My middle and high school students enjoy TED Talks. I often share them with my Psychology and Civics students. Last year I made a concerted effort to include more TED Talks in my Geography classes. I spent a lot of time the past 12 months watching TED Talks focusing on Geography themes; searching for engaging talks my middle school students would enjoy. I am excited to share my list of TED Talks I plan to share with my Geography students this school year.
1. TED TALK: Jack Dangermond's TED Talk, An Ever-Evolving Map of Everything on Earth
Theme(s): Location, Human-Environment Interaction
Description: What if we had a map of ... everything? Jack Dangermond, a visionary behind the geographic information system (GIS) technology used to map and analyze all kinds of complex data, walks us through the interconnected technologies gathering information about every crack and corner of the Earth. Learn how this "living atlas" and "geospatial nervous system" can help us better understand our changing planet -- and let nature guide our actions towards a more sustainable future.
2. TED Talk: Greta Thurberg's TED Talk, The Disarming Case To Act Right Now On Climate Change.
Theme: Human Environment Interaction
Description: In this passionate call to action, 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg explains why, in August 2018, she walked out of school and organized a strike to raise awareness of global warming, protesting outside the Swedish parliament and grabbing the world's attention. "The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions," Thunberg says. "All we have to do is to wake up and change."
3. TED Talk: Isabel Wilkerson's TED Talk, The Great Migration and the Power of a Single Decision
Theme(s): Movement, Region
Description: Sometimes, a single decision can change the course of history. Join journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson as she tells the story of the Great Migration, the outpouring of six million African Americans from the Jim Crow South to cities in the North and West between World War I and the 1970s. This was the first time in American history that the lowest caste people signaled they had options and were willing to take them -- and the first time they had a chance to choose for themselves what they would do with their innate talents, Wilkerson explains. "These people, by their actions, were able to do what the powers that be, North and South, could not or would not do," she says. "They freed themselves."
4. TED Talk: Matthew Mazzotta's TED Talk, Playful, Wondrous Public Spaces Built for Community and Possibility
Theme(s): Human-Environment Interaction, Place
Description: Introducing a new type of public space, custom-fit for communities in need of a shot of hope and wonder. Artist and TED Fellow Matthew Mazzotta takes us across the US, sharing delightful projects that refresh space and place, spark collective conversation and reignite a sense of possibility and purpose in their surroundings.
5. TED Talk: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story.
Theme(s): Place
Our lives, and our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
If you are interested in checking out my Geography-themed TED Talk lessons, please visit my TpT store. Lesson descriptions and photos are available to preview.
Do you share TED Talks with your students? Which ones are your favorites?
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