TED Talk #5- Sam Richards: A radical experiment in empathy

The video I watched on empathy was a big picture video. Although it was a little hard for me to be able to understand the first time I watched, the second time I did, I really tried to step out of this box of my own world. I stopped trying to find topics to discuss in my English assigned blog and I started to understand what that Iraqi man was thinking. I started to realize the evil in the American’s ways. It honestly made me uncomfortable to listen and have to idea in the back of my mind that people really do think and feel this way about people. I wanted to walk over to my son and daughters and tell them that I love them and that I will stop these awful Americans. Once the video was over and I started to think about what I had felt, I realized that it was the worst I have ever felt about a situation that was not affecting me directly or personally. I understood and was able to empathize with an Iraqi insurgent. I, a middle class, fairly non-profound, teenage girl in suburban Colorado, was able to feel, or try to feel, what a grown man, whose homeland was being attacked by evil, Christian, American soldiers that he was going to hurt them no matter the consequences, felt. Polar opposites, right? Yet Richards was able to make that connection. He was able to give me the knowledge to understand this man’s life. He started with a story that was easier to relate to because it was from an American’s perspective, simply a twist on history. However, he then moved on to a much more extended point of view. If Richards can help me understand what it felt like to be in that position, then I should be able to give myself the ability to empathize with others whose lives are not too different from my own.

Through empathizing, and in its very definition, I can understand what people are going through. This will help in education because if I can connect with others, and step into their shoes, I will be much better adapted to looking at something in a different light. I will have to ability to understand why they do what they do or say what they say. This will help when I have to do a group project and we must share ideas or if I am in a brainstorming group and someone is coming up with thoughts that I think are useless. People in the grander scheme of education currently make decisions based on time management and monetary expenses. Although I am sure they do know of effects on students and teachers, I feel as though they do not understand or can relate to students and those who work the closest with them. When CSAP was put into effect in the state of Colorado, I believe that the board members did not say, “These tests are not completely affective because some kids do not test very well and do posses the skill to fill in a correct bubble answering standard questions.” CSAPs do not test our learning, the test how well our teachers can tell us exactly what we need to pass a standard test. Perhaps if these same members of education board had considered that filling in a bubble would not be applicable in these children’s futures, then we would not as much of an education reform.

This TED video showed me that if we all understood what we were each going through, and then maybe we would not have war. I am not saying that empathizing would solve these world problems, but it certainly would help to correct a misjudgment. As Richard said it in the video, you cannot help but feeling in the front of your brain that tens of thousands of people are dying because of oil. Because they need it so they need to take it. My brother, father, son, uncle, aunt, sister, mother, daughter died for America’s oil need. As an Iraqi, that is not a pleasant thought. This is not light topic. This is probably the reason that Richards did not have any humor or sly remarks in his talk. He wanted us to focus on those emotions of anger and frustration rather than be lighthearted and come away without truly understanding what he was seeking to be comprehended.

If you watch this video and can suddenly relate to more people, I believe that you were a successful listener and would make a successful empathizer without the support of Richards. This TED Talk is very useful and easy to utilize in everyday situations. It touches on the personal life of just about anyone, with the exception of Spock.

TED Talk #4 "Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world"

            Clay Shirky had very good ideas that he wants to spread with the world. One of these ideas is cognitive surplus. This idea, he says, is made up of two things, ancient motivation and modern tools. Ancient motivation originated in the 20^th century and is now a dominate part of our lives, free time and talents. Modern tools were around in the 20^th century but were focused on being consumed, not used. In the 21^st century we can move on to creating and sharing with help from those tools. With this surplus we have also have a surplus of time; the world has trillions of hours of free time. The idea that there are a trillion hours people can devote to anything they want. The world now has internet sources like Lol cats but also Ushiditi. Shirky says that “even though [lol cats] is a stupid creative act, it’s still a creative act.” Lol cats and Ushahidi have one major difference; Lol cats is communal (by producers for producers) and Ushahidi is civic (created by participates but valued by society, it makes everyone more knowledgeable).  Ushahidi was originally created to help everyone be more informed, but turned out to be a resource that people can use even when the media is being blocked in a time of crisis. This is important because it means that we can be greater as a whole than one person alone. We can use these tools to solve global issues and create humor. We need this technology to work with human generosity and move into a world that is both enjoyable and helpful.

