TED Community » Matthew Brooks

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.70 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Talk: Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work

  Feb 2 2012: Thank you for this link. It was very helpful to me.

• A comment on Conversation: Is the internet, not formal education, the new great equalizer?

  Oct 7 2011: I know! There are tons of good sources available just look at KhanAcademy.org and Openculture.com. But how would someone know to look there? That is one part of the internet literacy puzzle. I am fascinated by this idea of internet literacy, especially as it pertains to other leaps in literacy from an historical perspective, just think of the invention of the alphabet and the printing press. These technologies had far reaching implications in the advancement of social justice, e.g. without the printing press there would be no Protestant Reformation and so on and so on. I wonder what this new literacy will have in store for us! This was supposed to go with Nathan Knight's response to my response...Don't know what happened. Sorry for any confusion.

• A reply on Conversation: Is the internet, not formal education, the new great equalizer?

  Oct 4 2011: As one of my favorite professors used to say: "Yes and no." I worry that a formal education might become more elitist because it will be economically less possible for more and more people to attend in the flesh. Going online will be the only way to get access for most and a "Certificate of Accomplishment" is like an honorable mention (how does it stack up to an actual degree?). I wonder about what is lost when we strip education of its face-to-face component. I know I would not be the person I am today without the interpersonal engagement with smart, energetic, and compassionate professors that I was lucky to experience. At the same time, I can imagine some engaging ways to organize an online class. I also wonder if the push for virtual learning will have a streamlining effect on formal education.
• +4

  A reply on Conversation: Is the internet, not formal education, the new great equalizer?

  Oct 4 2011: I agree with Damon. I would add that even in the "developed" world not everyone has a computer let alone a ISP. Access is still limited to the more economically privileged. One of the challenges is to provide not only adequate access for all but also finding smart ways to sift the available information into useful content chunks that enable an individual's self-improvement project. Being literate, as well as, media literate, and having the economic means makes a big difference in using the internet to enhance a life.

• A comment on Conversation: What is the most inspiring TED Talk of all time?

  Oct 4 2011: I really like Chris Abani's Muses on Humanity: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chris_abani_muses_on_humanity.html along with most of the ones that have already been mentioned. It's impossible to pick just one really. It's like music. Certain talks move me in different ways on different days.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: What is the most inspiring TED Talk of all time?

  Oct 4 2011: I show Stroke of Insight to students every semester. Many of them rush home to share it with loved ones.
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: What's your TED habit?

  Oct 4 2011: I watch them with my wife while curled up in bed. I also watch them at work and send them to colleagues. I use them in my classroom to start conversations or to demonstrate a point on a topic or to showcase a skill (public speaking or narrative techniques). So, I watch one or two every day or so. I can't imagine my life without TED at this point.

• A comment on Talk: Eric Lewis rocks the jazz world

  Mar 11 2009: A good example of one buttock playing...
• +1

  A comment on Talk: Philip Rosedale on Second Life

  Dec 3 2008: I am going to play around in Second Life now. I am wondering about the possibilities of using such a space as a virtual classroom. I teach two fully online classes at my college and there seems to be a trend toward developing more and more online classes. I am always seeking ways to create connectivity with these students. Anyway, this presentation has given me some ideas. Thank you.

• A comment on Talk: Laura Trice suggests we all say thank you

  Sep 26 2008: I just thanked some people after listening to this talk. These people really deserve it. And I don't always voice my appreciation. What a wonderful reminder and what a simple way to spread happiness. Thank you Laura.