessential average Joe. I don’t speak. Rather, he’s always joking and using plenty of dry humor to be endearing to his audience. MacDonald speaks with the enthusiasm and simple honesty of a man who hopes his experiences will inspire others to pursue their passions, no matter how pedantic or ambitious they may be. Humorous talk demonstrates the power of visual presentation and attitude in storytelling and the nature of curiosity in the learning space.
Many TED Talks deal with relatively simple stories and ideas, but one of the great advantages of the conference format is the ability to delve into complex topics that don’t lend themselves to clear morals or lessons. Brené Brown’s talk on uncertainty is a prime example of this strength. A social scientist at the University of Houston, Brown discusses his journey in academia and his clinical approach to understanding human psychology. In her intellectual quest to understand the underlying traits of emotional vulnerability, she spent years examining interviews and writings by research participants who expressed feeling vulnerable in their current situation. Looking for commonality in the language used in these excerpts, Brown found that most people exhibited emotions such as compassion and courage. Although her Brown data led to the conclusion that the study was not intended, this separation ultimately conveyed conclusions that outweigh the specific effects of idiosyncratic emotional states.
The rigor of Brown’s approach to studying emotions initially blinded her to the grave realization that scientific approaches are inadequate in attempting to minimize all uncertainties in research. In his speech, Brown said: Instead of recognizing vulnerability as an inherently negative state of being, Brown’s finding of positive emotions embedded in vulnerability suggests that vulnerability may be the frame of mind in which it is accepted in everyday life. Willingness to be vulnerable requires personal strength and a high degree of self-awareness, positive attributes that can be achieved by committing to the discomfort of vulnerability. Her Brown story doesn’t just relate to her fellow social scientists. Because her message is ultimately about deconstructing the instincts that code emotions, people, and ideas as wholly positive or negative. Her wisdom is able to adapt to each situation of her audience, and her stories display a level of intellectual diversity rarely found in most classroom settings.
The vast amount of knowledge held within the library of TED Talks is surprisingly extensive, but generally an untapped well for many young students. The unfortunate reality of American secondary school and college classrooms is the emphasis on teaching to test. Students can watch her entire catalog of TED Talks on her YouTube, but they’re not ready to take the SAT. This is because traditional academic exams prioritize memorization and logical reasoning over knowledge acquisition. A narrow educational environment does not belittle the intellectually rich nature of dialogue as a tool to teach people about the forces that shape their everyday lives. It embraces radical empathy as a unique strategy for thinking about values and ideas that no textbook can replicate.
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