Kiran Bir Sethi teaches kids to take charge

Kiran Bir Sethi - Helping children take charge

Children are often underestimated for their ability to think for themselves, both in and outside of school. Kiran Bir Sethi contradicts these stereotypes with her Riverside School experiment. She says that happiness and passion are contagious, and that I something I agree with. When anyone, be they young or old, is passionate and happy about what they do, they infect you with something Sethi calls the I Can bug.

Now going back to the Riverside School experiment. This school provided a new school environment in India, where the line is blurred between school and the real world. This allows the kids to be more aware of current situations, and the understanding these kids possess empowers them with the I Can bug. What I found extremely inspirational was the videos Kiran Bir Sethi showed of her students going out into the city and evangelizing their beliefs on child labor laws. Their I Can bug turned into We Can as they continued to infect city after city.

This connects so much to us making a difference in the world, which we've talked so much about in class. This may have just been a few students in India, but their perseverance to be heard has infected thousands of schools in India with the I Can bug as well. It makes me feel like we can do the same if we really put our minds to it.

Kiran Bir Sethi herself seems like such a believer. She knew that kids didn't have much power at all in India, yet she pursued this idea anyway. The way she speaks during her talk shows how proud she is of her students, because they achieved this much on their own. This independence is so inspiring, and it was possible because Sethi enabled her students to become inspired and to inspire others.

In the end, what matters is the importance of empowering students to feel like they can make a difference in the world. I feel like our class is already trying their best to show how intellectual we can be through our fishbowls, wikipapers, and even our TED blogs. Children are reaching a whole new level in education and infecting the world with our ideas, and Kiran Bir Sethi's school in India proved that children are important to the world.

Kathryn Shulz: On Being Wrong

Kathryn Shulz: It's okay to be wrong



Kathryn Shulz's talk was very inspirational because it made one think of how they live and make their decisions in a totally opposite way than the norm. We are used to being right, and dislike it when we are proven wrong.

When I was in elementary school, the way any student succeeded is if they did work based on what grades they got, because that was what's right. In many schools, it is still like that today. It is almost as if the school systems conform students to be the perfect over-achieving hard-worker because that is what's right in society. Our culture also teaches us to shun those who are wrong, who fail their tests and projects, because they are the losers who can't do anything right. Kathryn Shulz flips that prospective over into one where it's okay to be wrong. She says that from a young age, people live in a "Bubble of Rightness" where you live in the present and you're always right. Shulz wants us to break out of that bubble and embrace the wrong.

Shulz said that what's scary is not actually BEING wrong, but REALIZING you're wrong. She compared this to the childhood show about the coyote and the roadrunner. The coyote runs off the cliff and he keeps running until he looks down, and that's when he falls. That is a perfect example of how we are. Even when we are wrong, we are so convinced we are in the right that we're walking on air. It's the realization that's embarrassing, because when one realizes they were wrong they feel like there is something wrong with themselves. There is nothing wrong with you if you are wrong. It just shows that humans are not perfect. Kathryn said that our minds are amazing, because they do not allow us to see what the world is, but what it isn't. The problem is, it is human nature to want to know more.

The funny thing to me is that our culture enjoys stories of mistakes someone has made. We enjoy stories because they make those mistakes laughable, and something you can look back on and learn from. So why can't we apply enjoying the story to enjoying the real wrongs in life?

I found Shulz to be very interesting to listen to. She wasn't the most charismatic person, however there was something in her voice that showed how passionate about the subject she is, and how she wants us to realize that it is okay to be wrong. That is what I feel made her remarkable. She ended her talk by saying sometimes all we have to do is step out of that "Bubble of Rightness" into something we don't know. To look up at the vast universe around us and say, "Wow, I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong."

Dave Eggers' wish: Once Upon A School

Dave Eggers' Wish For Education

Dave Eggers' TEDtalk was about education. He uses a new approach to education, in a way that can benefit all students. No more students listening to their lecturing teachers. Instead, Dave Eggers helped create a new kind of learning in which students could get the help and face time they need in order to learn efficiently.

I really love the way Eggers approaches education. He does so with an open mind, and thinks about what would work best for the children. His idea of giving everyone free tutoring may not be the first time people have thought about it, however it's such a great way to encourage kids to learn through their own techniques. Not everyone is good at learning the standardized way, and each child has a special something that helps them learn more easily. I think one of the most important things Eggers mentioned during his talk was that the kids need to work with someone face-to-face, who can help that child reach their full potential, because through hard work they come to believe in themselves and their ability to learn and create new things from learning.

