Chris Anderson TED and TEDEd curator

TED Talks have left an impact on the world. One that has only been growing in the last 10 years, with a digital media push by Chris Anderson, who in 2001 became the curator of the event, after taking over from Richard Saul Wurman one of the original founders.(http://www.ted.com/pages/16)

According to his profile on TED his successes include (chronological order):

– Graduating from Oxford with a Degree in Philosophy
– Launched Future Publishing in the UK, which grew rapidly under the moniker “media with passion.”
– Expanded to the United States in 1994, where he built Imagine Media, publisher of Business 2.0 magazine, and creator of the popular games website IGN. The combined companies eventually spawned more than 100 monthly magazines, employing 2,000 people.
– Anderson created a private nonprofit foundation, the Sapling Foundation, which hoped to find new ways of tackling tough global issues by leveraging media, technology, entrepreneurship, and most of all, ideas. Sapling acquired the TED Conference in 2001, and Anderson then left his businesses to focus on growing TED.

After his success in curating Ted Talks and making them successful in digital mediums, Chris Anderson started with one question:

“What if you could capture that one brilliant lesson, amplify it and put it in a place where teachers and students can use it all over the world?” (http://newworldoflearning.blogspot.com)

The introduction of TED Ed was in March of 2011. Since then, teachers have used the lessons and videos to create animated video lessons for students.

Chris has found a way to collaborate and connect with amazing advisors on his educational advising committee.
He has gotten support from the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Salman Khan (founder of Khan Academy), and Sir Ken Robinson. All people who have made a significant impact on global education in previous years.

Chris clearly did a great job in launching TED Ed. He used the already recognized branding and global recognition of the TED brand and got the support from major players in Education. Having good marketing and an audience already accessible allows him to easily create and generate a buzz around his venture. Not only that, I have used this in my classroom and I find it amazing what you can do with assessment using youtube videos. Find out more here ed.ted.com

Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp