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TED Talk: Big History & Collective Learning

Posted by Laura Fraser
30 September 2011 - 6:53am

You'll think twice about complaining about having to teach 100 years of History in only a semester. David Christian uses 18 minutes to explore 13.7 Billion years of History and the lessons associated with it. Most importantly, that human survival and progress is dependent on the crucial element of collective learning.

“What big history can do is show us the nature of our complexity and fragility and the dangers that face us, but it can also show us our power with collective learning.”

For more, bighistoryproject.com

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.
They believe in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So they are b a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.
TEDTalks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at TED with the world. Under the moniker "ideas worth spreading," talks were released online. They rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions. Indeed, the reaction was so enthusiastic that the entire TED website has been reengineered around TEDTalks, with the goal of giving everyone on-demand access to the world's most inspiring voices.
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