Eggers mentioned that he was nervous for his TEDtalk, and boy was he. By the way he spoke, his voice occasionally faltered and he seemed to get off-topic quite a lot. This did show courage because he came to do the talk even though public-speaking made him uncomfortable. Dave did a great job in adding comedic relief here and there in order to lighten the mood or even to collect his train of thought.

The stores themselves are also extremely interesting and creative. Since there cannot be a nonprofit organization in a retail area, Eggers designed the front of the store into a Pirate Supply Store. He set a standard of creative nonsense stores, and those who have followed in his footsteps come up with equally wacky and fun stores that may look weird from the outside, but provide education the way kids need it from within.

A part I liked a lot about Dave Eggers' speech was that he concluded his talk with his TEDwish, which was somewhat of a challenge. He said that he hopes we will become more active and engaged in public schooling and tell our amazing story about how we made a difference.

Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed

Ric Elias TEDtalk

You never know when life if going to change. One day you're living life, happy and content, the next you find yourself on a plane crash, wondering if you're even going to live to see the next day. This is what Ric Elias experienced on his way to New York one day. It was completely unexpected, and completely life-altering.

Ric Elias said that everything changes in an instant when you feel like you're about to die. What surprised me the most when he was explaining what went through his mind during those moments was that Elias said he wasn't scared of dying. That confused me the most because, wouldn't it be natural to be scared of never seeing another day? The way Elias described it was that he didn't feel frightened, but sad. Sad that he wouldn't see his family again, and thinking of all the things he wished he could have done for them. He wasn't frightened because he felt as if people are simply prepared for their moment of death. This part seemed, to me, unselfish. Instead of thinking of himself and his life, Elias thought about his family and what he wished he could have done for them.

I thought Ric Elias was an excellent speaker. He delivered his talk with confidence, and though it was heart-clenching, he still added bits of comedic relief for the crowd. The way he gave his talk also suggested that he doesn't look back on the past any more, but lives in the present and looks forward to the future. Although his TEDtalk was a mere five minutes, it gave much meaning because it came from his heart and his own experience. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, which he so deserved. It was very inspirational and he proved himself to be a remarkable person for being so strong.

There is one thing that really matters to Ric Elias, and he stated it toward the end of his talk. What matters the most to Elias is being a great dad for his children. That became his goal in life, and it was his epiphany of how he changed after the plane crash. His near death experience gave him insight of what truly mattered to him, and he stuck to that. So the question for you is, "How would you change?"

Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world

Clay Shirky's TEDtalk



Clay's talk is all about online work we use as the media online, or what he calls "cognitive surplus." He talks about how the world needs online media sites because it helps us become more cooperative as a whole. What matters to Clay Shirky is the use of shared online works, or "cognitive surplus," in order to create a better world where everyone can voice their thoughts.

Shirky talks about a cite called Ushahidi, which is a Kenya version of Wikipedia. The only way any of these online databases would really work is if the people find it important enough to comment or add their own information to them, creating a bigger web of information and ideas. He was a very good speaker, and he used the projector a lot to show images and proof of his ideas. Shirky also had a very powerful, loud voice, which was his most remarkable quality because it made you want to listen to what he had to say.

I agreed with Shirky's topic, being focused around communicating ideas through technology, because it is so much like the atmosphere we use in our class. During our fishbowls, half of the class relies on the CoverItLive blogging in order to communicate with others, voice their opinions, and ask important questions. We become a more efficient class by using online media to become more cooperative.

I also think that Clay Shirky's idea could relate to Dan Pink's sixth sense, Story. The online works are composed of people's ideas, opinions, and their stories. Cognitive Surplus allows people to share their stories, and when so many people share, one can see many different perspectives of the same story, which allows more understanding between others and, idealistically, cooperation.

Our class consists of about thirty people, who can also talk face-t0-face with each other. What is hard to comprehend about Shirky's talk is the fact that he thinks that the whole world can rely on online works in order to cooperate with each other's thoughts. Isn't is a bit unrealistic to think that all that information would be relayed throughout at least someone in the world? How is every topic supposed to be just stumbled upon on these online works that contain such an abundant amount of information?

