Building on TED Talks: A Course for High School Seniors

I have been co-teaching a class for homeschooled high school students for the past five years. The  course content has varied from one year to the next, but always our focus has been on learning about human society in different times and places, or what we broadly define as "social studies." So far, we have studied world history, world conflicts and international relations, political philosophy, U.S. history, and Early Modern European history.

Next year will be the last year for our group because most of the students (including my son) will be graduating and going on to college. For this reason, I would like to design for them an especially meaningful course, one that asks them to think seriously about their own place in the world, where they are now and where they are headed.

The rest of this post will provide a rough outline of what I have in mind (so far). I am interested in your feedback and suggestions on how I might make the course more interesting or worthwhile! In particular, what type of hands-on explorations, real-world experiences or "tinkering" might I be able to incorporate?

Crucial Issues and Powerful Ideas of the Digital Age

Primary Course Objective
Explore new ways of thinking by studying, discussing and reflecting upon a set of powerful ideas as they are presented in TED Talks and corresponding writings by TED speakers.

Course Philosophy 
Combine the philosophy of the TED Talks with the "art of a good question" as it is defined by Edge (Edge.org) to encourage introspection and serious, thoughtful discussion of important topics.

"We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world." (About TED)

"We look for people whose creative work has expanded our notion of who and what we are. . . . The motto is 'to arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds, put them in a room together, and have them ask each other the questions they are asking themselves.'" (About Edge.org)

Course Format 
Weekly sessions for viewing and discussing TED Talks. Weekly readings to inform and enrich the discussions. Student research (using the Internet) to explore related but different or opposing points of view. Student reflections and contributions to a wider discussion through the use of digital media (e.g., blogging, cross-posting, creating and sharing images, creating and embedding video, etc), which will require them to experiment with new tools and techniques for communicating.

Course Content 
My goal is to select topics that are most likely to be meaningful and relevant for the particular group of students who will be participating in the class next year. The challenge is finding speakers on those topics who are engaging, personable, potentially controversial—and who have written something (articles, blogs, or printed books) that the kids would enjoy reading. With those criteria in mind, I am currently leaning toward including the following talks and books:

Part 1: How We Think About Ourselves

• Susan Cain, The Power of Introverts and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking. (and/or) RSA Shorts: The Power of Quiet
• Kathryn Schultz, On Being Wrong and Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error
• Roman Krznaric,"RSA Animate: The Power of Outrospection"
• Dan Ariely, RSA Animate: The Truth About Dishonesty

Part 2: How We Think About and Use Technology

• Steven Johnson, Where Good Ideas Come From and Everything Bad is Good for You—I know, the ideas presented in "Where Good Ideas Come From" come from a book by the same name. Unfortunately, there's no TED Talk for Everything Bad is Good for You, so my combination here is a compromise between the book I feel is most likely to inspire a lively discussion in our group (half of whom are gamers and half of whom detest video games) with an interesting talk by Johnson about a slightly different but related topic.
• Clay Shirky, How Cognitive Surplus Will Change the World and Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age
• (and/or) Juan Enriquez, The Life Code That Will Reshape the Future or Using Biology to Rethink the Energy Crisis and As the Future Catches You: How Genomics and Other Forces Are Changing Your Life, Work, Health and Wealth. (This book is inexpensive and delightful, written as if it were a poem rather than prose, and Enriquez is an entertaining speaker.)

Part 3: How We Relate to One Another

• Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action and Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
• Rachel Botsman, The Case for Collaborative Consumption and What's Mine Is Yours
• (and/or) Rachel Botsman, The Currency of the New Economy Is Trust
• (and/or) Amanda Palmer, The Art of Asking
• (and/or) Drew Dudley, Everyday Leadership (6 minute talk)
• (and/or) Devdutt Pattaniak, East vs. West—The Myths that Mystify

Part 4: How We Offer Help to Those Who Need It

• Jacqueline Novogratz, On Patient Capitalism (or On Escaping Poverty) and The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor
• Paul Collier, 4 Ways to Help the Bottom Billion and The Bottom Billion
• (and/or) Dan Pallotta, The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong and Charity Case
• (and/or) Melinda Gates, What Nonprofits Can Learn from Coca-Cola
• (and/or) Dave Meslin, The Antidote to Apathy (7 minute talk)