Common QuestionsWhat’s the difference between the TED Masterclass app and Chris Anderson’s TED Talks book?

People learn in a variety of ways. Some learn better while reading, others while doing, though often it's a combination of both. The principles of the TED Masterclass course can both be found in Chris Anderson's TED Talks book as well as in the interactive TED Masterclass course. While the course is based on the book, there are some key benefits to the course that makes your learning experience more hands on:

Videos

Within the TED Masterclass course, animated videos are used to aid visual learning. Animations can help you understand most complex concepts. Clips of TED Talks are also used within the lesson videos to demonstrate certain key concepts or points.

Activities

Each of the eleven lessons in TED Masterclass have associated activities at the end of the lesson to help solidify learning. Each activity completed fills out your idea log, which tracks your idea as you go throughout the course and helps you develop it into a compelling story.

Bite-sized chunks

The course is broken out into 11 bite-sized easy-to-understand lessons. Each lesson video can take anywhere from 4 minutes to 12 minutes to watch, and none of the lessons have to be completed in one go. The course is app-based, meaning you can make progress on a lesson anytime and anywhere on your phone, even if you have just 5 minutes.

Resources

Instead of having to switch from book to your phone or tablet, you can watch TED Talks that demonstrate key learning concepts on the same device. Extra resources are also provided in the app, such as “how to record a talk,” or “how to give and get feedback.”

While the TED Talks book is great if you’re a learner who performs better through reading, there are many visual and kinesthetic learners among us for whom a video and activities can really aid learning. TED’s aim is to ensure that everyone has the tools at their disposal to learn how to master the skills of TED speakers.