Hans Rosling and the Magic Washing Machine Review (#8)

     My final TED talk review for English 9 Honors has brought me to an interesting man. He goes by Hans Rosling. What brought me to his "idea worth spreading" was, in fact, the title of his TED talk. He used a story about his mother and the first family washing machine to set his scene, which was a great choice. I found it interesting how he used this scenario throughout his time in a more global sense for his real point. He used his connection with his mother's and grandmother's amazement of this technology as the basis for his entire idea by allowing the audience to empathize with women around the world who did not have this luxury. Although Rosling was not wordy, I do think that one of his ideas was that multitasking is important. Advances such as the washing machine have and will allow people to focus on not the monotonous tasks, but the though-provoking/meaningful right-brained activities.

     Once the talk began, I was immediately engaged by the props Rosling used to tell his story. They were, as mentioned before, the basis of the argument but not too distracting either. Being from Sweden, I was also intrigued by his accent and also his account of worldly issues. I do not think he said too much, and this certainly wasn't the best TED talk I have seen (he did not use many facts or details in his thinking), but somehow I got a lot out of it. This may be from my external readings in A Whole New Mind and Drive. The silly manner in which Rosling presented himself was also somewhat unprofessional but intriguing. While he talked about the poverty line and what he calls the "air-line" or very much above poverty, he created a sub-category called the wash line. This was a humorous play on words because he identified the portion of the population that could afford washing machines; again, adding his experience to the mix. Toward the end when he finally got to his main point, he used props again in an unexpected way when he said that washing machines let his family read more. Instead of just stating this fact, he had an assistant pass books out of the fake washing machine to him, symbolizing the relationship.

     Through his chart of wealth lines and finally his ending statement,  Hans Rosling got to the point. It is important to somehow bring the poverty line people into industrial life and reduce rich people's energy use to help the others with their lack. The result, is the people formerly in poverty get time to improve their educations as well as their qualities of life, so hopefully they will become part of society.
     Personally, my whole life is reliant on machines such as the washing machine or coffee maker especially. This is a good and bad thing in my opinion. Yes, I can focus on more meaningful tasks, but I sometimes enjoy those tasks as a break from overloading my brain with deep, connective thoughts. I find turning on music and doing something necessary but not always worth while a relief from racking my brain constantly, but that's just me. In the world of education, this TED presents three problems for students to develop solutions; energy issues, economic issues, and social issues once the new middle class people are invited into "mainstream" society. The world as a whole will have to adjust society because there will be new competition and new cultures to deal with on a more leveled playing field. I wonder how that might play out with all the selfish people and dictators today...


Pictures: 1) http://www.kunskapspriset.se/images/2007/press_finalister/hans_rosling_hi.jpg
2) http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/files/2011/04/washing-machine.jpg
3) http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5283/5242553656_5053c2bc1b.jpg
    

Patricia Ryan: Don't Insist on English TED talk Review (#7)

     Language is the way people communicate using their personal culture. Patricia Ryan's TED talk explained the importance of different cultures' ways of communicating. She also identified the importance of the ability to communicate through generations. This, I thought, was an interesting thing to ponder because so much history is relayed verbally and in different jargon or context. In Ryan's speech, she also unveiled the British and American agenda of "selling" the English language. A common world language is useful in terms of trading and doing business, but Ryan explained that the language of English has now become the business. An education in English has been ranked the best of the best, therefore English speakers have pushed all other languages out the door, no matter the ties to cherished culture, in order to supposedly better the world. And when analyzed, the real motive of helping these "illiterate" nations is to make connections for natural resources; using the excuse of "empowering the rest of the world".
     Patricia Ryan has a powerful presence, probably because she is a cute, old British woman! She engaged her audience first by cracking a joke at this. After everyone laughed, she went right into story mode, which I believe is a strong move, considering stories are easy to remember, as Dan Pink points out in A Whole New Mind. She then presented her topic with a few statistics, which gave viewers a mental picture of the depth of the situation. She noted that a language dies every fourteen days. This fact allows viewers a grasp on the true effects of English spread; but, I would have liked her to acknowledge other causes so that there would be an ability to connect larger ideas here.
     Ryan's presentation was aided by many pictures and short stories. I do think these tactics help in most cases but there were too many in her talk. The small tales and simple pictures did not link to the harder to understand pieces of the talk, but rather some that were also simple in nature. In other words, I do believe Patricia Ryan presented herself well as a wise educator, but used too many uncomplicated visuals/stories to really be useful as a tool. Instead, the became a distraction. This is one area I need to think about for my own TED talk because much of it is not based on facts, but stories in media as well as my own life. I hope to use detailed and rich tales that tie into every piece of my main topic.
     The idea of "not insisting on English" is simply the fact that too much of this good thing turns out to be not so good, as a dietitian would say about nutritional value. In the minds of the USA and UK, English has been the main ingredient for a peaceful and harmoniously educated world. Some of this is true, but the conquest has become an obsession. Ryan describes the situation now not as a gateway to world trade and communication, but a barrier. A story about two scientists that were puzzling over the meanings of scientific words illustrates this point. The two English scientists did not understand the word for what they were experimenting with, until a third, from Germany, explained that in German it made much more sense. Her point here is that cooperating with other languages can get people very far, because each has a different and creative way of thinking. This statement ultimately led to her great call to action, asking the audience to celebrate diversity and "mind your language,  (and) use it to spread great ideas."
      Much of this talk is simply connecting the English language "empire" to the world and how it has been used in education. Ryan pointed out that the top universities are in the USA and UK. This is why everyone is going crazy for our language. English means opportunity. However, the culture piece and "outside of the English box" thinking is lost by this. A solution, in my mind, is the prospect of students abroad. I have several teachers that have studied around the world and not only understand more of other languages, but come back a more thoughtful and whole person. This is one experience I would like to have growing up in order to expand my own mind. Using the techniques described in Pink's novels about thinking a new way can help people understand foreign ideas that are learned on trips such as those. On the world stage, languages are simply dying. However, Ryan used an example of how a young man in Kenya helped his village using his own ideas and culture. Evans Wadongo saw a need in his community for light after dark, in order to improve homework abilities. Through the power of his own initiative and cultural resources, he built a solar powered lamp and increased his community's test scores greatly. Leadership such as this in the world, and using one's own different cultural knowledge (e.g. plants as medicine), means many conclusions can be made to the world's toughest questions and issues.


