If you haven’t discovered TED talks on YouTube, you have missed a jewel that is free for the taking. TED stands for Technology, Education and Design and this network is devoted to exploring “ideas worth spreading.” The talks are given by experts in a variety of fields and are on widespread topics. There is also TED radio hour, which is a themed one hour-long broadcast that features excerpts from four talks with interview excerpts with the speakers. These can be found at this link: http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2014-11-26

The talk I listened to this evening while lovely rain fell outside my window was entitled, “How Our Schools are Killing Creativity” by Ken Robinson. Do not fear, teachers. This is not a total indictment of everything you do in school. Instead, the speaker encourages a rethinking of what we have all been taught to see as valuable. The arts, aka courses that encourage creativity, usually fall right at the bottom of that list. Robinson, who is very funny, by the way, makes some important points about the value of creativity in our current and future world.

I would urge you to take the time to listen to this 19 minute talk. I believe you might enjoy it as much as I did.

Here is the link:

http://www.ted.com/playlists/171/the_most_popular_talks_of_all

Please let me know if you take time to listen. I’d love to hear what you think.

By the way, this talk is ranked as one of the most popular talks of all time on the TED network. So, it’s already a proven favorite.

Happy Tuesday. I will be seeing you again tomorrow.

Len.