Response #5: Larry Burns

1. What are your take-aways from this video? In this video, Larry Burns, an executive at General Motors, brings to the table a new kind of car. This car doesn't run on gas, but a much more renewable source. It is a hydrogen fuel cell car that GM is producing named the Sequel. Its predecessor, Hy Wire, wasn't considered by Burns a "real car", but the Sequel is. Its shape is like a minivan and they expected to get it on the market by 2010. I had many great take-aways from this video. It taught me what the future of cars could look like. Now that the Chevy Volt is now on the market, being the first mainstream electric car available, the future of automobiles is truly coming into sight distance. Even though it is not available yet, the GM Fuel Cell car will change the way America drives and it is becoming closer due to the evolution of cars towards renewable fuel sources.
2. What are the speaker's effective speaking techniques? The speaker appeals to me because of his range of tone and good gestures. His speaking style really shows that he cares about his subject. Parts of his talk required appealing to the audience and approval and support. During those parts, his voice softened and there was more ranged. It is like when you're talking to a baby or a little kid, to make them understand more, you speak more clearly and have a more animated tone. He brings up a good point on not being able to predict the future, but creating the future. After this, he gives an opinion in a higher, more mystical tone. These examples show that he is passionate about getting a working fuel cell car on the market by 2010.
3. What is his/her presentation style? He uses many gestures and also shows a video in the middle of his talk to showcase the new concept car "Sequel". This video really helped my mental image of the fuel cell car so I don't think it looks like a spaceship or some weird-looking stereotype of a renewably fueled car. He fills the stage up by walking around. It really annoys me when speakers have a great big stage but stay in one stop almost the whole time. When he is saying a list, he taps his fingers every time he lists an item. He also cracks a couple of jokes which gives a break from the overload of information that he gives.
4. What matters from this video? How does it connect to you personally? To education? To the world? This video is important to be viewed because it gives us a hope that there are better fuel sources with cars that are compatible with this resource coming in the future. With the gas prices now skyrocketing upwards because of Middle-Eastern conflict, it is good to be reassured that there is a hope for the future. Even though his goal date for the release of a fuel cell car has passed, it is not impossible for companies to begin the research on these type of cars, which is what GM has done for 5 years. He says facts like hydrogen fuel cell cars have 1/10 less moving parts as regular gas-engine cars, and that. His plan proposed for obtaining hydrogen is however far-fetched. It involves a massive amount of spending, and even when compared to the price of the Alaska pipeline as half the cost, it is still unpromising for GM's budget and spending. I would look forward to owning a fuel cell car if it wasn't so distal, but it is coming soon. This matters to education because Burns is educating us of facts about his car and how GM can change the world. The way cars' mechanics are taught would completely change if the fuel cell car became an available product.

Response #4: Clay Shirky

1. What are your take-aways from this video?  My take aways were minimal for this video. He is not very organized, or better-put not very easy to understand. I did understand what cognitive surplus is as described in the video caption "Clay Shirky looks at "cognitive surplus" -- the shared, online work we do with our spare brain cycles. While we're busy editing Wikipedia, posting to Ushahidi (and yes, making LOLcats), we're building a better, more cooperative world." I did like his example of the graph that depicted the change in late pickups at day cares because i am a visual learner. Cognitive surplus really is emerging in the world with the new technology that is coming up. Humans now also post a lot of their spare thoughts on the internet on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
2. What are the speaker's effective speaking techniques? His speaking technique is loud with a varying tone. His pitch is practiced and good because it raises and lowers at appropriate times. Near the end, his voice softens and gets to the audience with its gentleness because he is trying to make a point. I don't think his speaking techniques were the best because I was more drawn in to other speakers because of their lightness and smoothness while also sense of humor.
3. What is his/her presentation style? I find his presentation style somewhat boring. The plus side is that he is prepared with graphs to support his talk. He is only talking and using a powerpoint during his speech. I wouldn't really like to be watching this live because he does not keep my attention very well and is not interactive much. I only heard the whole audience laugh once. I can tell he is a left-brained thinker because of the way he presents and the way he has thought of and wrote his presentation.
4. What matters from this video? How does it connect to you personally? To education? To the world? This video gives a meaning to all of the somewhat pointless stuff that is now surfacing the internet but does play out to have some meaning. I can relate to cognitive surplus because I have lots of spare thoughts that don't make it out of my mouth or onto paper, so they end up on the internet or somewhere electronic. I can connect this to my right-brained nature because my cognitive surplus is usually related to stories, design, or some other right-brain related ideas. this matters to the world because Shirky's concept, shown through examples like Ushahidi, is really true. The evolution of technology is really what has brought on such extraordinary expansion of online work with spare brain cycles.

