Huma Siraj
The Story of TED-Ed: From Classroom Concept To 5 Billion Views
What started as a single educator’s idea has grown into TED-Ed, one of the most influential educational platforms in the world. It is the educational division of TED, the company that organizes the well known TED Conferences. However, the focus of each brief film is not talking experts. Instead, it’s a masterfully made animation. Additionally, this collection of animated videos has received accolades, amassed over 5 billion views (and more than 20 million YouTube subscribers), and grown to become a popular resource for educators nationwide.
With the goal of igniting curiosity, Logan Smalley, a TED Fellow chosen by TED Fellows creator Tom Rielly, has spent the past ten years developing this peripheral (and possibly lesser-known) educational platform of animated movies, student programs, and multilingual learning resources.
Smalley was teaching special education in a Georgia high school in 2004 when he quit to film a documentary the following year. He had no idea that it would mark the start of a new profession.
In reference to his work on the documentary Darius Goes West, he remembered, “I only left the classroom because I had a story I had a friend whose story I had to help tell.”
In addition to the Netflix selection, Smalley made appearances on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, CNN, Nightline, and The Today Show.
Smalley, a former educator and filmmaker, come up with the concept for a platform that would enable the use of TED’s unique storytelling in educational settings.”You get to pitch a project when you’re a TED Fellow,” he clarified. “And, as a former educator and filmmaker, I submitted a TED-Ed.”
He was hired by the TED team and given the chance to start the project from the beginning. “I interviewed teachers and students about how TED could and should be used in schools and what TED-Ed could and should be,” he remembers, adding that it was just him for a year.
Following a year of preparatory work, TED-Ed was awarded a grant by YouTube, which allowed Smalley to test a daring new concept: creating high-caliber, animated educational videos at the size of the internet, each created by a different expert and made publicly accessible online. “TED-Ed animations, a new animated format for TED, was one of [the things we wanted to try],”
More than 1,700 animations have been created by TED-Ed throughout the years, and they have received over 5.8 billion views. “That’s several thousand years of viewing,” he says. “TED-Ed animations are among TED’s most popular, with more average views per video than many TED channels,” Rielly says, even if TED Talks may still be the brand’s most recognizable offering.
The design holds the key. According to Smalley, “we’re making them for an online audience.” The TED Talks, on the other hand, are produced for a room and then shared online. A single degree of optimization can make a significant impact.
Every video is the outcome of a painstaking six-month effort. The editorial staff at TED-Ed works with experts to translate their expertise into video scripts. The expert frequently understands how to write about the subject but lacks the skills necessary to write for video. Thus, we assist them in doing so.
After that, TED-Ed adds original music and sound design and hires professional voice actors, many of whom viewers have grown accustomed to hearing. The crinkling of maize is audible. Referring to “The Three Sisters,” one of the program’s recent achievements, Smalley remarks, “It’s quite a visceral effect.”
The development of TED-Ed was about access as much as content production. According to Smalley, “TED is arranged according to themes every year, such as awe, joy, and inspiration.” This is fantastic for the gathering. However, it is not as beneficial for a teacher who needs the information to relate to the subjects they are teaching, such as science, English literature, or climate.
In order to reformat TED content for education, TED-Ed started creating original content for 13 to 18-year-olds and labeled videos with curriculum-relevant labels. He explains, “One common misconception is thinking animation means kids.” However, 13-year-olds, as well as students in upper high school and college, are watching our movies. Thus, this approach to animation differs from, example, a children’s cartoon program.
In addition to educating, the intention was to provoke thought. He poses the rhetorical question, “If you were to distill it down, what’s the secret sauce to making these interesting for children or teenagers?” “Curiosity.”
The team posed a crucial query as TED-Ed’s content took off: what comes next? “Okay, let’s design a program that transitions students from being content consumers to content producers in which they acquire a crucial skill, presentation literacy,” Rielly adds.
TED-Ed Student Talks, a free, adaptable 11-lesson curriculum that assists students in recognizing, refining, and presenting their ideas in a TED-style, is the outcome. It is currently one of the biggest student voice programs in the world, having hosted more than 50,000 student chat groups to date. “Millions of people have viewed their speeches on the TED main stage,” states Rielly.
One such story is that of Ayana, a young student who utilized TED-Ed to talk about her dream of becoming a filmmaker. In New York, she was invited to talk at TED’s World Theater. According to Smalley, “she ultimately received a full scholarship to become a filmmaker.” “Her story is just one of many that exist.”
Using Animation to Make a Global Impact
The goals of TED-Ed extend beyond the English-speaking community. “We currently have 1.2 million Spanish-speaking subscribers, and we recently received funding to start nine more channels: Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Portuguese, Swahili, and Thai,” says Smalley.
Animations are especially well-suited to international distribution. He continues, “They’re animated, so there are no faces for dubbing, and the literacy barrier can be overcome by not depending solely on translated subtitles.”
This worldwide movement is very beneficial for climate education. “English alone cannot solve the climate problem,” he continues. “TED-Ed is able to reach the movable middle and those who already care.”
The influence of TED-Ed extends beyond students. At a time when artificial intelligence is endangering the creative professions, they also provide professional development for educators and maintain a sizable network of animators. We are among the most reliable companies for hiring animators. “We assist them in expanding their portfolio and reaching millions of people,” says Smalley. “It has occasionally even resulted in significant business agreements, such as Super Bowl advertisements.”
Smalley laughs when asked if TED-Ed is at a loss for ideas. “We could create content on a single subject indefinitely I hope we can produce 1,000 videos annually. There isn’t a shortage.
What comes next? According to Rielly, “Languages, distribution, and more.” “All young students should have access to free, excellent educational resources.” There is absolutely no justification for anyone to still be using an outdated science textbook in 2025 or to have no access at all.
Additionally, the TED-Ed team recently released Pandora’s Legacy, a puzzle-filled game, their first tangible product. Pre-sales and support have brought in almost $1.2 million; the basic target was $300,000.“To put it simply, the game and the Kickstarter launch have been tremendously successful and a testament to the TED-Ed philosophy and brand,” Rielly says.
With a staff of more than twenty people, TED-Ed is just getting started. What started as a single teacher’s proposal has grown into a global movement. And as Smalley states, “I think people kind of forget that sometimes. It’s just so much fun to learn.” What if every day of high school was chock-full of thought-provoking, action-inspiring, and curiosity-provoking material? On a worldwide level, it is what TED-Ed is doing.
