Curated OER
Organic Farmer
Camp Joy Gardens, a small, non-profit, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, runs classes for children and adults. The narrator of a short video about Camp Joy Gardens explains how CSA farms can work as a profitable business, as...
TED-Ed
4 Lessons From Robots about Being Human
Who would have thought that inanimate robotics could actually teach us so much about being human? As Ken Goldberg describes his fascinating work and advancements in robotics, he simultaneously offers four valuable character lessons....
TED-Ed
A Plant's-Eye View
Why is it important to look at the world from other species' points of view? Author Michael Pollan claims it is a way to reanimate the earth, realize Darwinian insights, and to take the food we need from the earth while healing it in the...
TED-Ed
On Being a Woman and a Diplomat
"There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other." Listen as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright discusses her position as United States ambassador to the United Nations in the Gulf War, and makes a...
TED-Ed
How to Find the True Face of Leonardo
Illustrator Siegfried Woldhek describes how he analyzed over 700 of Leonardo's works in order to determine an image of the face of the famed Renaissance man. Try flipping the lesson and adding your own assessment and discussion...
TED-Ed
The Art of Choosing
Is having more choices always a good thing? Sheena Iyengar offers a thought-provoking presentation on the American predisposition toward more choices. A presentation with engaging anecdotes and real-world examples: from a simple study on...
TED-Ed
The Power of Introverts
One-third to one-half of the population are introverts, yet they are increasingly subjected to a culture where being social and outgoing are prized. And as author Susan Cain argues in this video, "When it comes to creativity and...
TED-Ed
On Spaghetti Sauce
"In embracing the diversity of human beings, we will find a sure way to human happiness." Watch as Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell delves into work of acclaimed psychophysicist Howard Moskowitz and the evolution of the food...
TED-Ed
Why Do Americans Vote on Tuesdays?
Why do Americans vote on Tuesdays? As your class will learn from this video, this specific voting day in United States presidential elections stems from no substantial historical origin. Instead, speaker Jacob Soboroff brings attention...
TED-Ed
How Did English Evolve?
War and conquest are not the only factors in language change and development, as the narrator of a short video points out in her lecture about the evolution of the English language. Using the phrases, "They gave us a hearty welcome," and...
TED-Ed
Science Can Answer Moral Questions
Can questions of morality, good and evil, right and wrong, and/or what is worth living and dying for...be answered by science? Author Sam Harris presents a strong case for the need for a universal conception of human values. He argues...
TED-Ed
Tales of Passion
What is feminism? Listen as renowned author and activist Isabel Allende champions the cause of passionate individuals, and in particular, women who have gone against the grain and challenged the status quo in order to make the world...
TED-Ed
How Art Gives Shape to Cultural Change
"Can a museum be a catalyst in a community? Can a museum house artists and allow them to be change agents as communities re-think themselves?" Watch as curator Thelma Golden re-imagines the museum as a think tank and explores the...
TED-Ed
On Positive Psychology
What is positive psychology? Martin Seligman briefly reviews the history of psychology as a discipline, from its initial achievements measuring, discovering causes of, and inventing treatment for psychological disease, to a more modern...
TED-Ed
The Demise of Guys
Girls are outperforming boys at all levels from elementary to graduate school. Psychologist Philip Zimardo considers the reasons why boys are struggling today, including the possible effects of excessive Internet use and the idea that...
TED-Ed
The Importance of Focus
Focus is essential to successful individuals. Learn from the comments of several renowned figures, from Google co-founder Larry Page to filmmaker James Cameron, who attribute their success to their ability to concentrate, eliminate...
TED-Ed
A Rare, Spectacular Total Eclipse of the Sun
According to some ancient Mesopotamians, "The sun was put to shame" during a 14th century total solar eclipse. How can the moon, which is 400 times smaller than the sun, completely cover it? This video demonstrates the answer...
TED-Ed
Why Can't we See Evidence of Alien Life?
With so indescribably many stars and planets in existence, certainly we aren't alone in the universe! Or are we? Strangely, we haven't discovered any hints of life beyond Earth. The contradiction, known as the Fermi paradox, is...
TED-Ed
How Curiosity Got Us to Mars
Curiosity is the desire to learn or know, and it is also the name of the rover that landed on Mars in 2012. Mohawk-sporting Bobak Ferdowsi, a NASA engineer also discusses how and why we study Mars. He provides facts about the rover and...
TED-Ed
Actually, the World Isn't Flat
Are we really as connected to the world community as we believe? Economist Pankaj Ghemawat conveys that peoples' perceptions of the degree of globalization that exists today is drastically inflated, which in turn may have negative...
TED-Ed
The Mathematics of History
Is there a relationship between mathematics and history? In this video, Jean-Baptiste Michel explains how our technological advancements will afford many opportunities for mathematics to play an integral role in revealing key trends in...
TED-Ed
Self-Assembly: The Power of Organizing the Unorganized
What if buildings could grow, adapt, and repair themselves like a living organism? Using the process of self-assembly, this crazy idea may one day become a reality. The video looks at how unordered parts interact with one another and...
TED-Ed
8 Traits of Successful People
This is the introductory video to motivational speaker Richard St. John's 8 Traits of Successful People lecture series. The presenter offers basic background knowledge as to how he developed his list of traits, including interviewing a...
TED-Ed
The Surprising Science of Happiness
Take a close look at the ways humans work to achieve and increase happiness. Cognitive researcher Nancy Etcoff offers a wide range of statistics and findings on the science behind happiness, including cultural dispositions, biological...