Dave Egger (TED Talk 7)

One thing that I didn't particularly think that he did an excellent job with his actual presentation. In many places he sped up to the point that I was beginning to have difficulty comprehending what he was saying. Also, he seemed to be using his hands to convey his point more than he was used to and comfortable with. I don't use my hands too much when I talk, so I have to make sure I don' t try to use them a lot and not to speed up. I need to take my time, and make sure that I speak clearly so that I convey my point. He did, however, do a good job of using pictures to reinforce his presentation and used comedy very well to keep his audience focused. In using his pictures, though, he did look at them more than I think he should have. He had notes in front of him, and he should have used that rather than looking back at his slides, facing his back at the audience. What I understood from his talk is that he wants students to have more one-on-one time with teachers or instructors. He is saying that after doing that, they saw vast improvement in the students performance and grades. He also says that instead of making it part of the school day, it should be separate and made fun for the kids. This directly impacts education in that it is a suggestion for students that are struggling in school to make a big improvement. The style of group tutoring has become useless against the one-on-one technique that Egger is advertising. It is far more effective for the time and effort required. All in all, I think that he was making a very valid and solid point, but his presentation could use some work. He had some stutters and spoke a little fast at times.