Ted Ed

TED-Ed - Week 1 Term 3

The walk from "no" to "yes" - William Ury

William Ury, author of "Getting to Yes," offers an elegant, simple (but not easy) way to create agreement in even the most difficult situations -- from family conflict to, perhaps, the Middle East. (Filmed at TEDxMidWest.)

1. How do the San Bushmen people handle conflicts within their community?

2. How many sides does William Ury say are a part of any conflict?

3. What is the role of the third side of a conflict?

4. Who does William Ury say is the primary unifying figure and story of the Middle East?

5. William Ury talks about the importance of story-telling as a way to find the third side of a conflict. Have you ever had to stop and consider the story, the third side of a conflict? Did it help resolve the situation?

6. What do you think are the biggest potential challenges to always "go to the balcony" when facing a conflict? Do you think this it the best approach?

7. Do you face any conflicts in your community? Do you think an Abraham Path could help encourage people to see the third side of the conflict?

8. In addition to helping people see the third side in the Middle East, what else does the Abraham Path help to support?

Ted Ed - This is Sparta

TED-Ed - Week 9 Term 2

This is Sparta: Fierce warriors of the ancient world - Craig Zimmer

In ancient Greece, violent internal conflict between border neighbours and war with foreign invaders was a way of life, and Greeks were considered premier warriors. Sparta, specifically, had an army of the most feared warriors in the ancient world. What were they doing to produce such fierce soldiers? Craig Zimmer shares some of the lessons that might have been taught at Spartan school.

1. Which Greek historian did not write about ancient Sparta?

2. At what age did young Spartan boys get sent to the Agoge?

3. The Spartans prized physical perfection above all else. What did teachers at the Agoge not encourage?

4. The Agoge also focused on other areas of study to help make their boys into better warriors. What subject was not part of the curriculum at the school?

5. Girls also received an education. What was the reasoning behind this?

6. In 1859, scientist Charles Darwin presented the idea that nature had a natural selection to keep the better adapted organisms thriving and get rid of poorer adapted ones. Soon after reading Darwin’s work, Herbert Spencer, an English Philosopher, coined a phrase “survival of the fittest” meaning only the strong survive. Do you think Sparta proves this theory to be true? How or how not?

7. Spartan boys were built to become the perfect warriors. What methods were used at “Spartan School” to build them up both body and mind? Why is this mix important in building better warriors?

8. Why were women so important to Sparta’s success?

Ted Ed Term 2 week 8

Questions no one knows the answers to - Chris Anderson

In the first of a new TED-Ed series designed to catalyze curiosity, TED Curator Chris Anderson shares his boyhood obsession with quirky questions that seem to have no answers.

1. What’s Anderson puzzling over in the realm of religion?

2. Schools don’t devote a lot of time to questions that no one knows the answers to. Why? What effect(s) does this have, in your opinion?

3. When Anderson was younger, he assumed...

4. Of all the questions that Anderson throws out there, which one is most intriguing to you, and why?

5. How does Anderson feel about the idea that there are questions we can’t answer?

Ted Ed

TED-Ed - Term 2 Week 6

Questions no one knows the answers to - Chris Anderson

In the first of a new TED-Ed series designed to catalyze curiosity, TED Curator Chris Anderson shares his boyhood obsession with quirky questions that seem to have no answers.

1. What’s Anderson puzzling over in the realm of religion?

2. Schools don’t devote a lot of time to questions that no one knows the answers to. Why? What effect(s) does this have, in your opinion?

3. When Anderson was younger, he assumed...

4. Of all the questions that Anderson throws out there, which one is most intriguing to you, and why?

5. How does Anderson feel about the idea that there are questions we can’t answer?

Ted Ed

TED-ED - Term 2 Week 5

Is math discovered or invented? - Jeff Dekofsky

Would mathematics exist if people didn't? Did we create mathematical concepts to help us understand the world around us, or is math the native language of the universe itself? Jeff Dekofsky traces some famous arguments in this ancient and hotly debated question.

1. The Fibonacci sequence is perhaps best known from its appearance in the novel and movie "The Da Vinci Code." What are some of the real world applications of this famous sequence?

2. Name at least one mathematical idea or principle that you feel is a universal truth. Support your choice.

3. What special name did the Pythagoreans give to the number 1, the source of all creation?

4. What mathematician believed that "God created the natural numbers ... all else is the work of man"?

5. What famous phrase did Eugene Wigner coin regarding mathematics?

6. What mathematician incorrectly boasted that none of his work would ever serve a useful purpose?

7. What centuries old mathematical theory re-emerged in the 20th century to explain how DNA unravels itself during replication?

Ted Ed: Term 2 Week 2

Curiosity, discovery and gecko feet - Robert Full

The scientific method is widely used to make many scientific discoveries, but Robert Full suggests the possibility of finding world-changing results with less formulaic approaches. In his TEDYouth Talk, Full describes the unlikely way he studied gecko’s feet and how these beneficial discoveries could eventually save lives.

1. How do gecko's feet stick and unstick so quickly?

2. Design an original product based on your knowledge of gecko feet. Explain it's purpose and how it works.

3. What did Tanya, a student in Robert Full's lab, need to figure out before she could answer her question?

4. What is another animal that exhibits an incredible phenomenon, and how can it be used to make life better for humankind?

5. Do you think animal research is important? How far should we go in using animals in our research labs?

6. What did Anne, one of Robert Full's graduate students, discover about spiders?

7. What is the name of the gecko inspired robot built by the Stanford group?

How Big Is The Ocean

TED-Ed - Term 2 Week 1

How big is the ocean? - Scott Gass

While the Earth’s oceans are known as five separate entities, there is really only one ocean. So, how big is it? As of 2013, it takes up 71% of the Earth, houses 99% of the biosphere, and contains some of Earth’s grandest geological features. Scott Gass reminds us of the influence humans have on the ocean and the influence it has on us.

