TED fan ... now TEDed fan

TED talks are so inspiring - combining current ideas, creativity, in many cases humor, humanity, and not just relevant problems we face in this world, but solutions and hope.  What an amazing forum and platform fo sharing on such a broad basis.  So - don't know how I missed this, but I just stumbled onto the TEDEd link.  http://ed.ted.com/

This site allows you to search by series or by subject to find an engaging video to introduce or exemplify a specific topic.  Along with the video, there is a quick quiz to check for understanding, a section that asks open ended questions to which students can respond, and "dig deeper" section that suggests that extends the lesson.  As if that wasn't cool enough.... if the lesson does not specifically fit your needs, you can "flip" the lesson to customize for your own class - create your own link to it for students to engage in the lesson.  You can also revise open ended questions in your flip. 

To make this even better, this site provides direction for taking any educational You Tube video and designing a lesson around it.  Lots of possibilities here.

While I was browsing, I came across this one about how to speed up a chemical reaction (and get a date).  http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-speed-up-chemical-reactions-and-get-a-date.  I think this would be a great addition to my first unit in biology - it adds high school relevant humor and gets the point across.