Rives (TED Talk 6)

He, again, had a great incorporation of comedy into his talk, which really set the whole mood of the talk. He also moved around the stage to make sure that he looked at the entire audience, which I will need to work on to do in my talk. He also had the best incorporation of slides into his presentation. He has been the first person I have seen do a very good talk as well as incorporate many slides into his presentation. Another thing he did is keep on going back to the main point, which was the eventfulness of 4 a.m.. It really helped me connect everything that he said to the point he was making, which is important to do in order to successfully get the desired point across to the audience. What I understood from his talk is that four in the morning is a time that people randomly choose in naming things and asking question, and that it is ironic that it is used as frequently as it is, given all the other possibilities that would probably come to mind faster like midnight. Despite the point I understood from his talk, I am not sure how that really connects to anything in life. I feel like he just wanted to find something small and unnoticed that is totally ironic and funny to tell people about. I don't see any other true significance of the topic of his talk to education or the world. Despite that, I have to say it was a very excellently executed presentation that had obviously planned out and rehearsed, and as far as technique goes, this is the best talks I have watched so far.

Diane Benscoter (TED Talk 5)

As with previous talks, I did feel that her use of humor did keep me interested. I must say, however, that she was not the best speaker by any means. This did take away from her point because as the beginning especially, I had to concentrate really hard to try and understand what she was trying to say. She did not have her thoughts very clearly organized and thought out in her head, which was shown with her stuttering continuously and saying the word "um". That is something that is likely to happen to me so I have to make sure I am well rehearsed and that I don't get nervous. She did, however, do a decent job of incorporating the slideshow with pictures and phrases into her presentation. That is one thing that I can learn from her and strive to simulate. As I understand, she wants us to take away from her talk that the human brain is much more powerful that we give it credit form being. If we truly believe in something, our brain can make our body believe it and do/become it as well. Based on my takeaway from her talk, the place where I can see this effecting education is on classes like psychology. It shows us, rather than telling us, that the brain has capabilities that most of us do not even know exist. It can teach students to strongly believe in what they want because their brain will help make it true. In summary, I think that she needed to work on talking clearly and not stuttering, and that she had some insightful things to say, but she needs to figure out how to convey her point better. 

Clay Shirky (TED Talk 4)

As opposed to every other TED Talk I have listened to, Clay Shirky uses very minimal humor or comedy in his talk. On the flip side, his serious tone is very fitting for his personality and the topic that he is speaking about. I did like that he used his arms, physical expressions, and voice fluctuations to make certain parts of his speech stand out. He also uses visual backups throughout his talk. Not many of the other talks I have watched have done so, and I will try to make my visual aid similar in quality to his. The one thing that I did not like at all about his talk was that, I felt this way anyway, is that he left me in the dark about what he is getting at until the final statement at the end of his talk. I will be saying something at the beginning of my talk to give everyone in the audience a good idea of what I will be talking about. What I took away from his talk is that if you use your extra time to do something good for the community abroad instead of for yourself of a small group of people, you should be rewarded for your actions. Again, I like the point he was trying to make, but I don't like that he didn't officially make it until his last few sentences. The impact that this has on education is that it demonstrates for students how some of their extra time should be spent on the community, not all of it needs to be theirs. I think that if students are told this, they will sacrifice some of their time for community service, which will better them and their community in one shot.

Steve Jobs (TED Talk 3)

As with the rest of the talks, Steve Jobs does incorporate humor, however, much less of it. I very much liked that he, at the very beginning, said that he would be sharing three stories. I knew exactly what to be listening for after he said that. During the rest of his talk, he remained calm, spoke very clearly, and enunciated his words. This is something that I tend to struggle with on big speaking projects like the one I am faced with, so I will definitely be practicing to talk like him. Due to his presentation style, I feel that each of his stories was meant to convey a separate point. His first story, about how his parents were not college or even high school graduates, was meant to show us that everything happens for a reason and everything will work out in the end. His second story, about how he was fired from the company that he himself started, was meant to show us that anything that happens has two sides. The first is the initial reaction to what has happened, which is generally exaggerated. The second is the good that comes from the event, in his case, it was getting married and founding another big and successful company, next. His final story, about his cancer diagnosis, was to show that you never know when life will end, so you should make every moment count and be the best that it can. For education, I think that this has no major significance, other than showing teachers that they need to make the best use of every class period, because the year is short and they have a lot to get through.

Daniel Pink (TED Talk 2)

I see that he also uses comedy to keep everyone engaged in his talk. I will definitely try to use humor in my talk. He also takes up the whole stage, not standing in one spot, but walking around the whole stage so that everyone can see him. He also changes his voice fluctuation to make certain parts of his talk stand out more, as well as using his and to make gestures. What I take away from his talk is that money is not always a motivator that works successfully. I also think he is trying to get us to understand that we need breaks from our regular, mechanical jobs where he can get creative and do/build/create anything because we want to, not because we are forced to. I partially agree with his views and beliefs. In regards to the money for motivation, I think that it's only effective after a certain point, and before that point it spoils the person. For example, after being with a company for ten years and working hard everyday, putting forth your best effort, a ten percent increase in pay would be likely to motivate that individual to continue to perform to their best, hoping to get another salary increase in ten years. As for his opinion that we need some time to just let our creativity flow, I agree with that as well. That is mainly because he does specify that it needs to be done in modesty, and if it is done in such a fashion, I think that it would very well help people empty their minds so they can work better later. If this concept were applied to the educational system, it would help some of the kids that struggle to stay on task, but it would do nothing for the people who can already do that. This would be most useful in schools that are actually geared towards kids with things like ADD. In any random public school, like Arapahoe High School, I think that it would actually cause most of the students to become a bit lazy.

Sir Ken Robinson (TED Talk 1)

As a whole, Sir Ken Robinson spoke slowly, relaxed, and clearly, keeping continuous eye contact with the audience. It was evident that he had rehearsed what he was going to say, but he didn't get to the point where is was mechanic.  I really like that he started with some light-hearted humor. I will definitely try to do the same to keep my talk interesting. He also has a very good use of stories that flows well with the rest of his talk. Each one makes a very good point that connects directly to the topic he is trying to convey. I will also try to make use of a few stories throughout my talk. As I understand, he wants us to take away from his talk that there needs to be balance in the subjects, like math and art, and that we need to re engineer the whole educational system. Personally, I think that the educational system could use some adjustments, like in courses required to graduate, but I don't think that the education system needs a total overhaul. To most people, I think that his talk will click very well, given the reaction of the audience and of our class. I think that he did an excellent job getting his point across, while keeping it interesting and keeping my attention.