Office of Continuing Education

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Christa Sterling

February 16th, 2018

TED (Technology, Education, Design) Talks are brief videos, usually 4 to 10 minutes in length, that share ideas and information about a topic. These talks are typically engaging and high-interest for viewers and have many applications for continuing education.

The TED-Ed website is designed to encourage continuing education both on an individual basis and in group settings where teachers use the material as part of a lesson plan. All TED-Ed videos have a multiple choice quiz included, and teachers can also make up questions and share them with other educators to provide even more resources that make them easier to use.

Options to customize a lesson right on the website make it easy to adapt content for use in any classroom, and videos can help keep students’ interest better than straight lecture or reading materials. Videos can also be used to reinforce points from lectures or reading assignments and allow students to build on prior knowledge, which improves retention.

Flip a Video Option

TED-Ed original content consists of animated videos that illuminate a topic. Educators can use an option called “flipping” a video, which allows them to assign it to students before a lesson to provide background or context during the lesson.

The TED-Ed website even allows educators to use the “flip a video” tool on any video from YouTube, which includes many educationally-based videos through the popular YouTube for Schools channel. The versatility of the TED-Ed website makes it a perfect choice for use in continuing education courses.

How TED Talks Can Improve Continuing Education

One positive aspect of TED talks is that they are some of the best examples of teaching that exist today. Imagine having Bill Gates or Steve Jobs (who passed away a few years ago) addressing your technology classroom. TED talks can bring the best possible speakers to your classroom at no cost to you.

Educators can not only use the talks to bolster their own lessons, but they can study the ways the talks present information and learn techniques that can make their own presentations more effective and engaging. In this way there is a double benefit to using TED talks in continuing education lessons.

Many times, continuing education can be seen as less important or effective than courses that give college credit, but continuing education serves many purposes that courses for college credit cannot fulfill. Continuing education courses might give specialized information needed for particular careers or job positions, leading to a certification or other recognition when the course or courses are completed.

Continuing education courses can also be for enrichment and can help participants learn to think differently about a topic or develop an enjoyable hobby outside of work. Some jobs even require continuing education in order to keep skills current, and those who don’t want the time commitment or expense of studying for an advanced degree can still meet their job’s ongoing requirements with inexpensive continuing education courses.

CCSU offers many continuing education courses designed to fulfill the objectives described above and even more. For more information about all the courses we offer email Christa Sterling @ csterling@ccsu.edu.