Pics: 1) http://images.ted.com/images/ted/ec53a437b299ac1a83e2c52de5b1ea972e403bef_389x292.jpg
2) http://www.home.co.ke/images/stories/evans-wadongo.jpg

Dave Eggers wish: Once Upon A School Review (#6)

     A wish for students is one that will truly change the world. Dave Eggers's TED explains his wish for a new teaching technique in tutoring based on his own experience as an entrepreneur/writer/tutor leader. Eggers's emphasis in his tactics interested me because it involved not only one on one instruction, but immersion in an exciting learning environment. The kids in his unique centers (such as his pirate supply/publishing office/tutoring center) are intermixed with working adults and other kids from their communities. I believe this is a great way of teaching because this kind of learning is one without barriers and involves connective/creative thinking; which Dan Pink would approve of. The fact that parents are also able to get involved and watch their children learn in a new way intrigues me as well. Many families are so disconnected today that by simply making the tutoring accessible to the ordinary child and parent, as this system does, the family in turn will be more in tune with the future of their child's education; which, is so important to looking toward the future.
     Dave Eggers is not a wonderful public speaker. I could have focused more on his passion and words without his continuous fidgeting and inability to look up for the majority of the time. However, his willingness to accept that he did not always articulate himself well made him easy to empathize with. Once I got over the swaying and wringing of hands, I noticed that his style was so obviously one of a writer's. His vocabulary had a large range and he used humorous observations about life to lighten the mood. I also noticed a mess of papers of his speech on the floor next to him, which made me laugh as well. What made him really interesting though, was his use of story. Because he is a writer, he used his talk generally made up completely of stories, and executed them well. At first, I thought there was too much story, but, I realized that this is a very personal topic to him. If he were not to tell these tales of his life and how he began his business in tutoring, he would have no credibility. This is one aspect I need to make sure to get across in my own TED talk because my supporting statements are all based on media and personal story as well.

     Inside many of Eggers's tales were a lesson to the world. His essential message is an inspiration for people to use their talents in a new way to help the greater good, and, more specifically, create a new way of teaching and/or tutoring. The issue of one on one attention for students was his main goal. Letting a child know that they are the center of attention in their learning creates exponential opportunities for them to grow. This technique allows the student confidence in their work because they are with one person they trust; which, in the future, lets them free their minds from fear of being wrong and using their creativity in the world.
     A new way of going about teaching is something that can be done teacher by teacher, and school by school, but should eventually become a world-wide effort.  I find it a helpful tool when my teachers or I take the time to meet one on one because our ideas can be bounced off one another specifically and become meshed into a greater idea than the original. In terms of affecting education as a whole, this has come up in several of my English class's fishbowls about A Whole New Mind because students right brained thinking has not been accessed properly in traditional teaching. We have explored thoughts about new structures to schedules but never thought about simply adding more one on one time and possibly, as Eggers's volunteer tutors do, have local tutors come into class to help out. Techniques like this illustrate a creative way of solving education problems instead of simply looking at budget concerns. Once the world has experienced the new teaching theme, which will be a long time from now, the effects of newly transformed students can lead to astronomical advancements in all fields. Through Eggers's teaching/tutoring tactics, pupils are willing to become leaders and make a difference in the world because their ideas are being heard by a teacher who is with them at all times, and then the whole world.

For more information on Dave Eggers's wish and how you can make a difference go to: http://onceuponaschool.org/


Pictures: 1) http://lauralyall.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/dave_l.jpg
     2) http://www.anguslloyd.com/images/homeworkhelp.jpg