Engaging tools to help emphasize instruction and outcomes
Community Review for TED-Ed
My Take
I think Ted Ed is an impressive sight for educators to become familiar with. Layering interactives, videos, and activities in lesson plans are essential for engaging and immersing our students into the lessons of today. The true power of these videos however, come from the reflection and discussion that follow. Use Ted Ed to set up a discussion in class, and leverage key points for students to reflect, respond, and even create against.
How I Use It
Ted Ed has a large selection of content across various topics, which makes the tool flexible for almost any educator to use. In prepping for your class, I would first search the site to find any videos that fit the topic or learning objective you hope to accomplish. If a video is not available, you might want to try YouTube, but I recommend Ted Ed first since the content is already appropriate for the classroom. Thinking about how these videos fit your lesson plan, they are great as a Direct Instruction component, or even as a hook. Being short and specific allows for educators to emphasize key points. These videos can also be used for flipped or blended classrooms since the content is readily available online, and focused on education.