What if this was never created? Would we be less of a society, or just less informed? I would hypothesize that we would have a less of a communicating a society. Without Google and other sites such as these, many would still be highly uniformed. Many people are still uniformed. In China, the government is blocking certain internet site. As Shirky best put it “free culture get what they celebrate.” The celebration is the freedom. If China does not have that freedom, how can they better themselves and their country? This freedom can allow for better design of our world. Although Ushahidi is a highly informative site, it still has to be creativity appealing. Original design centered on generosity can achieve incredible without those governmental restraints. We need to take advantage of this ability to communicate so that we can solve problems that may not have had a solution before this cognitive surplus was possible. When given the opportunity people will add to this vast knowledge, they will do it without pay and compensation. When people are able to pay, they are able to fine away their guilt. However, without ever being offered a reward, participates are still sharing this information. People also benefit from the community that they feel; they feel a connection with others that they have never met or even really seen their face. What this means for education is that we need and thrive one this human connection. With online classes, our compassion to learn and feed off each other’s strengths and weaknesses are shrinking. We need to have that human connection to really benefit.

Shirky’s style was very unique. He would go from a very serious topic to something humorous. It was a sly, sneaky humor that made this presentation flow very well. He was also in a small room with a much smaller audience. This could be a forced venue without choice, but I believe that it was purposeful. I showed that people can have that connection, that intimate communication while still discussing something bigger and greater than most of us can imagine. All of his humor and comments were well connected, even if one had to dig a little deeper to see the relation.

TED Talk #3: "Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation"

                Daniel Pink’s TED Talk about the things that motivate us and our society was very revolutionary to the greater populous. Pink said that the old reward and punishment way of thinking is no longer, nor has it ever been when it comes to creativity, effective. He addresses this pressing issue in a way that connected to a larger audience. He was able have humor simply thrown into the talk and then continue rolling along with the talk. When he was discussing this issue, he would quickly become very passionate and loud then make a statement and all of a sudden draw back to a softer, more timid voice. I t was as if he wanted to make the atmosphere more intimate. This allowed me to better understand that if you are motivated by others or tangible rewards, then that the task becomes work and therefore creates a mindset that it is not as enjoyable. He hinted that in the future, a right-brained, creative society, we will not be able to use the old way of thinking about motivation; we will need a reformation. I was able to relate to what Pink was saying very easily. He was personal but not obviously so.

As I was watching, I was thinking about all the daily tasks I do that I either used to enjoy or currently do. I came across the similarity that completely agrees with what Pink is saying; I enjoy the things I do because no one told me I have to do them. I sing in choir; no one pays me or grades me on it (yes, there is a grade for the class but it is not reflective of performance). I play tennis; my parents did not even completely approve of the idea and therefore I receive no money from them. I sing because I like making music and I play tennis because I can get outside and stay physically fit. No one is paying me or telling me I must do this “or else.” He also touched that this is why students do not typically enjoy learning about school. Teachers drill math into us, students, from the time we walk into kindergarten to the day we graduate high school (and hopefully college). Yet most of the arts classes are optional and one needs very little credits to graduate; yet there are still plenty of students still wanting those classes. If these likes and dislikes are drilled into us, then we will not be able to continue expanding our knowledge because we all lose interest. The world will come to a creative and technological stand still. However, some businesses and schools are changing and meeting the needs of the students and of the future. This talk allows us to look at the things that fuel our world, see the flaws and make that adjustment for a better future.

TED Talk#2 Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong

Eric Whitacre was a young man in high school and college when he decided he would make music his career choice. When he was in high school he aspired to be a pop artist, but as he grew and matured, he joined his college’s choir. Whitacre felt something that first day that he had never felt before; enlightenment. Whitacre says that when the choir opened up the score and began to sing it was like nothing he had ever known. He describes this experience as, “finally seeing in Technicolor”. He says that he felt like he was part of something bigger than himself. Everyone in that choir could share in the beauty and sound they were creating, no restraints or limits. He later wrote music for choirs and piece by piece became known by many. It only took one small moment, that first note to spark this man into a future and success. The next great achievement in his life was also sparked with one movement; a viral video fan. This girl sent a video to Whitacre singing part of his song as an innocent girl, not having the slightest idea that she would begin a worldwide connection between thousands. If you care to watch this truly breathe taking video, here is the link to the full edition; . I took away that an epiphany can happen anytime, we all want to be bigger than ourselves and people can share beauty through music, virally and physically.

