TED-Ed is the Education division of TED – a global set of conferences run by a non-profit organization that aims to connect people all over the world with the work and ideas of their peers. The company’s acronym stands for “Technology, Education, Design” and its slogan is “Ideas Worth Spreading.”
In the fall of 2013, a representative from TED-Ed came to speak to the LFNY faculty during back to school. She explained that TED-Ed is dedicated to helping teachers transform their lessons into short, animated videos to be shared with other students and teachers online. As a secondary English teacher at LFNY who was in the attendance that day, I thought immediately of a lesson I teach every year about Shakespeare, poetry and… pirates.
The video below represents the fruits of many months’ labor since that moment in September 2013. Working with another educator to develop the original concept, I wrote the script for the lesson, workshopped the animation and consulted with TED-Ed producers to create the video lesson below, which debuted on TED-Ed’s website late January 2015.
In fact, the spirit of TED – in particular its emphasis on ideas and collaboration – has infused the LFNY community of late. This past fall, 1ere student Marrec Selous (by coincidence, one of M. Freeman’s advisees) was chosen to present an original talk at the TED Youth conference in Brooklyn. And Marrec is just one of a number of students in the LFNY TED club, comprised of students who share the organizations penchant for spreading knowledge and ideas.
We encourage you to view and share the video, which should help you understand why Shakespeare is as beloved today as he was 500 years ago.
About the Author :
David Freeman joined the Lycée English Department in January 2011. Prior to his arrival at the Lycée, Mr. Freeman taught for two years at Winchester College, an all-boys private boarding school in England. He attended Boston University, where he received degrees in both English and education, and Teachers College at Columbia University, where he received a masters degree. He hails from Rhode Island and is an avid Boston sports fan.