The Internet, despite its drawbacks, provides a dynamic and engaging way to educate. Here are some YouTube and Vimeo videos that inform, inspire and/or entertain like no other school can.
Brent Hoff – Love Rivalry
Beautiful is what this short film is. Filmmaker Brent Hoff teamed up with Stanford University neuroscientists to test which of seven participants, ranging in age from 10-75, could love the best. Using fMRI to monitor brain activity, the researchers measured “strongest” love by observing brain regions involved in generating the neurochemical experience of love. The contestant who generates the most brain activity in five minutes wins.
With surprising results and backed with music by The Pauses, this video is sure to make you shine with sweet love.
Kirby Ferguson – Everything is Remix
Are innovators like God who cannot create something out of nothing? Ferguson argues that innovation is actually the product of the ancient folk art of remixing – combining or editing the same material to produce something new. A four-part series uploaded on Vimeo, Everything’s a Remix is a discussion of the history of music, film, and copyright/intellectual property that shows how creative work is actually derivative; creativity is actually a process of copying, changing and combining. Thought provoking and with a powerful call to action, this video is a statement against current notions about the nature and purpose of ideas.
RSA Animate – The Shocking Truth About What Motivates Us
What gets people up in the morning and racing to work? Is it money and other awards?
In this engaging video presentation adapted from Dan Pink’s lecture, the factors for better performance are explained through cartoon images and real examples. Based on the research “Big Bets and Big Mistakes” by Dan Ariely, Uri Gneezy, and George Lowenstein, Pink’s discussion questions reward/punishment systems as an adequate motivator for productivity. To date, RSA Animate’s videos have been watched more than 8 million times on YouTube. Watch this for a lively Dan discussion and awesome picture accompaniment.
Commoncraft – Zombies in Plain English
Want to learn how to survive zombie attacks? These YouTube Commoncraft videos will be your most useful resource. Using animated paper-cuts and simple language, this video provides helpful zombie tips ranging from how to identify a zombie to how glowing zombies are more dangerous than normal ones.
If zombies are too adventurous for you, check out these other Commoncraft Plain English videos, which make even complex and boring topics easy and interesting. Choose from short discussions on the basics of Augmented Reality, Social Media and Social Networking; and products such as Web PR, Google Docs, Sync by Ford and Microsoft, and cloud telephony systems RingCentralamong others.
Nick Vujicic
Does the world make you sad? Don’t think you’re good enough for anything? Nick Vujivic’s videos uploaded by different people on YouTube will blow your mind. Based on his faith and experience as a person born without limbs, Nick motivates people to be grateful, dream big and never give up. All of this may sound cliche, but you will be touched by the sincerity and authenticity of this man who has moved young people around the world with his love of life. Keep a pack of tissues nearby while you watch this.
Ronnie Bruce – Typography
What started as a typography animation project for Ronnie Bruce’s class quickly spread across Vimeo and YouTube. Based on the witty poem “Really like anything, you know?” by Taylor Mali, this mash-up of visual poetry will have you hooked. You will soon be looking for other Malian poetry on the internet after watching this one.
Ask Davis – How To Be Alone
Loneliness is freedom that breathes easily and weightlessly, and loneliness heals when you create it.
The calming poetry and music of singer-songwriter and poet Tanya Davis combined with Andrea Dorfman’s editing, animation, and photography create a beautifully spoken word film about the freedom found in loneliness. Tanya lulls us from verse to verse in this short audiovisual.
Which of these videos is your favourite? What other YouTube and Vimeo links are on your list?
Image Credit : NMSUA
