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A lot of TED talks are either window dressing or fraud, but TED Ed has consistently churned out high quality content over the years covering topics including sc

A lot of TED talks are either window dressing or fraud, but TED Ed has consistently churned out high quality content over the years covering topics including science, history, mythology, medicine, philosophy, and more. Can’t recommend them enough https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsooa4yRKGN_zEE8iknghZA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsooa4yRKGN_zEE8iknghZA

Broken_Hippo 5y ago
If a lot of them are frauds, how the heck are you supposed to know that these are high quality content, especially if you are being introduced to a theory and/or have little previous knowledge of the subject matter? You don't. Knowing that there is garbage peppered into everything makes it all less reliable.
- Areibman 5y ago
  Well, this kind of blanket statement is true for just about anything. Such an extreme level of skepticism isn’t useful. The worst TED talks are flawed largely because they were about the promoting speaker rather than the subject. (And with that, erroneous information followed). TED Ed has a dedicated team of producers and writers for each video that translates some complex ideas from a qualified educator (researcher, historian, science writer, etc.) into video form.
  - Broken_Hippo 5y ago
    "Well, this kind of blanket statement is true for just about anything. Such an extreme level of skepticism isn’t useful." Knowing a portion of the "factual" information won't actually be factual and passing on a source because of that isn't extreme skepticism.
    - jstanley 5y ago
      I think you may have missed the distinction between "TED" and "TED Ed". Areibman is saying that in the set of all "TED" talks, there are a lot of bad talks, but in the specific subset of "TED" talks called "TED Ed", the quality is much higher.
      - mkmk 5y ago
        And therein the biggest mistake TED made— poor naming of multiple TED brands that were were too similar despite the difference in presentation quality that they represented.
jbaber 5y ago
I keep watching these with my kids (at their request), ready to pounce when something ridiculous is said. But they're so far nice and informative. And not wrong on stuff I know about. +1 recommendation. The quality of TED talks is probably the most variable of anything I've seen, but TED Ed is consistent. It may just boil down to taking more preparation and conscious effort to make an animation.
Timpy 5y ago
I remember a TED-ed animated video that claimed that isolated cultures prospered because they had peace, one of the three examples was Japan. They had an animation of a cute little rabbit practicing the katana. I couldn't believe something so blatantly false could make it past the editors of TED-ed, they even had iconic weapons of Japan's warring states period in the video! I can't find the video now, so I'm hoping it was taken down. But it definitely had TEDx quality information, I have avoided TED-ed for years ever since that video.
- asiachick 5y ago
  google brought it right up, though it's not on TedEd channel https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMV_MIZ-g1w https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMV_MIZ-g1w

Broken_Hippo 5y ago

If a lot of them are frauds, how the heck are you supposed to know that these are high quality content, especially if you are being introduced to a theory and/or have little previous knowledge of the subject matter? You don't. Knowing that there is garbage peppered into everything makes it all less reliable.

Areibman 5y ago
Well, this kind of blanket statement is true for just about anything. Such an extreme level of skepticism isn’t useful. The worst TED talks are flawed largely because they were about the promoting speaker rather than the subject. (And with that, erroneous information followed). TED Ed has a dedicated team of producers and writers for each video that translates some complex ideas from a qualified educator (researcher, historian, science writer, etc.) into video form.
- Broken_Hippo 5y ago
  "Well, this kind of blanket statement is true for just about anything. Such an extreme level of skepticism isn’t useful." Knowing a portion of the "factual" information won't actually be factual and passing on a source because of that isn't extreme skepticism.
  - jstanley 5y ago
    I think you may have missed the distinction between "TED" and "TED Ed". Areibman is saying that in the set of all "TED" talks, there are a lot of bad talks, but in the specific subset of "TED" talks called "TED Ed", the quality is much higher.
    - mkmk 5y ago
      And therein the biggest mistake TED made— poor naming of multiple TED brands that were were too similar despite the difference in presentation quality that they represented.

jbaber 5y ago

I keep watching these with my kids (at their request), ready to pounce when something ridiculous is said. But they're so far nice and informative. And not wrong on stuff I know about. +1 recommendation. The quality of TED talks is probably the most variable of anything I've seen, but TED Ed is consistent. It may just boil down to taking more preparation and conscious effort to make an animation.

Timpy 5y ago

I remember a TED-ed animated video that claimed that isolated cultures prospered because they had peace, one of the three examples was Japan. They had an animation of a cute little rabbit practicing the katana. I couldn't believe something so blatantly false could make it past the editors of TED-ed, they even had iconic weapons of Japan's warring states period in the video! I can't find the video now, so I'm hoping it was taken down. But it definitely had TEDx quality information, I have avoided TED-ed for years ever since that video.

asiachick 5y ago
google brought it right up, though it's not on TedEd channel https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMV_MIZ-g1w https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMV_MIZ-g1w