What it is: Summer is a great time to be inspired, laugh and gather ideas. TED has been my go-to place for video inspiration, but recently I found a new source: Do Lectures. Do Lectures are like TED Talk videos, they are inspiring talks from people who are changing the world. The talks are broken down into talks about Big Ideas, Challenging talks, Funny talks, Informative talks, Inspiring talks, and Soulful talks. You can also search by topic (business, creativity, environment, food, sport, technology, or well being) or by speaker.
Do Lectures started out of West Wales and is moving to the good old USA in 2012. They call themselves a mash-up, a village of ideas. They take great talks, yummy local food, great un-signed bands, workshops and bring them together in one place. They switch the Internet off so that people talk (in real life) because ideas need conversation. The idea is to create an eco-system for ideas to be born, shared and acted on. The next event is happening in California September 20-13.
How to integrate Do Lectures into the classroom: Do Lectures don’t focus on education specifically. I kind of love that they don’t. I find that my BEST ideas for the classroom and education come from outside of education. Often, we become an echo chamber within education. Hearing ideas from any field sparks ideas and creative approaches to teaching/learning for me. Do Lectures are a great place to find inspiration and new ideas for your classroom.
Do Lectures can also be the perfect supplement or launching point for units of study in your classroom. You may find a video that supports the learning happening in your classroom.
Tips: Be sure to share those great videos you stumble on with the rest of us!
Please leave a comment and share how you are using Do Lectures in your classroom!
I like the look of Do Lectures, but the first one I watched (“Why we need to design better things, not design better”) had some language sprinkled throughout that would make it inappropriate to show in class, even to high school students. I’ve never had that issue with TED Talks. I’ll probably take a look at others, but I’d say be sure to preview the lectures carefully before you show them!
Lisa, that is a great reminder for all of us! Videos should always be viewed all the way through before being used in the classroom (same with books, websites, etc!). Thanks for letting us know!