TedEd: Lessons Worth Sharing

@LisaBerghoff/@MrKimDHS

Can you remember the first Ted Talk you ever heard? I can and it's still one of my all time favorites. It's called Embrace The Shake. I have forwarded it so many times and to so many people, you would think I was getting some sort of profit share from Phil Hansen, the speaker. Ted Talks are not flashy. They consist of a lone speaker on a plain stage. There really isn't much to a Ted Talk, just someone with an incredible story to share. Ted stands for technology, entertainment, and design and the talks are filled with interesting and important messages. 

What began as one conference has expanded immensely with TedX talks and Ted Ed clubs. Everyone seems to connect with these talks because the ideas and stories that are shared are so fantastic and the speakers are polished and interesting. Teachers have really embraced Ted Talks in the classroom because they often convey a message or an understanding that we hope our students are able to take away and connect with as they continue to learn in our classes. But then what? So you watch the video and then have a discussion? Maybe answer a few questions? 

Ted has created an answer to this issue with the Ted Ed lesson platform. 

The platform, which can be found at ed.ted.com/educator, allows you to give your students one video and then embed questions, provide additional information, and have an online discussion. 

Here's how it works:

Go to the site and either click Discover Lessons that have already been created, or create a lesson by clicking Try It Out.

When you create a lesson, you will be prompted to either search for a video or enter the url for a youtube video. When you find a video that fits with your lesson, click continue and you can add your questions. The questions are categorized as: Let's Begin, Think, Dig Deeper, Discuss, And Finally. 

Let's Begin: 

This is where you can enter information about the lesson. Set the tone for where you want your students to be while engaging with this topic. 

Think:

Here, you can enter multiple choice and/or open ended questions.

Dig Deeper:

Want to give your students additional resources or information at this point? Enter it here.

Discuss:

Enter discussion questions here.

And Finally:

Have some closing thoughts to wrap up the lesson? This is the place to put them. 

After you create your lesson, you are given a link so you can easily share it with students so they can access it. You have the option of allowing them to join as a guest or having them make an account. 

The Teacher Dashboard:

When you log in, you are able to see all of your lessons. Click on a lesson, and you can see your students' work. Right on the dashboard, you can see how many students have logged in and the number of discussions completed. 

When I click to review student work, I can see all of the students who completed the lesson. I can click to view their responses and offer feedback. The discussion responses show up in a thread. Students can chime in and offer responses to other students' comments in the discussion section. 

As a teacher, I can review work by student and I can download all of their work to a csv file.

Like most systems, TedEd will send you notifications if you want them. You can receive an email to let you know that a student responds to a question or to your feedback. You can also receive notifications on discussion threads. 

I have been using the TedEd platform with my students and, while they needed some explanation at first, they are engaged with the videos and we are able to have a much richer conversation when they come to class

Have you been using the TedEd platform? How else do you utilize Ted Talks in the classroom?

Feel free to post in the comments below.