Ideas Worth Spreading: Enhancing Language Skills with TED
1. Ideas Worth Spreading:
Enhancing Language Skills
with TED
Nina Liakos
Maryland English Institute (University of Maryland College Park)
TESOL Convention 2012 -- EV Fair
March 29, 2012 in Philadelphia, PA
2. What is TED?
Non-profit organization begun in 1984 by
Richard Saul Wurman; since 1996 owned
by The Sapling Foundation (goal: “to
foster the spread of great ideas”)
Conferences (1984)
Off-shoots
TED Prize (2005)
TED Fellows (2010)
TED Talks (ted.com) (2006)
3. TED Talks
More than 1,000
Choose according to
Themes
Speakers
Length
Scaffolding for ELLs
Captions
Interactive transcript
4. Enhancing Listening Skills
Listen without captions
Listen with captions
Use the interactive transcript
Look up new words (or not)
Take notes while you listen
5. How I Do It
Ungraded (20% of grade)
Mostly homework
Students’ choice
Logged on a Google spreadsheet
Tallied weekly