1. The percentage of Earth’s biosphere that is not encompassed by the ocean is…

2. The term “One Ocean” refers to…

3. What is the world’s tallest mountain?

4. The ocean currently represents approximately ___ of Earth’s surface and ___ of Earth’s total water content.

5. Evidence of human influence is found in what part of the ocean?

6. What factors – physical, historical, and otherwise – have contributed to the traditional identification of multiple “oceans” versus the concept of a single, global ocean?

7. In terms of both physicality and perspective, what influences support the existence of singular geologic features (e.g. Mauna Kea, Challenger Deep, etc.) within the Earth’s ocean versus a continental setting?

8. Does the ocean always have the same surface area and volume? Why?

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 8

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 8

How poachers became caretakers - John Kasaona

In his home of Namibia, John Kasaona is working on an innovative way to protect endangered animal species: giving nearby villagers (including former poachers) responsibility for caring for the animals. And it's working.

1.What would the speaker John Kasaona call himself? A Himba, A conservationist, or a Namibian? Why?

2. According to Kasaona, what has Integrated Rural Development and Nature Consevation (IRDNC) accomplished?

3. What contributed to building a foundation for conservation in Namibia, according to Kasaona?

4. What does Kasaona mean when he refers to the word 'conservancies'?

5. What is the reason Kasaona gives that makes conservation so successful in Namibia?

6. Explain how improving the lives of local communities around the world can alleviate the problems of poaching and lead to conservation efforts of wildlife.

7. Explain how a new economy based on the respect of natural resources in the world can lead to improvements in education and infrastructure.

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 7

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 7

Planning for the end of oil - Richard Sears

As the world's attention focuses on the perils of oil exploration, we present Richard Sears' talk from early February 2010. Sears, an expert in developing new energy resources, talks about our inevitable and necessary move away from oil. Toward ... what? 

1. What primary elements make up oil?

2. Approximately how much oil still exists to be refined and used?

3. When did oil peak in its share of primary energy usage?

4. Which source of energy peaked previous to oil?

5. What energy source is currently the second most used in the world?

6. What forms of energy are almost completely unused in modern times?

7. How has oil affected global affairs?

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 6

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 6

The Earth is full - Paul Gilding

Have we used up all our resources? Have we filled up all the livable space on Earth? Paul Gilding suggests we have, and the possibility of devastating consequences, in a talk that's equal parts terrifying and, oddly, hopeful.

1, What is the evidence that the world is reaching its economic growth capacity?

2. What are the countries that you think are most susceptible to the challenges of rampant economic growth?

3. In a world where the global economy is uncertain, what are the implications for your personal safety?

Ted Ed

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 5

The United Nations

Ever curious about the reaches of the United Nation and what they do? Here's a great video to improve your understanding of the UN, including its role in world politics and policy making, all in less than 2 minutes!

1. Why do you think France, United Kingdom, United States, China, and Russia are permanent representatives on the Security Council?

2. What is the purpose of the United Nations?

3. What is the General Assembly?

4. What are some of the challenges facing the world that the United Nations tries to address?

Ted Ed Term 1 Week 4

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 4

What are the universal human rights? - Benedetta Berti

The basic idea of human rights is that each one of us, no matter who we are or where we are born, is entitled to the same basic rights and freedoms. That may sound straightforward enough, but it gets incredibly complicated as soon as anyone tries to put the idea into practice. What exactly are the basic human rights? Who gets to pick them? Who enforces them—and how? Benedetta Berti explores the subtleties of human rights.

1. Human rights are universal and apply to everybody no matter where they live - True / False - What are your thoughts?

2. The basis of contemporary international human rights law is the __________

3. Within the international system, the main body tasked with protecting human rights is _________

4. What are some of the limitations of the concept of human rights?

5. Some critics argue that the concept of human rights has become little more than a buzzword with no concrete impact. What are the main limitations of human rights today, and what do you think could and should be done to strengthen the international protection of basic rights and freedoms?

6. Explain the role, content and impact of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

7. Explain in a nutshell the concept of human rights—provide your own definition and offer a few examples of basic human rights.

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 3

TED-Ed - Term 1 Week 3

Making sense of how life fits together - Bobbi Seleski

From something as miniscule as a cell to the biosphere we all call home, living things fit together in numerous interesting ways. Bobbi Seleski catalogs biology from our body and beyond, tracking how unicellular organisms, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and our biosphere build off of each other and work together.

1. Biological organisation is a way to organise:

2. An example of a tissue is:

3. What is an example of an organ system?

4. What is the definition of an ecosystem?

5. If you studied only one section of biological organisation, which would you study and why?

Who Am I

TED-Ed

Who am I? A philosophical inquiry - Amy Adkins

Throughout the history of mankind, the subject of identity has sent poets to the blank page, philosophers to the agora and seekers to the oracles. These murky waters of abstract thinking are tricky to navigate, so it’s probably fitting that to demonstrate the complexity, the Greek historian Plutarch used the story of a ship. Amy Adkins illuminates Plutarch’s Ship of Theseus.

1. Who was Theseus?

2. What did Theseus do in Crete before sailing home to Athens?

3. How long did the Athenians maintain the ship of Theseus in the harbour?

4. To maintain the ship of Theseus, how often did Athenians replace the parts on it?

5. When two things are numerically identical, it means:

6. Why is the question "Who am I" so difficult to answer?

7. When something is a paradox, it means that it seems illogical. How is the story of the Ship

 of Theseus a paradox?