ted.com

Choose 10 videos that you are interested in watching and record each of the following for each video:

1) Name of the presenter
2) Title of presentation
3) Topic
4) Go to the "about this talk" section. Paraphrase what it says
5) Go to the "About this presenter" and take a few biographical notes on the presenter
6) What point/thesis does the presenter have?
7) Why are you excited about this particular TED talk?
8) How has the presenter changed the way you view the topic?
9) What is the one image you will take away from this talk?
10) Choose one single word that best describes this talk

TED Talks

Liza Donnelly: Drawing upon humor for change

1)      Women’s rights, female empowerment, and the stereotypes of modern life.

2)      Liz Donnelly, a cartoonist out of New York, uses her drawings to show how humor can empower women to step up against modern standards.

3)      Donnelly joined The New Yorker in 1982 as the youngest cartoonist, and one of only three female employees. In 2005, Donnelly wrote the definitive book about her colleagues: Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Greatest Women Cartoonists and Their Cartoons. She has been involved in other books as well, including Sex and Sensibility and  Cartoon Marriage (about her life with fellow New Yorker cartoonist Michael Maslin). She is also known for a popular series of Dinosaur children’s books. In 2007, Donnelly joined the United Nations initiative Cartooning for Peace with which, she travels around the world to speak out about freedom of speech and other global problems. She is a founding member of the Cartoonists Association, a contributor to dscriber.com as the editor of World Ink, and she teaches women’s studies at Vassar.

4)      Donnelly wants to convince the public of the ridiculousness of today’s standards for females, and to empower these women to use this humor to their advantage.

5)      This particular TED talk uses an age-old argument in a humorous way. It is something that would be enjoyable for both men and women to watch, while pressing ideas that work to the advantage of today’s females. Donnelly’s cartoons are relatable and true. That is was people are interested in. She isn’t bombarding her audience with stuffy statistics or cynical conclusions about the plausible end of the world, she is giving light to the idea that women don’t have to be what they are expected to be. It’s funny.

6)      I think this is something that a lot of girls my age would find interesting and useful. Donnelly shows that making change doesn’t always have to involve being unpleasant, whiny, and verbally violent. It is small initiatives like this that can spark a change in society’s views.

7)       Aside from her drawings themselves, Donnelly has a lot of really intellectual points about the issue. The things that she said compliment the topic and she was a very eloquent speaker. She was easy to listen to and that made watching the video that much more enjoyable.

8)      Innovative

Chris Jordan pictures some shocking stats

1)    Consumerism, our impact on the environment, and the shocking statistics of every day product use. “The behaviors we all engage in unconsciously.”

2)    Photographer Chris Jordan uses his artwork to create a visual representation of some shocking numbers, showing us a view of what Western culture really looks like.

3)    Chris Jordan focuses his work on Western consumption, making impossible numbers visible to humans. His 2003-05 series “intolerable Beauty” examines the hypnotic allure of the sheer amount of stuff we make and consume every day. His latest series, “Running the Numbers,” gives life to the statistics of US consumption. In April 2008, Jordan traveled around the world with National Geographic as an international eco-ambassador for Earth Day 2008.

4)    "As you walk up close, you can see that the collective is only made up of lots and lots of individuals. There is no bad consumer over there somewhere who needs to be educated. There is no public out there who needs to change. It's each one of us."-Chris Jordan on Bill Moyers Journal. Jordan wants to use something aesthetically pleasing to convince people of their individual impact on the numbers.

5)    Jordan uses art in an effective way. He is using his passion to communicate ideas to the public and making something so abstract, these large numbers, comprehensible for the average person. They are pieces that people will enjoy looking at and learning about, as well as being shocking and exhilarating.

6)    Jordan makes statistics like these visual to all people. Numbers are hard to understand when they are so large but Jordan presents them in a way that makes them easier to understand. Some of these numbers I was unaware of. It is absolutely shocking to know something like how many plastic cups are used on US airlines every hour, or the number of teenagers who will start smoking this month. He makes is visual. He makes it something you can feel.

7)    Jordan showed a photograph of millions of cigarette boxes that, when zoomed out, creates the painting “Skull With Cigarette” by Van Gough. This was a particularly interesting piece because it made such a beautiful work of art something so ugly.

8)    Shocking







Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter...

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1)    <!--[endif]-->Spoken word poet, Sarah Kay, tells the story of her journey from curious teenager to accomplished teacher and speaker.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2)    <!--[endif]-->Kay gives two performances of her pieces “B” and “Hiroshima” and talks of her metamorphosis from an inquisitive teen to a teacher connecting today’s kids with the power of expression through poetry.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3)    <!--[endif]-->As a high school freshman, Kay took a liking to spoken word poetry and would spend nights studying the work of New York’s most exciting poets in the famous Bowery Poetry Club. She was given the chance to take its stage at a young age and this opportunity sparked a bright future for Kay. Now 22, Kay co-directs Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression) Founded by Kay in 2004, V.O.I.C.E. encourages expression through spoken word poetry, particularly in teens.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4)    <!--[endif]-->Kay expresses the power of poetry in words in helping people, particularly today’s youth, make sense of the world itself. She states that she writes poetry to understand things. Through her writing she finds a solution, and when she doesn’t, she still has a new poem. Kay wants to encourage her students to write about not only what they know, but what they don’t understand.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5)    <!--[endif]-->Kay is a very effective speaker. She is confident and funny and she tells her story in an interesting way. I think her mission is very innovative and she is giving a creative outlet to people who otherwise may not have one. She is an interesting person to listen to and her story is inspiring.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6)    <!--[endif]-->I have always found interest in spoken word poetry. It is something that I find entertaining to listen to and an easy way to express what I’m thinking. Her poems are so easy to listen to and appealing and she makes me want to continue writing, even if only for myself.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7)    <!--[endif]-->Kay mentioned a tall girl in a hoodie a few times. When she was a high school student she presented one of her poems in front of an audience of her peers. A girl later approached her and told her how the poem had touched her. I think that is one of the most amazing reactions one can have from an audience. When one’s art reaches someone, even one person, and they are touched enough to say something about it, it is more rewarding that any award or shallow compliment.  

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8)    <!--[endif]-->Charismatic