Video activity - The history of our world in 18 minutes

David Christian - The history of our world in 18 minutes

Ted Talks

Find this talk by clicking here or going directly to the ted.com website. As with all the talks, you may download it to watch or listen to later.

Before you watch, read the title. How old is the earth? How old is the universe? Can you predict the field of study of the speaker (i.e. economics, chemistry, history, etc)?

Watch the talk all the way through without stopping- you may use English subtitles, but do not stop the video. Take notes on main ideas and important details. When you are finished, answer the questions:

1. Why does the speaker talk about entropy at the beginning of the speech? What does the video he shows tell us about entropy?
2. What does the speaker mean by “threshholds of complexity”? What are the "goldilocks conditions"?
3. What makes humans different?
4. What two things does the speaker say explain the current "staggering complexity" around us?
5. What is the central question the speaker wants to answer?
6. What is his main purpose with this speech? What does he mean by "big history"?

Watch the talk again and check your answers. Correct or add to them if necessary.

Writing - synthesize your notes and the above answers into a summary. You may continue by discussing the advantages and/or disadvantages of "big history" as the speaker describes it.

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Answer key:

1. Why does the speaker talk about entropy at the beginning of the speech? What does the video of egg mush tell us about entropy and the universe? He intends to show with the video and the discussion of entropy how the universe tends to go from complexity to non-complexity, from structure and order to lack of structure and lack of order. 

2. What is the central question the speaker wants to answer? "Can the universe create complexity?" If entropy is the tendency, how does the universe go in the opposite direction?

3. What does the speaker mean by “thresholds of complexity”? What are the "goldilocks conditions"? Thresholds of complexity are periods of transition in the history the universe in which the universe becomes more complex. Goldilocks conditions are necessary conditions for the creation of complexity - "not too hot, not too cold, but just right". (examples: the creation of stars, the creation of the solar system, the creation of living organisms, etc)

4. What makes humans different? "Collective learning," which is possible because of language. With language, we can learn collectively and pass information to new generations.

6. What two things does the speaker say explain the current "staggering complexity" around us? Collective learning and fossil fuels

7. What does he mean by "big history"? What is his main purpose with this speech? Big history is a way to look at the nature of human complexity by examining the larger context of the universe. The speaker wants to introduce this idea as an intellectual tool to understand the challenges and opportunities that we face.

Summaries

With a little practice, summaries should be easy, natural, and automatic for you. Want to improve your writing? Need to learn more vocabulary? Read an article and write a summary of it.

There are many ways to write, but here are three steps to produce a basic summary:

1. Read an article or listen to a speech. 
2. Read again (or listen). This time, take notes. Follow the basic outline and make a note of the main ideas and important details. Use this time to focus on unknown vocabulary.
3. Write a summary from your notes. Close your book, close the website, and only use your notes. You must paraphrase and use your own words. Write only the main ideas and do not include examples or extra details unless they are essential. What is the main idea or message the author wants to communicate?

Tip: knowing what is important and what is not can be very difficult. Try asking yourself, "What is this about?" Often, the answer you give is an appropriate summary.

Last week we read an article about the Church dome painted by graffiti artists in Barcelona.

The following is a basic summary of the article:

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Summary

The Barcelona graffiti artist Raul Sanchez Araque, or House, painted a Catalan church in Barcelona. Father Ramon Borr hired the artist to paint the dome of the church because he considers graffiti just another art technique and and it was cheaper than traditional artists. The artists used spray paint to create a faithfully Romanesque painting with a personalized style. Father Ramon is satisfied because he thinks it may bring in more people to the church. 

New vocabulary

austere

dome

congregation

frantic

nondescript

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This summary has only the basic information of the article, just enough for a brief explanation. Additionally, I have included five new vocabulary words from the article. Any time you read, make a note of a few new words to add to your growing vocabulary.

For more information and examples of articles and their summaries, visit The Prop Room.

Listening - Words!

We've been talking about linguistics this week. As language learners, you will probably be amazed, bored, frustrated, and inspired by words in your own language and the language you choose to learn. Watch this video:

The title of this video is "Words", though there is very little speaking involved. Can you figure out in what way this video, and the images, are related to words?

This video was created to accompany a show by a favorite podcast, Radiolab. The topic of the show is - you guessed it - Words
Listen to this fascinating radio show here (or simply search "words" and "radiolab")
There is an English transcript available! Read along to the show.

Video Activity - How to spot a liar

Listen to and watch this video from TED talks by clicking here. Or, simply search the title.

Pamela Meyers: How to spot a liar

Before you listen:
What are some synonyms for lie or lying?
What is a white lie?
Can you think of instances when lying is ok?
Have you ever lied to anyone? When and why?
Listen to the talk without subtitles or a transcript and take notes. From your memory and your notes, what is Pamela Meyer's main idea with this talk? Listen again with subtitles or a transcrıpt (found below the video). Answer the following questions.
Questions
1. What is the speaker’s “core proposition”, or first truth about lying?
2. How many times a day may we be lied to, according to studies?
3. What is Pamela Meyer’s second truth about lying?
4. How did Koko the gorilla lie?
5. What is the first “pattern of deception” illustrated in the talk?
6. What is the second “pattern of deception”?
7. The speaker talks about “leaked” expressions. What simple expression does the speaker use to illustrate this point?
Writing:
In one paragraph, summarize the main points and important details of the talk from your notes. In the next paragraph, write a reaction to the information presented in the talk.
Some ideas: Do you consider yourself as a liar as described by the speaker? Is it human nature to lie? In what way is this subject important in your daily life? Do you agree with the suggestions of the author? Is it important to be a “lie spotter”?Discuss the idea of “lying as a collaborative act”.

Video activity: How social media can make history

Listen and watch this video from TED talks by clicking on this link. Or, simply internet search the title.
Instructions: Listen to the talk without subtitles or a transcript and take notes. When you have listened once, look at your notes and try to summarize the speaker's main point in a few sentences. Next, read the questions below and watch the talk again with the transcript. Answer the questions. When you have finished, proceed to the writing task.

1. Shirky claims there is a “huge transformation” and makes a claim about the moment our historical generation is living through. What is his claim? (1:55-2:10)

2. Shirky names three big changes in the modern media landscape.

First big change (3:44):Second big change (4:10): Third big change (4:48):

3. In Shirky's “second story”, an earthquake happened in China. What was different about this earthquake in terms of communications and the media (5:45-6:10)?

4. Shirky describes the current media landscape as ______________, ________________, _______________, and _______________. (11:13/14:48)

5. What is the “really crazy change” about society and the media? (11:41)

6. What is the choice we face? (15:26)

Writing

Gather your notes and examine your answers to the questions.

• summarize the the author's main points in one or two paragraphs (tip: the speaker restates many of his main points at the end of the talk, 14:33)
• Develop a reaction/argument about the effect of these changes happening in social media and communications. Consider the examples given about the earthquake in China and the website of Barack Obama. Do social media have a positive effect on society? Why or why not?

For optional extra reading related to this content see the following articles:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-lam/social-media-middle-east-protests-_b_1881827.html

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120411-rethinking-the-social-network

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/magazine/18web2-0-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

What is the Harlem Shake?!

The Harlem Shake is trending on the internet right now. But have you ever asked yourself, "What is the Harlem Shake, really?!"

Maybe this video can help clarify:

These are interviews with people in Harlem, a northern neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. What do they think about this youtube trend?

Here's a blog article on the phenomenon. Also, click here for a news article  with some history on the Harlem Shake, dance, and culture in America. Enjoy!