TED Conversations

• Stephen Kleykamp
• Mason, OH
• United States

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social value of TED Talks; good use of TED Talks translations

In response to the "Against TED" article by Nathan Jurgenson, I believe that the comments were unfair. TED does include many discussions of social value to everyone. For example, I have shared Mallika Sarabhai's talk on the use of "dance to change the world" with others. One recent contact at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is Dr. Ann Armstrong who teaches theater. She studied the use of the performing arts to prepare volunteers who had gone to Mississippi in the Freedom Summer of 1964. The training in Ohio involved violent role playing to make participants realize that they would likely face resistance and danger in helping minorities register to vote. Some died that summer when the white protesters confronted them. The professor was grateful that I had shared the TED link on dance, and she wants to incorporate that talk in her classroom discussions. I shared the link with Gerald Wirth, Artistic Director of the Vienna Boys Choir. He trains the boys to sing works from many cultures, and he is writing music that deals with social issues. The boys are not only singing ambassadors of Austria but also agents of change. Also, you might remind schools and colleges that one could watch a TED Talk in English but read the subtitles translated into another language. If the student has some knowledge of the foreign language, he or she might become more fluently while watching a TED Talk in this fashion. They learn about the world and improve their language skills at the same time. Therefore, your TED Talks have social value.