Whitacre’s presentation was to be very personal with the audience by telling them his childhood dream and how he became entranced by music. In that way he was able to connect to the viewers and audience. He did have some humor to keep the feel light. However, his videos and stories were so poetic and unimaginable that he did not need much talking to explain his movement. He had several videos that really took the place of a lengthy speech. His style was very different from that of Sir Robinson’s. Robinson connected with the audience through various stories and constituent humor but Whitacre did not focus on the verbalization, he focused on the technology. Whitacre really wanted to get across that technology can make people feel connections as they would if they were in the same room or even continent together.

This is how the Virtual Choir matters in the world. It illustrates how people are making those connections and social web with each other in the modern times. People used to not even know others in a separate town, much less the other side of the world. Now people have more online dating, online socialization (MySpace and Facebook), online updates (Twitter) and now they can make that right-brained, artistic, creative connection. People can achieve the highest level on the hierarchy of needs, purpose. It matters in my life because I enjoy singing and making music and if there is an easier, more universal way to do that, I would like to be a part of that. Because the audition videos were sent in and not live, people got more than one chance to be their best. They had more time and practice to make their voices sound perfect (or at least the way they wanted to sound). This allows for people to adjust and change, they are able to adapt.

This Virtual Choir changes the way we see human connection, high pressure situations, how to get an idea started and think about acclimatizing to the future.

For the TED Talk that showed this movement go to; Eric Whitacre's TED Talk

For the original choir; Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

For the second, 58 country, 2,000+ member choir; Eric Whitacre - Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 2.0, 'Sleep'

TED Talk #1, "Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity"

 The Ken Robinson TED Talk was inspiring and mind-opening. I showed me an idea that I had not even considered before; that schools and public education are stifling children’s creativity and answers that they will need in the future to achieve greatness. Robinson’s story about Gillian Lynne, the dancer, made me feel so touched that she had gotten so lucky as to have that counselor instead of another who would have killed her talent. This counselor recognized her as a flower and allowed Ms. Lynne to blossom; a different person may have seen her as a weed that must be exterminated (not literally). My main “take away” is that the school system as we know it needs to change. It needs to allow for more creativity and less one-answer questions. Mr. Robinson was able to make that point through the use of jokes and an easy, relatable style of addressing the crowd. If Sir Robinson had just stood on the stage, with a PowerPoint and read from note card, the audience would not have been so relaxed and able to understand what he was saying; they would have been bored. He did not have a video, PowerPoint, Prezi, or any other visual enhancements during his speech. It was all him. This allowed viewers to really focus on the content and not pictures or background. He was able to captivate his audience with his points, not his scenery.


I found it very interesting that he mentioned his move from the UK. He said that no matter what continent, the hierarchy of education is the same, Languages and Math on top, Dance and Drama the lowest. Robinson goes on to say that the school system educated children from the waist up. Instead of focusing on body movements, building art with hands and movement, we focus on using the brain/head to do computations and diagramming sentences. This matters because, as Robinson says, we are not all college professors. I, personally, have not set the goal for myself to say that I have truly succeeded in life if I am college professor. I have set other goals such as having a loving family and living a fruitful life. I will not need to know the meaning of olfactory or the how to find the angle measurement of a 30-60-90 triangle when given the opposite and adjacent side lengths. It matters because I am the future. I want to learn things that will better help me achieve any goals I have. If this means that education will have to change to meet my standards and my peers’ standards of life then so be it. If what we require is reformation to benefit our career choices and ambitions. We are the future. We will rule the world. We are the next generation. Should education stay the same if it does not help the upcoming sovereign? And if education does not change, then do we fail? Does our society end? The answer to that should be no, but without an adjustment Robinson and many others, including myself, feel that this is where humanity is heading.