TED Community » Peter Han

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Encouraging and enabling youth to use their talents and imagination to invent products and services to serve needs in their local communities.

An idea worth spreading

Youth compassion and talent are vastly under-utilized and under-developed.

Talk to me about

Youth development. Creativity techniques. Venture-based Learning. Play.

My TED Story

1) Curated TEDxTheWoodlands on Sept. 2011. ...... 2) Spoke at TEDxYouth@TheWoodlands on January 7th, 2012. ...... 3) Spoke at TEDxYouth@Taipei in November, 2010. My talk was on "Design for Quintessence". See: http://youtu.be/cU74gfPGO_A ...... 4) Attended TEDxSummit 2012 in Doha

Comments

• TEDCred score: +3255.30 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Conversation: Why is visual literacy discouraged in most cultures & WHAT CAN WE DO to change that?

  Nov 2 2011: Milton Bradley distorted Mr. Froebel's Gifts to the point that they were unrecognizable compared to their original version's intent. Sad to see this distortion pursued for the sake of profit.
  
  His Gifts do live on in many respects in Waldorf education, which is gaining in popularity worldwide.

• A comment on Conversation: Why is visual literacy discouraged in most cultures & WHAT CAN WE DO to change that?

  Nov 2 2011: Here is an example of visual literacy applied to teaching the factoring of numbers from 1 - 100 by Professor Schwartz at Brown University: http://www.math.brown.edu/~res/PosterPrimes/post5.png
  
  What an effective and interesting way to learn math this visual way.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: Why is visual literacy discouraged in most cultures & WHAT CAN WE DO to change that?

  Nov 2 2011: I agree with numerous contributors to this post that the situation is not as bleak as it may at first appear.
  
  In my corporate career with huge manufacturing firms, it is my experience that visual literacy is highly valued for many reasons. One reason is that visual images can represent complex relationships concisely, accurately and in a compelling way. Another reason is that visual images usually do not need translation the way text does. I worked in firms that operated in up to 90 countries so the time, expense of translation was significant.
  
  I am surprised that Edward Tufte has not been mentioned in this conversation yet. He has published at least 4 major books on visual literacy and conducts workshops around the world on this topic. http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/ In one of my former employers, training in Tufte's workshops was a common choice for professionals across different functions.
  
  Another phenomenon is the rising popularity of illustrated/graphic novels as serious communication forms. Nick Sousanis is a talented graphic novelist who creates remarkable works on a variety of topics, including the nature of thinking. http://spinweaveandcut.blogspot.com/
  
  Yet another interesting development is the field of data visualization which has become more and more valued as the sheer amount of information freely available rises exponentially.
  
  Finally, I believe that cultures with pictograph-derived written languages have a greater regard for visual literacy. I recall working hard to create aesthetically balanced characters when learning to write Chinese script. The feeling and skills I used to write such characters were markedly different from those I experienced when writing English words, even English script.

• A comment on Conversation: Creativity in Action

  Oct 31 2011: Amira,
  
  Are you familiar with the Maker movement? It started in California, USA with the publication of Make magazine by O'Reilly which sparked annual Maker Faires in several USA cities. It has since spread to other countries. One was just held at the American University in Cairo earlier this month. Take a look: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/503171
  
  One of the key protagonists in this movement is Mitch Altman who is a gentle soul encouraging others to make things. Our family had the good fortune of attending a Maker Faire in Austin, TX years ago and learning to make a TV B Gone eye glass contraption from Mitch.
  
  If ever there were two groups ready, willing, and able to embrace creativity, the Maker Faire and TEDsters would be they. Hope this helps.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: What specific educational experiences ignited your passion for a subject?

  Oct 30 2011: One such experience occurred to me in 5th grade in the USA. Our teacher taught us a variety of subjects during the day. One day, I asked if I could go across the street to the Sears department store and bring back a large discarded cardboard box which had been used to transport Sears brand refrigerators. I had spied several of them behind the loading entrance to the store.
  
  She agreed and my friend and I lugged it back into our classroom. It was 7 feet tall and large enough for the two of us to use to create a house. Soon every other child in our class asked to do the same and she agreed. So within two days, there were 9 large cardboard containers in our classroom of 22 students. Each cardboard box became the house of 2-3 students who self-selected to build/decorate their home.
  
  Soon, I announced that I was offering free mail service to each of these homes. Within minutes, the students began carving mail slots in the front walls of their homes and began writing letters to be delivered to the other homes. My pal and I became very busy mail carriers for our nascent village. Soon, I offered to sell customized book covers to the village. They began buying with currency they concocted and which we accepted. Soon, someone suggested we agree to use one common currency and we agreed. Soon someone began offering to sell customized hats which we began buying eagerly.
  
  This village was self-directed and evolved organically. I don't not remembering the teacher's influence in this venture at all except for the very beginning when she agreed to us having card board boxes in the room and when neighboring students and teachers began poking their heads in our classroom. She patiently explained what we were doing to all visitors. We students decided when the village experience had run its course (about 5 days) and we were ready to move on to a different venture.
  
  What ignited me about this experience was economics, sociology, and youth empowerment. I felt validated and able.

• A comment on Talk: Sunni Brown: Doodlers, unite!

  Oct 29 2011: Here is another graphic artist (Nick Sousanis) who has produced some amazing artwork on a variety of substantive topics: http://spinweaveandcut.blogspot.com/
• +2

  A reply on Conversation: Whose responsibility is it to educate our young people on healthy eating, physical activity, and positive self esteem?

  Oct 29 2011: Steven,
  
  Take a look at: http://news.yahoo.com/whats-mcrib-made-anyway-125300382.html
  
  The article describes what goes into the McRib:
  
  "At face value, the sandwich contains just pork, onions, and pickle slices slathered in barbecue sauce and laid out on a bun. But the truth is, there are roughly 70 ingredients. The bun alone contains 34, says TIME's Melnick. In addition to chemicals like ammonium sulfate and polysorbate 80, the most egregious may be azodicarbonamide — "a flour-bleaching agent most commonly used in the manufactur[ing] of foamed plastics like gym mats the and soles of shoes." According to McDonald's own ingredient list, the bun also includes calcium sulfate and ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, among other chemicals.
  Ooof. What's the meat made of?
  Pig innards and plenty of salt. Typically, "restructured meat product" includes pig bits like tripe, heart, and scalded stomach, says Whet Moser at Chicago Magazine, citing a 1995 article by Robert Mandigo, a professor at the University of Nebraska. These parts are cooked and blended with salt and water to extract salt-soluble proteins, which act as a "glue" that helps bind the reshaped meat together."
  
  Still Lovin' it? Your choice of course as Colleen mentioned.
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: In your experience, what are the three most important aspects to having a successful marriage?

  Oct 28 2011: Interesting topic. Thanks for starting this conversation.
  
  1) Adopt this motto " Love is a Daily Decision ".
  
  2) Build something bigger than either of you, together.
  
  3) Give thanks for what you have.

• A reply on Conversation: DEDTalks: Brain Power in Appalachia

  Oct 27 2011: Hey, I heard that Zombies hate fast food...they can't catch them :)
• +4

  A comment on Conversation: What is the first thing you tell yourself when you wake up to give yourself energy or courage?

  Oct 27 2011: 86,400. That is approximately the number of heart beats my heart beats per day. How will I use those heart beats? When today is done, I will have 86,400 fewer to use till I die.