TEDx

In this section, our favorite TEDx videos and talks have been compiled.

Breakthrough New Kind of Wireless Internet - What if we could use existing technologies to provide Internet access to the more than 4 billion people living in places where the infrastructure can't support it? Using off-the-shelf LEDs and solar cells, Harald Haas and his team have pioneered a new technology that transmits data using light, and it may just be the key to bridging the digital divide. Take a look at what the future of the Internet could look like. (12:52)

Every Kid Needs a Champion - Inspiring presentation by Rita Pierson, a 30 year teacher who shares that kids don't work for those they don't like. (7:48)

Find Your Passion, Discover Your Future - An internationally acclaimed speaker, Michael is one of the nation's youngest CEOs who was recently named 'Young Business Leader of the Year' by the National Financial Educators Council. "I want teens to know that they can defy the odds, that they don't have to be their past mistakes, and that they can rise above anything life throws at them to help others and to live their dreams." -Michael Costigan (11:49)

Grit - Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success. There are longer versions of this presentation available on YouTube. (6:12)

How To Find and Do What You Love - Scott Dinsmore's mission is to change the world by helping people find what excites them and build a career around the work only they are capable of doing. He is a career change strategist whose demoralizing experience at a Fortune 500 job launched his quest to understand why 80% of adults hate the work they do, and more importantly, to identify what the other 20% were doing differently. (17:56)

Know Your Life's Purpose in 5 Minutes - This Malibu based TED Talk helps you focus on your life...ever so briefly. (10:33)

Myth of Average - From the way curriculum is designed to how we assess learning, Todd Rose argues that basing education on the 'average student' works against our nation's greatest assets—focus on the individual, our diversity and capacity for innovation. (2:24)

Nature. Beauty. Gratitude. This is a different type of video that might be perfect for a presentation or to set the mood for leadership beyond the day to day. Presented by Louis Schwartzberg, it focuses on nature and instills the perspective of being grateful for what we have around us, and how we are all connected and one. He talks about how his videos, using time lapse video, bring out the "Oh My God" perspectives from those who observe them. Oh - caught your attention, makes you present, makes you mindful. My - connects to something deep inside your soul, speaks to your inner voice that wants to be heard. God - a journey to be inspired, to be connected to a universe that wants to celebrate life. (9:47)

One More Reason to Get a Good Night of Sleep - The brain uses a quarter of the body's entire energy supply, yet only accounts for about two percent of the body's mass. So how does this unique organ receive and, perhaps more importantly, rid itself of vital nutrients? New research suggests it has to do with sleep. (11:45)

Power of Belief - Eduardo Briceño is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mindset Works (http://www.mindsetworks.com), an organization that helps schools and other organizations cultivate a growth mindset culture. The growth mindset was discovered by Stanford professor and Mindset Works co-founder Carol Dweck, Ph.D. The way we understand our intelligence and abilities deeply impacts our success. Based on social science research and real life examples, Eduardo Briceño articulates how mindset, or the understanding of intelligence and abilities, is key. When students or adults see their abilities as fixed, whether they think they're naturals or just not built for a certain domain, they avoid challenge and lose interest when things get hard. (10:51)

Simon Sinek - Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe - What makes a great leader? Management theorist Simon Sinek suggests, it's someone who makes their employees feel secure, who draws staffers into a circle of trust. But creating trust and safety — especially in an uneven economy — means taking on big responsibility. (11:59)

Teaching Without Words - Because words can sometimes hinder our work, speaker Matthew Peterson reminds us how learning can go far beyond words. (8:17)

The Art of Great Teaching - Sam Chaltain is a DC-based writer and education activist. He works with schools, school districts, and public and private sector companies to help them create healthy, high-functioning learning environments. Sam's writings about his work have appeared in both magazines and newspapers, including the Washington Post, Forbes, and USA Today. A contributor to CNN and Huffington Post, Sam is also the author or co-author of six books, including his latest, Our School: Searching for Community in the Era of Choice (Teacher's College Press, 2013). (14:20)

The Happiness Advantage - Shawn Achor is the winner of over a dozen distinguished teaching awards at Harvard University and delivers lectues on positive psychology. (12:29)

The Price of Shame - Monica Lewinsky - In 1998, says Monica Lewinsky, “I was Patient Zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously.” Today, the kind of online public shaming she went through has become a constant. In a brave talk, she takes a look at our “culture of humiliation,” in which online shame equals dollar signs — and demands a different way. (22:30)

What Do We Do With All This Big Data? Does a set of data make you feel more comfortable? More successful? Then your interpretation of it is likely wrong. In a surprisingly moving talk, Susan Etlinger explains why, as we receive more and more data, we need to deepen our critical thinking skills. Because it's hard to move beyond counting things to really understanding them. (12:23)

What Makes a Hero? - What trials unite not only Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins but many of literature's most interesting heroes? (4:33)

Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are - Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how "power posing" -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.(21:02)