Many of the presentations from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talk are available on YouTube. I’ve watched a number of these recently and some of them are absolutely fantastic. These 53 videos are online and free and make for great informal learning and discussion. We have been watching some of them as a family with favourites being Sir Ken Robinson, Al Gore and Dan Dennett. I think that they are an excellent break from online reading, which many bloggers do a lot of.
These videos are also good conversation starters and I’d think that the 20-25 minutes format would be perfect for a quick lunchroom view and chat. I really appreciate the fact that TED Talk has made these available.
For those in the learning field, check out Richard Baraniuk from Rice University on A vision for free, global (online) education which looks at the publishing industry, academia and open source.
The TED Talks are also available through the TED website, which is well worth a look for setting the context within which the talks were delivered:
http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/
Thanks, Martin :-)
I second your enthusiasm, Harold, and also find the TED site a great resource. I’m nudging myself to view talks even if the subject doesn’t immediately appeal to me — Usually I can spare the 20 minutes, and often I hear things I wouldn’t have otherwise.
I’ve also had a thank-you from everyone to whom I’ve sent a link for Hans Rosling’s talk, so I get vicarious credit for the quality of his presentation. Not just anyone makes a comparison between Swedish professors and chimpanzees.