Monday App: TED Talks

I am a HUGE fan of TED talks in my daily life.  I find the topics fascinating, and the speakers to be a mixture of entertaining and brilliant.  I am (like most SLPs, I think) someone who collects information.  I am intrigued by how the brain works*, and so much of what they talk about has to do with just that.  If you have spare time, there are some great talks by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor about her experience of having a stroke and Jane McGonigal, who talks about how video games can change our world.  There's also a very funny talk about making a toaster.  I mean, there are hundreds of really interesting ideas on there, so do take some time to check it out.

You are probably wondering where I am going with this.

Well, I have a bunch of students that work on comprehension.  As much as I love reading aloud all day, every day, I try to find different materials to comprehend.  After all, my students are expected to sit through teachers talking in class, and comprehend information ALL DAY.  So listening to different speakers and learning about different topics is a good way to practice.

Enter the TED app, which is a free app that you can add to your iPad (or go to the website via computer).  There are a few nice features about the app: first, you can save talks, so you can find them easily for different groups.  Second, you can use the "inspire me" button to find short talks in a genre (looking for something persuasive? informative? funny?).

My students typically respond well to the talks.  I typically aim for the ones that are under 5 minutes, and then I'll ask inferential, concrete or prediction questions afterwards.  We might define words based on the context, or take a look at what was funny/why it was.  I usually use this with my 5th-8th grade crowd, and always screen first for too much technical language.

Here are my 3 favorite talks to get you started:
1. Thomas Suarez: A 12-year-old app developer.  My students love the idea that a 12 year old can design apps.  We talk about the apps this kid has designed, the steps he outlines in the talk, and how he has applied his skills to his school.  I've also used it as a launching point to talk about setting goals, we infer how we think he is treated at school (seen as a nerd vs. seen as someone cool because he can do what he does), and try to predict what he might do next. Some kids come up with pretty neat app ideas that they would want to create.

2. Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel.  This is a short piece on, well, exactly what it sounds like.  But it blows student's minds, and I'd like to think I am doing my part to save the planet while working on speech.  You know, two birds and all.  

3. Mark Bezos: A life lesson from a volunteer firefighter. This is a great talk for inferring.  It's also good for problem solving, and acts as a launching point for what things you would grab if there was a fire, what your family safety plan is, who you would call, etc.  


Have you used TED talks?  Got any ones I should find?  
Do you use something else for listening comprehension that your students like? 

*I once apologized to my college advisor, because I spent 4 years avoiding a neuroscience class, and completed my psychology degree without it.  When I got to grad school and ended up in 5 semesters of neuro classes and was the graduate TA who took over the undergrad class while the professor was on maternity leave? Yea, I felt it necessary to email my undergrad advisor to apologize.