TED-Ed

As a fan of both TED Talks and Education in general, I was pleased to hear about the new TED Ed initiative which allows you to make online educational resources out of any TED talk and in fact any YouTube Video.  One of the nice features is the ability to "flip the classroom" which is the trendy term for making the lecture homework so that class time can be spent in more interactive pursuits.

While I'm all for flipping the classroom and any other fancy tricks that will get kids to think a little more about their classes, I firmly believe that education is far too important to be restricted to schools.  One of the really exciting trends that I've seen growing immensely in the last year or two, is a broader definition of schools and students.  We are all in school and we are all student.  I for one am happy to admit that I have plenty more to learn.  I find it really exciting that the resources that are becoming available are open to all... whether we are "students" or not.  To me this is a great step forward from our traditional concept of schools that, much like jail, the reward for good behavior is getting out.  No people, education isn't just for kids.

To that end, I've decided to "flip the post" here and use the new TED Ed tools to create a little class for you.  I put together an example, and I like you to try it out.  Watch the video, answer the questions and experience it for yourself.

Try it out here.


If you enjoy that, take a look here.