Joachim de Posada TED Talk Response

            The idea that we need to practice more self discipline is the main takeaway from this video. De Posada mentioned that only 1/3 of the 4 year olds surveyed in America and Columbia pulled through and didn't eat their marshmallow. The 2/3 that gave in were found to be less successful later on in life when they were college aged. The idea that de Posada is passionate about is that the more we push self discipline and practice it ourselves the more successful we will become. Another idea to takeaway is that Japan is pushing self discipline full force. As de Posada said, "We are eating more marshmallows than we are producing" (paraphrased). If we don't start to practice self discipline and enforce it our the generations to come, we will owe Asia even more. The speaker's effective speaking techniques would be the way he tells stories. De Posada gave two examples of the point he was trying to make through story. He also used motion instead of just standing still. This ties into de Posadas presentation style. He was very animated in his speaking. De Posada also showed a video to portray his topic. This allowed the audience to see how the children reacted to the marshmallow test. As mentioned earlier, the idea that we should be more self disciplined matters most from this video. People today could be so much more successful if they were very self disciplined. Instead of eating the marshmallow or taking the easy way out, folks need to look a challenge straight in the eyes and overcome it. This video connects to me personally in a few ways. For instance, I have fairly good self discipline but I am definitely not lacking practice. I can start disciplining myself more and I believe that would truly help me be even more successful in terms of grades and outside activities alike. I could also use self discipline in my dance classes. Instead of not working as hard because I'm tired or something, I can really push myself to give 120% and improve ten-fold. This video also connects to me because I work with kids a large amount of time each week. When I'm babysitting or helping in a dance class I can always tell which kids have more self discipline than others. If more parents helped their children practice self discipline I think they would see an improvement in their child's behavior as well as their performance later on. This video connects to education because it shows the idea that people with good work habits and self discipline are more successful in classes. De Posada brought up that majority of the children who ate the marshmallow had dropped out of school already or had poor grades and were heading down that path. If children practice self discipline they will probably perform a lot better in school and earn higher grades. This could help them get into college and get a job later on in life. Finally this video connects to the world because it shows how we need to watch out for Japan who is strongly pushing kids to have self discipline. If one country has very diligent and successful people, and another does not it is very easy to tell which country will have more power. This video can raise awareness that we need to instill good values and self discipline in our children for a more successful future. 

LXD TED Talk Response

There are many takeaways from this video. One is that you can accomplish great things through what your passionate about. The video featured street dancers from the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) who used to be unknown to the world. These people just danced for fun and didn't care about making money. Once they were discovered some of the dancers have been able to dance in movies such as the Step Up series. These dancers were able to encourage folks all around the world to get up and dance or do something they care about. The dancers are able to accomplish things by energizing people to go out and do the same thing. Another takeaway is the idea that technology is truly helpful in many aspects. Through Youtube and other internet movie sites, dancers have been able to share and edit footage from all over the world. I know this first hand because I have searched for dance videos on Youtube and have been able to learns some moves I probably wouldn't have learned in the first place. The internet enabled me to expand my horizons and try different types of dance I hadn't been exposed to yet. The speaker (Jon Chu) had very effective speaking techniques. He spoke in a way that every one could understand. Chu didn't get up on stage and try to use all of these fancy terms to talk about dance, he spoke in plain and simple terms. Jon Chu also spoke for a very brief time. Although it was short, his speech was very powerful and portrayed his point very well. The presentation style was brilliant. Instead of standing on stage talking about the dancers of LXD, Chu let the dancers speak through movement. Most people, especially older folks, have not necessarily been exposed to the world of street dancing. The presentation style allowed the audience to get a taste of what Chu as well as all the dancers weres passionate about. The concept that there are many different ways to express yourself matters from this video. Nobody should have an excuse to not express themselves because there are so many ways to do it. As showcased in this video, a person could dance. Or if that wasn't up their alley, someone could play an instrument, a sport, paint or many other different things. The idea that technology helps the progress of dance around the world matters as well. Someone will see a video of a dance and may learn it step for step or add their own twist. A friend of theirs could see this or the internet world and boom, the kids a hit. Technology also helps with other things such as singing. There are people all the time making covers of different songs and when a recording agency sees the video they call the kid and make a star. This video connects to me on many levels. First of all I am very passionate about dance and I love to watch the Step Up movies, especially Step Up 3. It was amazing to see some of the dancers who were in those videos up on stage at the TED Talk conference showcasing their abilities. This video encourages me because I'm not perfect in all aspects of dance but I don't have to be. Madd Chadd is amazing at Mechanical Movement and LIL "C" is very talented at Krumping. The two might not excel fully in other types of dance however;  they are masters at the style they do. That's what makes the art of dance so amazing. Also I love to watch videos of dancers in order to get pumped for class or learn some new moves. I totally agree with LXD that dance evolves even more through the internet. This video connects to education because it shows how kids should be able to express themselves through what they love. You can't tell a child who was born to dance to quit dancing in his/her chair. Instead there should be more time for free expression in the class room. Finally this video connects to the world because it demonstrates how we are all connected through the internet and dance. There are kids in other countries watching dance videos of Americans and vice versa. This allows all different styles of dance to be taught and perfected everyday by people who will most likely never meet but share the same passion for dance. This video can teach us that it is easy to put aside our differences and focus on what we all love. 

