Larry Ferlazzo has discovered another great little source of “TED Talk -like” videos. The 60 Second Lectures is a series of one minute lectures presented by professor in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences. The lectures cover all kinds of topics from water and climate change to what makes a poem a poem. The lectures can viewed on YouTube or downloaded from The 60 Second Lectures archive.

What Makes a Poem a Poem is embedded below.

Applications for Education
The 60 Second Lectures could be a good way for students to pick up a few bits of information about a wide variety of topics. I also think that these lectures could make good writing prompts for students. Have students watch a 60 Second Lecture then write a response to it.