Response #3: Daniel Pink

1. What are your take-aways from this video? I took away a lot from this video. Daniel Pink is very smart in his ways of communication and his speech was very well written. He talks about how a reward doesn't exactly motivate the rewarded, but weakens the performance of the task performer. If I ever go into managment, I would definitely watch this video for effective techniques on performing in my company.
2. What are the speaker's effective speaking techniques? This is probably my favorite category for Daniel Pink. He is an excellent speaker and involves the audience in his speech. He projects while talking like an expert. His jokes are understood by the audience. I admire his speaking techniques because they make his speech even better. Over the past few TED Talk videos I have watched, I have discovered that one of the most important things to do while talking is make jokes that the audience understands because it keeps them interested while giving their brain a break from a flood of information.
3. What is his/her presentation style? His presentation style is casual. He is loud sometimes and that is an effective speaking style when reaching towards the audience. Once in his speech he actually yelled at the audience with such passion for his subject that it was my favorite part of the speech because it reached out to me the most. I really felt his emotion through his tone. He had props on the stage but didn't ever use them.... Maybe they belonged to a different TED Talk. That somewhat bothered me and that's the only thing I would change about his presentation style.
4. What matters from this video? How does it connect to you personally? To education? To the world? This video is extremely significant. It was repetitive to me because I have read about everything he says already in his book, A Whole New Mind. He talks about how the future will be more right-brained, and Asia is taking over left-brained jobs that Americans do for more pay. He also talks about rewards weakening the performance put into a task. It connects to me because I am right-brained and lean more towards right-brained professions. It matters to education because

Response #2: Evan Williams

1. What are your take-aways from this video? This video was important to me because I am a Twitter user. I love using the program online and it is convenient when I want to stalk the people who i look up to (not in any creepy way whatsoever....). Since I am a dancer, it is good to look at the Twitter accounts of choreographers who i like to see what they are working on. I definitely didn't know the history of Twitter and how small it started out. It was surprising to me that so many government workers, and even the president got a Twitter account shortly after it was founded.
2. What are the speaker's effective speaking techniques? The speaker lacks in good speaking techniques because he doesn't interact with the audience much. Compared to Sir Ken Robinson's speech, I think Robinson's speaking style is better because of his laid back, joking nature which can keep the audience's attention much longer than a monotonous speech can. 
3. What is his/her presentation style? He uses many pictures of example tweets. Some make the audience laugh, but that's the only time during the speech that they do laugh. He has a monotonous tone and is very blunt in his pace. He knew his speech very well and didn't have to look at anything to "cheat" off of in case he forgot the words. I admired that because getting up in front of such a large audience might have frozen me up.
4. What matters from this video? How does it connect to you personally? To education? To the world? This video really matters. Since this speech in 2009, Twitter has soared to major heights in users and tweets. Evan Williams really made me want to be more involved in updating my tweets to let my followers know important things that happen in my life. It relates to me because I use Twitter and know many people who do and frequently tweet. I realize better now how useful it can be sometimes to know what people are doing at the moment. This educates us of what others are doing and anything else others need to know. It also makes everybody who uses Twitter up to date with what's going on in the world.

Response #1: Sir Ken Robinson

1. What are your take-aways from this video? There are many things that the speaker gestures and talks about in this video that are notable for success while speaking. His concepts about education are important and make sense. The idea that the whole system of education is shifting now is a vast topic and he supports it very well. The real-life examples that he gives are meaningful and relate to the listener.
2. What are the speaker's effective speaking techniques? Sir Ken Robinson's speaking techniques and presentation styles are possibly the most notable aspects of this TED Talk. The speaker's tone goes up and down at appropriate times and he has a rhythm to the way he speaks his sentences. And he gives information in short bursts and then concludes portions of information with witty remarks.
3. What is his/her presentation style? He effectively reaches out to the audience by telling jokes and making them laugh. He also asks questions to the audience therefore including them in his speech. That makes them feel important - like the speaker cares about the audience's opinion. He tells stories about his children and relates them to his topic which penetrates people with sensitivity.
4. What matters from this video? How does it connect to you personally? To education? To the world? This video is significantly exemplary of great speaking techniques that really reach out to the audience and grab their attention. The way he presents information by telling jokes at the end giving facts is critical to keep the audience's attention. His speech has many connections to the world. I liked his example of the successful dancer. I am a dancer and wish to continue as a dancer and bring my talent to my adult career, and it is reassuring to know that dancers can make sufficient funds.