Clay Shirky TED Talk Response

            I don't take away too much from this video. The only thing was the idea that the world has a lot of free time and we could get a lot done if we just use the time we have. Perhaps he is saying that instead of sitting and reading or being on our computers at home we should get up and be creative. Other than that the presenter was a bit confusing with the topics he spoke about. Going off of that, Shirky's effective speaking techniques were the use of photos to illustrate and further demonstrate his topic. Shirky did not have a very effective presentation style. I was confused on how he wishes we should spend our free time. Should we get up from what we are doing and make a robot or invention? I didn't know what the point of his TED Talk was until after the end. I had a vague idea toward the middle but his presentation style left me confused. The point that we all need to work together and be generous to one another matters from the video. I thought it was interesting when Shirky said, "The gap is between doing anything and doing nothing." (Not word for word). This point matters because there is a big difference between doing something stupid and doing nothing at all. No matter what we do it could help the world  in some way. This video connects to me personally in a few ways. For instance I will now think about what I'm doing more and think about what else I could be doing in order to make the world a better place. This video could connect to education to show how else we could be spending our classroom time to better help the world. This video connects to the world because it shows how we can help everyone around us and be generous. 

Joseph Lekuton TED Talk Response

            This video is very important to me in many aspects and I take away a plethora of concepts. First I agree with Lekuton that every village in Africa should be given the opportunity to stand on its own feet. Allowing the people to thirve and no longer suffer from starvation and not having clean drinking water. I thoroughly believe that it is our job as fortunate Americans to step in and help these developing countries and villages. I also take away the parable Lekuton told. The overall message of the African parable is things turn out better when we work together with a strong leader and equally strong support. These villages aren't going to change for the better without someone like Lekuton helping them. In a similar manner, neither will the problems of the world unless we all decide to work together and put aside our differences. Lekuton is a well educated man and could easily leave behind his small village in Africa and move on to become a great business leader or something. Instead he chose to run for office in America so he could start Kenya on a path towards clean water and a better quality of life. Lekuton style of speaking is very effective. He started off by giving background, moved to telling his point, gave a quick story and finally ended with a last thought. All of this occurred in less than 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Lekutons TED Talk may have lacked time but certainly did not lack a lasting impression. Lekuton also had an effective presentation style. He was very animated and looked to all parts of the audience. He was very confident. The idea of working together to solve problems and overcome obstacles is the most important topic from this video. This idea matters so much because a lot of people in the world are very independent and they think the only way to get something done is to do it themselves. Which in reality is not the case. We all must work as one to get the task done. This video connects to me personally because I feel strongly that each village in Africa should have clean drinking water and other necessities in order to provide a strong future of the generations to come. There are so many people in America where all they can think about is when the next Apple product will hit the market or other material things. Society has made these things seem important when in reality it is all the starving lives around the world who could use the money for necessary food and water. This video is not directed to education per se. It may loosely relate to teaching teamwork in schools and such but is not intended for that purpose. Finally this video connects to the world because it is raising awareness of the things people around the world are doing to help each other out. I believe we can all take something away from this video in order to make the world a better place for all of God's creatures no matter their racial background or anything. 

