Thematic Videos and Resources -

*Note: for a step by step instruction for downloading the video files to your computer go here.

If you have any other video clips that you would like to suggest please email us and let us know.

Jumping Hurdles:
Honda Commercial - "Rube Goldburg Machine" This commercial took over 600 takes and several months to shoot. It is one continuous shot and there is no computer effects used to make this work. It's all real and is an example of sticking at something until you get it right. The steps to jumping hurdles were obviously used when creating and executing a complicated sequence of events like this. The commercial ends with the words " isn't is nice when things just work out" . . . lesson: rarely do things "just work out" so you have to stick to it until they do. Download

 

Hurdles - "how not to hurdle" (Jump Back Up! - humorous) Download

 

Michael Jordan. "Learning from your mistakes." - This is a clip from the NBA finals in 1998. Jordan hits the game winning shot. otice how he holds his hand in the shooting motion after the shot. A reporter asked him after the game what he was thinking as he took that shot. He said that he had missed the last few shots and they were falling a little short so he was thinking about the basic fundamentals of shooting and making sure that he followed-through with his shot. He was learning from his mistakes, making adjustments and jumping back up. How many others would have passed the the ball to a teammate for the game winner if their own shot had gone cold? Michael Jordan was never afraid to take the shot with the game on the line because he wan never afraid of failure. (This goes well with the clip below on failure.) Download

Michael Jordan's thoughts on failure: Download

Instructions for download and saving online videos to your computer for use in the classroom.

1. If the video clip that you want is on google video then you should see a link to the right of the video that says "Download video - iPod/PSP." Simply click on that link and follow the instructions to save the file to your hard drive. This will give you a .mp4 file that will work in windows media player or in itunes. If you would like to convert that file to a different format then copy the URL at the top of the page and then follow the instructions in steps 3-5 below.

2. If the video clip that you want is on youtube.com then you need to click on the "share" button that appears when the video finishes playing and you will see that a field appears down below the video with the message "Copy and paste this link into an email or instant message" You will need to copy that text.

3. Next you need to go to www.youconvertit.com and select the tab that says "Convert Online Video"

4. Then you need to paste the copied URL from youtube into the window that says "Paste URL". Then enter your email address and select a file format. If you are on a PC then .wmv (windows media video) would be a good choice. If you are on a Mac then .mov (quicktime video) would be your best option.

5. Then hit the "convert it". You will receive an email with a link and instructions to download the converted file to your computer.