Crash Course
2001 - A Space Odyssey: Crash Course Film Criticism
Will the advancement of technology doom interpersonal relationships? Like the score for Jaws, the music for the opening sequence of Stanley Kubrick's 2001- A Space Odyssey stirs the imagination of viewers. Cinema lovers and film...
TED-Ed
How This Disease Changes the Shape of Your Cells
Just what exactly is sickle cell disease? A short, animated video explains how the cell adaption works, how inheriting the sickle cell trait can be an advantage in malaria-prone areas, and how sickle cell disease can be deadly.
TED-Ed
The Chinese Myth of the Immortal White Snake
Do you believe in true love? Could you love a monster? What would you sacrifice for someone you love? An ancient Chinese myth poses these cosmic questions in a retelling of "The Myth of the Immortal White Snake."
TED-Ed
The Aztec Myth of the Unlikeliest Sun God
How did the sun arrive in the sky? Learners watch a short film that describes the myth of Nanahuatl, a weak Aztec god who sacrificed himself to become the fifth sun for his people.
TED-Ed
The Hidden Network that Makes the Internet Possible
Many use the Internet but few know how it works. Viewers learn more about the network behind the Internet with a short video that explains the fiber optics and integrated photonics that make global communication possible.
TED-Ed
"Accents" by Denice Frohman
Denice Frohman's poem "Accents" becomes a visual and auditory feast for viewers as they watch an animated interpretation of her powerful poem.
TED-Ed
Why Is This Painting so Shocking?
Guernica stands as a masterpiece of anti-war art. The narrator of a short video examines the images in Picasso's massive, complex, and disturbing painting and offers an explanation of what the images may symbolize.
TED-Ed
The Sexual Deception of Orchids
A plant engaged in sexual deception? Strange but true. Believe it or not, orchids have developed a range of sexual adaptations that permit them to attract pollinators. The narrator of a short video describes a variety of strategies used...
TED-Ed
How to Grow Your Own Glacier
Did you know that in some parts of the world that glaciers can be grown? And that grown glaciers can be used to provide irrigation water? The narrator of a fascinating video reveals how growing glaciers can fight climate change. And...
TED-Ed
The Wild World of Carnivorous Plants
Ew! Yuck! Young botanists are sure to be fascinated by a short video that details the workings of carnivorous plants and offers an explanation for why some plants have evolved flesh-eating adaptations.
TED-Ed
Why Are Earthquakes so Hard to Predict?
Cell phones to crowdsource vibrations to warn of incoming earthquakes? Detectors to register high levels of radon-thoron isotopes? After detailing the factors that make earthquakes so difficult to predict, the narrator of a fascinating...
TED-Ed
Why Do Hospitals Have Particle Accelerators?
Viewers gain insight into medical technology with a short video that examines how PET scanners can track FGD injected into a patient's body to find tumors.
TED-Ed
A Brief History of Dogs
Canis lupus familiaris. Sound familiar? A short video traces the evolution of canines from wolves to the variety of domesticated dog breeds we find today.
TED-Ed
Notes of a Native Son: The World According to James Baldwin
Why would the FBI have perceived James Baldwin as a threat to national security? Why did they consider this preacher, writer, thinker, expat, activist so dangerous while Robert Kennedy and other government officials considered him an...
TED-Ed
How Does the Rorschach Inkblot Test Work?
Rorschach inkblot test is arguably the most well-know of personality tests—and the most controversial. A short videodetails the development of and the original purpose of Rorschach's famous blobs that were designed to examine patterns of...
TED-Ed
What “Machiavellian” Really Means
Is Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince a directive to autocrats to rule by any means necessary, or a warning about the ways free citizens can be dominated by rulers? A short video suggests that Machiavelli's famous work might have been...
TED-Ed
The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen
More than 15 of Jane Austen's novels have been adapted into films. While viewers enjoy the lush sets, period costumes, and the depictions of eighteenth-century British gentry, what is often lost in these adaptations is Austen's satire. A...
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read Virginia Woolf?
Afraid to read Virginia Woolf? Check out a short video that presents arguments for why you should read the works of this famous writer.
TED-Ed
The Chaotic Brilliance of Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
In 2017 a work by Jean-Michel Basquiat was actioned off for over 110 million dollars. So who is he and what makes his art so special? Find out with a short video that details his background, influences, and his process.
TED-Ed
Frida Kahlo: The Woman Behind the Legend
Frida Kahlo: Artist, political activist, champion of Mexican folk culture. Introduce your students to this amazing woman with a short video that details her life, her passions, and her vibrant paintings.
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read Sci-Fi Superstar Octavia E. Butler?
Introduce science fiction fans to writer Octavia E. Butler with a short video that argues for why readers should add her works to their must-read list.
Crash Course
Data and Infographics: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #8
One-hundred percent of those reading this sentence are human beings. Wait, what? With part eight in the Crash Course: Navigating Digital Information set, pupils learn how to think critically about statistics. Scholars discover how...
Crash Course
Evaluating Photos and Videos: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #7
When it comes to viewing videos and photos on the Internet, seeing is not always believing. With part seven from the Crash Course: Navigating Digital Information series, scholars learn that even image-based evidence can be unreliable....
Crash Course
Evaluating Evidence: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #6
How do scholars learn to differentiate between good evidence and not-so-good evidence? The sixth installment from the Crash Course: Navigating Digital Information set is a great place to start. Pupils discover how to find reliable...