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us: Dan Pink

Daniel Pink is an open-minded thinker, who sees the world as a place able to be changed with the right amount of creativity and new thinking. His TEDtalk about the drive describes Pink's views on the modern-day business industry and how nowadays, their way of driving employees to do better is in need of change.

The old business "If/then" theory is that if one gives an incentive or reward to an employee, then that employee will perform better in their work in order to gain that incentive. This is true only for the mechanical jobs of today's society, and those are dwindling as we enter the new Conceptual Age. What Pink's talk told me was that humans aren't predictable. When it comes to jobs that require broad, right-brained thinking, the drive people need is not a prize, it is the self-want to succeed at a task because one has the independence an choice to do so.

The video of Dan Pink's talk was a live animation of someone drawing out Pink's talk, which was both creative and intriguing. While there aren't many videos that demonstrate someone drawing out the meaning of a talk, it is interesting to see how someone's words are interpreted on paper. Although Pink was not physically visible, he used his strong voice to carry it throughout the crowd.

Dan Pink does a great job in proving his points through fact and reason. When he references certain colleges and schools that have done similar tests on students, it is easy for the crowd to agree with him because he bases his argument on true fact and evidence, rather than feeling and opinion.

I think this Pink's video connects with the world because as our world becomes more technologically savvy, there is less need for the simple mechanical jobs and more need for abstract jobs no computer can do. Pink gave an example of an Australian software company called Atlassian demonstrating autonomy. Autonomy, in Pink's case, is the desire to be self-directed. Autonomy goes hand-in-hand with mastery, which is like the second stage of varsity. Mastery is the urge to "get better at stuff" in order to carry on the initial want of working independently. This is exactly what Atlassian does because once every quarter, it allows its employees an allotted 24 hour period in which they can do whatever they'd like. It turns out according to studies, that new ideas and software fixes erupted from this individual time.

What matters to Pink is the giving of employees the gift of autonomy. When people aren't being forced to help, they end up wanting to do their job simply for the joy of doing it themselves.

Rick Warren: A Life of Purpose

A Life of Purpose

What is the purpose of life? This is a hard question, no doubt about it. It's one of those "deep" questions have a hard time thinking and answering about, because there is no definite answer. This is because the answer depends on every individual and their outlook on life.

Rick Warren, who is a church pastor, is famous for writing a book called "The Purpose-Driven Life," which was at one time the most popular book in the world. Why would it be popular? It is because people WANT to learn the significance of life. They WANT to have something real for them to hold on to. Warren believes people like his book because they have spiritual emptiness, and they want a drive to get them through every day, and every routine. Warren states that, although there are those people who want a definite drive, it is impossible to provide everyone with a drive that will help an individual prosper and be happy. He said that there were no "accidental people" God made when he was creating, and that all people matter. His inspirational belief and the mention of God is brave for Warren to do, because God is a touchy subject in many countries.



Something that stood out to me during Warren's talk was his reference to the Bible passage of Moses and the burning bush. God, being present in the burning bush (that was on fire but did not burn) asked Moses what was in his hand when Moses neared. Of course, God knew what Moses was holding, he is God after all. In this passage, God asked Moses this question for his sake. Warren stated that "what's in our hand" contains our identity, income, and influence.

Influence. This word describes every human being, because every being plays a part in our World. Someone with greater amounts of influence can influence great amounts of followers then there are others like shepherds, who watch for their sheep. Warren's remarkableness is without a doubt there. He is a reverse tither, meaning he gives 90% of his income away and lives off of the 10%. He lived what he believed, and did his TEDtalk based on leading by example.

One thing Warren lacked would be chemistry with the crowd. The whole 21 minutes of the talk, Warren sat in a chair, sometimes slouching or leaning forward, but never fully engaging the crowd. I feel like if he had been more charismatic, he would have had a stronger reaction from the people.

What matters to Warren is hard to find, because he talks about many small ideas that leads to one big one. So Rick Warren's big idea is to be selfless in what you do on Earth, plain and simple. All he talks about in his talk; tithing, influencing others, doing things to help his community, it all leads to the same picture. What matters to Rick Warren is helping and serving everyone you can here on Earth to give back to generations to come.

First 7 chapters of "The Purpose-Driven Life"
Rick Warren's TEDtalk