3 Must Watch TED Talks on The Power of Life Long Learning

June 19, 2015
Learning is , as educational philosopher Maxin Green argues, the hope that lights up the other end of the tunnel. Through learning, we get to discover and better understand our inner worlds as well as the world around us. As a life-long journey, learning is an eternal endeavour, a passion that lives with us from cradle to grave.

The 3 TED talks we selected for you today sheds more light on the power of life long learning and its transformative impact on our lives and the lives of those around us. We invite you to give them a watch and share with us what you think of them. Enjoy

1- The life-long learner by Ben Dunlap

'Wofford College president Ben Dunlap tells the story of Sandor Teszler, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who taught him about passionate living and lifelong learning.'

2- Essentials for Lifelong Learning Danny Stillion

'Danny Stillion describes a lifestyle of lifelong learning as a factor of curiosity, empathy, and passion. Stillion believes that future design solutions must simultaneously reinforce and be sustained by these three elements.'

3- Smash Fear, learn anything by Tim Ferriss

'From the EG conference: Productivity guru Tim Ferriss' fun, encouraging anecdotes show how one simple question — "What's the worst that could happen?" — is all you need to learn to do anything.'

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6 Amazing TED Ed Talks On Language

June 10, 2015
Language is an amazing communicative phenomenon that has picked the interest of linguists and scientists across different disciplines. While we do share with other animals the ability to communicate using a language form of some sort, communicating using a linguistic code in the form of encoded script remains the preserve of human beings. In fact, language in its linguistic written form is behind the development of humankind from primitive agrarian societies to highly technologized mobs.

To shed light on some of the amazing features that characterize language, we are sharing with you this collection of TED Ed videos covering  some interesting linguistic phenomena. Have a look and share with us what you think of them.

1- How languages evolve - Alex Gendler

2- The linguistic genius of babies - Patricia Kuhl

3- What we learned from 5 million books - Erez Lieberman Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel

4- Making sense of spelling - Gina Cooke

5- How did English evolve? - Kate Gardoqui

6- Redefining the dictionary - Erin McKean

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6 Wonderful TED Talks for Those Who Hate Math

May 23, 2015
TED has this wonderful list of talks specifically curated for those who used to hate math when they were students. Contrary to the stereotypical picture of math as a boring and dry school subject, these talks portray the inspiring and cool aspect of mathematics. For instance, mathematician Hannah Fry shared her math-verified tips on finding the right mate. Terry Moore delves deep into the mysterious and funny story behind the use of X as a symbol for an unknown. Cartoonist Randall Munroe seeks answers to simple what if questions using logic, math and physics while “mathematician mathemagician Arthur Benjamin races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares, solves another massive mental equation and guesses a few birthdays.” Check out the talks below to learn more. Enjoy

1- Comics that ask "what if?" By Randall Munroe

2- The magic of Fibonacci numbers By Arthur Benjamin

3- The mathematics of love By Hannah Fry

4- Why is 'x' the unknown? By Terry Moore

5-Why I fell in love with monster prime numbers By  Adam Spencer

6- A performance of "Mathemagic" By Arthur Benjamin

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5 Great TED Talks on How to Present Before An Audience

May 8, 2015
Presenting in front of a large (or small) audience is not always an easy task especially for those of us who are not used to public speaking. It does take so much practice, rehearsals, and perseverance to build the skills required for delivering successful presentations. Also, with practice comes confidence and self-esteem which are two important components in the psyche of a skilful presenter.

If you are preparing to give a presentation or are planning to hold a public speaking event, the TED talks below are definitely a must watch. They will help you learn to speak more confidently in front of an audience and introduce you to some eye-opening tips about public speaking. From insights on how to make an effective use of your body language to pieces of advice on how to speak empathically and engage listeners in your presentation, these talks are a very good place to start building your public speaking persona. Enjoy

1- How to speak so that people want to listen by Julian Treasure

2- Your body language shapes who you are by Amy Cuddy

3- How I beat stage fright by Joe Kowan

4- Talk nerdy to me by  Melissa Marshall

5- Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking by Megan Washington

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Some Amazing TED Talks on How to Be A Leader

March 28, 2015
Leadership comes with hard work but successful leadership entails more than just laboriousness, it calls for special traits that only a select few possess. Whether these traits are skills that can be developed or are a matter of biological endowment is something which still needs scientific back-up. Generally speaking, successful leaders do have something in common. They share a set of common characteristics such as : confidence, focus, trust, far-sightedness, accountability, enthusiasm, persistence, communication, determination, love of their work, and patience. Also, successful leaders are a joy to be around. They listen empathically and are a source of inspiration and zeal to the people around them.

The TED list below features some really wonderful talks on how to be a leader and how to inspire others to action. If you have sometime this weekended you might want to watch some of them. our favourite talk in the list is Simon Sinek’s “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”.

1- How great leaders inspire action by Simon Sinek

“Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers…”

2- What it takes to be a great leader by Roselinde Torres

“The world is full of leadership programs, but the best way to learn how to lead might be right under your nose. In this clear, candid talk, Roselinde Torres describes 25 years observing truly great leaders at work, and shares the three simple but crucial questions would-be company chiefs need to ask to thrive in the future.”

3- Listen, learn ... then lead by Stanley McChrystal

"Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets? By listening and learning — and addressing the possibility of failure."

