There are many great ways to incorporate different types of learning in your classroom. There is also a time and place for fun, but what about at school?
I think that it is very important to keep your students interested and focused on the topics at hand. Hacking, making, and playing are just a few ways that we can do this. Hacking is very similar to problem solving. Students could ‘hack’ many things in the classroom if we let them. They could figure out a new way to do the math problem that they have been struggling with. They could also find a way to hack drawing a better dog. Some students are drawn to hacking and/or problem solving. If you allow students to figure out some things on their own, they will be more likely to remember it.
There are also students in the classroom that would rather make a volcano and learn about it, than look at a picture and learn about it. If you incorporate activities where students can make things, you could have an easier time getting your point across.
Playing is a little different in my eyes. I do think playing should be allowed in the classroom, however, not all the time. I think that you can use playing as a positive reinforcement. For example, a lot of teachers are doing the Teacher vs. Students T-chart on the board. The teacher gets a point when the students are bad and the students get a point when they are good. If you have extra time in the day, and the students get more points, they should be able to have some ‘play’ time. Play time could include something that is still supplemental in the classroom.
When it comes to TED talks, you can use these in the classroom. In my case, I will probably not use them. I want to teach the younger elementary grades. They will not be able to understand/sit still long enough to listen to them. However, I think as a teacher you can use them to learn many things. I like to listen to TED talks and I think you can learn many valuable lessons from them. I will be able to pick up new insight and ideas for my classroom by listening to them.
I do think that they can be effective for middle school and high school students. It is very important to make sure that they are videos that the students can relate to. If they are able to relate to the talk, then they will listen and pay attention better. There are TED talks that young adults and kids make. They might be able to relate to a video by a younger speaker because the speech might be more relevant to them.
This is a video I would show to my middle school or high school students.
Digital Literacy with Shayla D. 