Daniel Pink TED Talk Response

            I take away a few different topics from this video. First of all money doesn't really motivate. It has to matter to you. To do a job there has to be self motivation. If it doesn't matter then why do it. Sometimes motivation comes from asking questions and wanting to know why it happens. Sometimes I put things off or don't do it but then I almost always go back and do it because I want to know why it happens or how to understand it. I also think it is important to not have a schedule like Pink mentioned with ROWE. Everyone works at their own pace and should be given time to get things done when they want. Personally I get my work done quicker in math and sometimes need more time in say Spanish or English. It would be nice to have longer time on those subjects and be able to leave math fairly quickly. Pink has a specific speaking technique of talking about many different aspects of a topic that relate to one big thing. Every story he told related back to The Candle Problem vs. The Candle Problem for Dummies. This keeps the audience captivated. Similarly, Pink presents in a casual manner with a few slides to show as visuals. He throws in a few jokes here and there to keep the attention again. The idea of rewards not really working matter from this video. I wholeheartedly agree. If someone doesn't want to do something well they won't. Even if they are going to get a reward. If the were to have an incentive they would just rush through the job to get the prize more quickly. This video matters to me on a personal level because I always try to get things done and think outside the box. My parents don't pay me or anything for getting good grades and I can't understand why people slack for no reason. I feel many people should see this video to become more motivated. This video connects to education  because it shows how people are able to think outside the box more and finish more tasks when there is no reward. As Pink said, rewards on jobs with more than one solution cause more time to be taken and less people solve the issue. When teachers give an abstract problem they can't offer rewards if they want better results. Finally this video relates to the world because it shows how people work differently with different rewards and incentives. Daniel Pink also brings up an important phrase, " There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does." We know that people work better without rewards yet business still offer them to their employees. They need to take a step back and realize how to change their original system of doing things to allow people to get more done on their own time and in their own way.

Sir Ken Robinson TED Talk Response

        From this video I take away many different ideas. For instance I don't believe there is such thing as ADHD and it is wrong to medicate these children. Personally I have trouble sitting still in class and concentrating all the time and I flourish so much more in while at dance class after school. We always say everyone is their own person yet the public education system is exactly the same for everybody and creativity is looked down upon versus mathematics and other "important subjects". We should focus on each person and their learning style individually instead of looking at children as a whole with one way to learn. Another topic I take away from this video is the thought of children not being afraid to take a chance and how that trait goes away as they grow up. During school I always hesitate to answer a question because I'm afraid of being wrong. Teachers always say there is nothing to feel bad about with being wrong, yet there is always this personal feeling and reaction from others when you aren't correct 100% of the time. Robinson does a wonderful job portraying this point and many others during is TED talk. Sir Ken Robinson has a unique speaking technique. He starts by opening a thought about a topic. Then he tells a story that relates to the topic and goes to explain it more after. All of his stories tied into one topic that the public education system is corrupted. His presentation style is similar to his speaking style. Robinson adds in little jokes during his speaking to keep the audience captivated by what he has to say. Many different concepts from this video are important. Such as the idea that the public school system of education has created a society focused on college and gaining a degree. Everyone is different and not every person wishes to go to college to take a successful business job later in life. The idea that nobody knows what the future will hold is another topic that matters. We can assume things about the economy, population growth, etc. in the present day however; there is no guarantee the outcome will be what we expected until we are living in that moment. This video connects to me in many ways. For instance I know exactly the choreographer, Robinson spoke about, felt when she was a young girl in school. I've never been able to really articulate my thoughts all the time at school but there is no issue for me while I'm dancing. I've tried to be better and be more like the norm you would expect at school and in a student, yet I've realized through this video that it is okay for me to thrive more outside the classroom. This video also connects to me because I don't want to live a "cookie-cutter" life as I grow older, I do better with less structure. Sir Ken Robinson has affirmed my thoughts that its okay to be creative and not be like everyone else because its good to think outside the box and what not. I believe that this video applies 100% to education. Superintendents should think about the way the public education system is today and how we can change it for the better. Finally though out the world folks need to realize that the children who can't sit still or can't stop drawing are special and could lead amazing lives if given the chance to thrive.