TED-Ed: A 21st Century Club

TED-Ed-A-21st-Century-ClubStaff members at Northview Elementary School are always looking for ways to inspire creativity in children and provide engaging opportunities in and outside of the school day. One way we do that is through a variety of before of after school activities. K-Kids, Book Clubs, Game Clubs, After School Sports, Student Council, Art Club, and Choir are just a few of the opportunities in which students can participate at Northview.

This past winter, 5th grade students were also invited to join Northview’s inaugural TED-Ed Club. A small group of fifth graders started meeting weekly to research topics about which they felt passionate. Learning about what hooks a listener, how to get your information across in a way that will interest others, and how to answer many of life’s unanswered questions were all topics addressed during TED meetings. This very insightful group of students spent hours refining their presentations which will enable them to pass along valuable information to groups of their peers both in and outside of the classroom.

The purpose of the TED-Ed Club is to deliver information electronically to reach a wide range of people on a variety of topics, celebrating the best ideas of students around the world. Fifth grader, Faith Atkins, is very interested in the water bear, the toughest animal on the planet. It is able to survive temperatures as cold as -456 degrees Fahrenheit. Are dolphins mammals? Autumn Way attempts to set us straight. Dracula lover Emma Wisecarver wonders if he is real or fake and sets out to prove he is indeed real. Several students chose to address more serious topics. Emilia Beeg wonders why people start doing drugs and spent a great portion of her time researching interviews about why users come to try them for the first time. Animal lover Maria Greanias spent her time proving that pit bulls are the most misunderstood breed of dog. Maria discovered that long ago, pit bulls were bred as "Nanny Dogs" because of loyalty to their owner.

As we continue to navigate through this digital age, providing opportunities for our students to evolve as learners remains a priority. We remain in awe of what students are capable of producing when their interest level is high. Our club members consider their computer skills to be adequate, perhaps not quite a “computer genius”, but “pretty capable”. Regardless of their ability level, we continue to be impressed with their ability and willingness to take charge of their learning and look forward to watching these students become future leaders of our community.