4- Why we have too few women leaders by Sheryl Sandberg 

"Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions — and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite."

5- Learning from leadership's missing manual by Fields Wicker-Miurin 

"Leadership doesn't have a user's manual, but Fields Wicker-Miurin says stories of remarkable, local leaders are the next best thing. At a TED salon in London, she shares three."

6- Everyday leadership by Drew Dudley

"We have all changed someone’s life — usually without even realizing it. In this funny talk, Drew Dudley calls on all of us to celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each other’s lives."

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10 Great TED Talks on How Our Brain Works

March 8, 2015
If you have sometime this weekend, you might want to check this list of TED talks on the human brain. The original list curated by TED contains only 9 talks but we also added our favourite talk which is that of Jill Bolte.   Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist and brain scientist,  who one morning woke up to a massive stroke that was gradually paralyzing some of her brain functions including speech, movement, and understanding. In her popular talk "Stroke of Insight", Jill shares her story of what she went through in the process of regaining her brain functions.

These TED talks  will provide you with a window of insight into the secrets of the human brain, how it works, and how it ‘defines and connects us to the world and to one another.’ Thanks to Christopher Busch from whom we learned about this list.

1- Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

2- The real reason for brains by Daniel Wolpert

3- The quest to understand consciousness by: Antonio Damasio

4- The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain by: Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

5- The origins of pleasure: by Paul Bloom

6- How brains learn to see by: Pawan Sinha

7- A map of the brain by: Allan Jones

8- A look inside the brain in real time by: Christopher deCharms

9- Growing evidence of brain plasticity by: Michael Merzenich

20- Could future devices read images from our brains? by: Mary Lou Jepsen


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8 Great TED Talks to Watch with Your Kids

February 19, 2015
Looking for some TED talks to inspire young minds? The list below  contains some wonderful talks to watch with your kids. The talks highlight the importance of creative and imaginative thinking in unlocking the doors of possibilities and knowledge. As the late Maxine Greene argued in her book ‘ Releasing The Imagination”,  students need to be given spaces where they can use their imagination because imagination enables them to search for new beginnings and open up new perspectives  helping them identify alternatives, without imagination, their lives narrow and their pathways become cul-de-sacs.

1- Science is for everyone even kids 

"What do science and play have in common? Neuroscientist Beau Lotto thinks all people (kids included) should participate in science and, through the process of discovery, change perceptions. He's seconded by 12-year-old Amy O'Toole, who, along with 25 of her classmates, published the first peer-reviewed article by schoolchildren, about the Blackawton bees project"

2-A teen just trying to figure it out 

"Fifteen-year-old Tavi Gevinson had a hard time finding strong female, teenage role models — so she built a space where they could find each other. At TEDxTeen, she illustrates how the conversations on sites like Rookie, her wildly popular web magazine for and by teen girls, are putting a new, unapologetically uncertain and richly complex face on modern feminism."

3-  A promising test for pancreatic cancer…from a teenager 

Jack Andraka talks about how he developed a promising early detection test for pancreatic cancer that’s super cheap, effective and non-invasive — all before his 16th birthday.

4- If I should have a daughter  

"If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B ... " began spoken word poet Sarah Kay, in a talk that inspired two standing ovations at TED2011. She tells the story of her metamorphosis — from a wide-eyed teenager soaking in verse at New York's Bowery Poetry Club to a teacher connecting kids with the power of self-expression through Project V.O.I.C.E. — and gives two breathtaking performances of "B" and "Hiroshima."

5- Thomas Suarez : A 12-year-old app developer

Thomas Suarez's interest in technology and programming led him to learn Python, Java, and C “just to get the basics down.” He built an app and then coaxed his parents into paying the $99 fee to get his app, "Earth Fortune," in the app store. Thomas also started an app club at school to help other kids build and share their creations, and is now starting his own company, CarrotCorp.

7- Adora Svitak : What adults can learn from kids

Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.

8- Birke Baer: What's wrong with our food system

11-year-old Birke Baehr presents his take on a major source of our food -- far-away and less-than-picturesque industrial farms. Keeping farms out of sight promotes a rosy, unreal picture of big-box agriculture, he argues, as he outlines the case to green and localize food production.

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3 TED Talks to Unleash Your Creativity

January 4, 2015
Looking for some inspirational  ideas to unleash your creativity and kickstart the new year? The TED talks below are definitely a must watch. The start of a new year is traditionally the time that most people set out goals and resolutions and create to-do lists. These talks will help you come up with creative ideas to include  in your resolutions list and most importantly, will "offer the kick-in-the-pants you need to unleash your creative spirit.

1- Your Elusive Creative Genius by Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

2- How to build your creative confidence by David Kelly

Is your school or workplace divided into "creatives" versus practical people? Yet surely, David Kelley suggests, creativity is not the domain of only a chosen few. Telling stories from his legendary design career and his own life, he offers ways to build the confidence to create... (From The Design Studio session at TED2012, guest-curated by Chee Pearlman and David Rockwell.)

3- Try Something New for 30 Days by Mutt Cutts

Is there something you've always meant to do, wanted to do, but just ... haven't? Matt Cutts suggests: Try it for 30 days. This short, lighthearted talk offers a neat way to think about setting and achieving goals.

Source: TED Blog

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