(The iconic, instantly-recognisable TED logo, bringer of light and learning to the lesson plans of lazy lecturers the world over)
LECTURERS AND TEACHERS from every discipline across the spectrum of learning institutions around the world are at present excitedly downloading the latest batch of Ted Talks from YouTube. After Googling ‘free YouTube downloader’ and following the simple installation instructions, upwards of 12 million professional instructors from high schools, colleges, universities and technikons from all four corners of the planet are obtaining the free content that will serve the dual function of chewing up tedious teaching time and making the teacher appear smart by association.
Laura Woodruff, a lecturer in the fields of Digital Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, spoke candidly of the long hours that go into painstaking lecture preparation each night before class. ‘To capture the right balance between theory and practice; between discourse and case study in a drum-tight interactive Powerpoint presentation for a 40-minute class can take anywhere between 2 and 4 hours,’ she said. ‘On the other hand, I can just download Carole Cadwalladr’s excellent Ted Talk “Facebook’s Role in Brexit and the Threat to Democracy” and play it for the class. That’s 20 minutes of the lecture over and we can spend the rest of the time discussing the points raised. Boom,’ she said.
‘Cadwalladr’s way smarter than I am; way more famous and would have already done all the backbreaking research so it would be a waste of time for me to build the car from scratch if it’s already revving in the driveway, am I right?’ she asked. ‘Besides, students are far more likely to listen to someone with 8.1 million YouTube views than they are to me. Ted Talks’ mantra is “Ideas Worth Spreading” so here I am spreading them, so where’s the crime?’ she further enquired.
Following Woodruff’s class, students were effusive in their praise for their lecturer. ‘Man, Ms Woodruff really knows her stuff,’ said one. ‘To be so savvy as to find the one YouTube clip that is a serious talk by an internationally-respected professional in her field to highlight the real-world importance of what’s in our textbooks and then share it with us in class? Damn, that’s good teaching.’ ‘Totally,’ concurred another student. ‘I mean, she could have been lazy about it and just sent us the link but she knows we would never have watched it so for her to show it in class means we have no choice but to engage with it. That tells me she’s really passionate about her job.’
Economics lecturer Alan Johnson went one further by downloading a 40-minute panel discussion about the Fourth Industrial Revolution posted by the World Economic Forum to show to his class of undergraduate students. ‘Man, that Mr Johnson is on the ball,’ exclaimed a student after the class. ‘I mean, he could have spent 40 minutes droning on from his own notes but instead he exposed us to the discussion happening at the highest level among the top economists of the world. That shit is lit,’ he said.
A group of students reacted with bewilderment when asked why they didn’t just stay at home and watch Ted Talks on YouTube all day instead of spending a small fortune for college. ‘Are you kidding?’ asked an incredulous young man. ‘Hell, I’d never watch that shit at home,’ he said. ‘I mean that’s why we pay these people, right? They’re professionals.’
