Spreading Ideas

If you're not familiar with TED, their mission is simple, spread good ideas.  


TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. 


It's worth its bandwidth for the science alone.  You can find videos from the cutting edge of every imaginable field.  But then there's the artists, showcasing astounding work and breaking down their process.  For every poet, there's a engineer illustrating the complex mathematics behind everyday system's we'd never even notice... if it wasn't for TED.  I implore you, spend a half hour searching around on their website.  


TED's featured in the new iPad commercial.

The tradition of including TED videos on a weekly basis began last year.  More often than not, there's a video to extend a topic we're already studying. Whether rooted in science or math, social good, or the arts; there's an engaging topic that enables some excellent conversation.  


This week, we explored Joachim de Posada's presentation of the Marshmallow Problem.  The study placed kindergarteners in a room with a simple proposition: one marshmallow now or two if they could wait 15 minutes without eating the first.  





There's never a wrong time to discuss self-control.  At the beginning of the year, there's no better time.  Students shared their thoughts and their own experience with "eating the marshmallow."  This video is a great reference point.  


Let's say we're walking down the hall.  A few students talking isn't enough to interrupt a classroom at work.  It feels much more natural to reference the Marshmallow Problem than to pose hypotheticals.