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Khan Academy (KA), a website for learning, is the brain-child
of Salman Khan, graduate of Harvard Business School. The idea originally developed from Sal
tutoring his cousins in math via internet.
It transitioned into YouTube videos that began to gain viewers and
sparked the website idea. Sal left his hedge
fund job to devote all of his time to the start up of this project. The purpose of the academy is to provide an
environment for everyone who has access to the internet, to learn, free of
charge by utilizing over 5000 web-based video lessons. As for its intended audience, Khan Academy
states “we want to share our
content with whoever may find it useful,” however after
using the site myself, I found that the mathematics begins at grade 4, and
other subjects are more suited for middle grades through college.
Khan Academy is a non-profit organization “with the goal
of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education
for anyone anywhere”[1]. Because KA is non-profit, it provides all its
material and courses free of charge. When
asked why KA was set up as a non-profit, Sal responded “because I wanted our
content to be accessible to all people, for a long time in the future. Beyond
your generation, do you have the confidence that a for-profit will stay true to
its mission?”[2] Since its inception, the media coverage for
KA has been largely positive and media outlets such as the Harvard Business
Review are making statements indicating that KA is “disrupting not only schools
but also the education industry built around them”, which is a very bold
statement.
A cursory review of the website can lead most people to
believe the previous statement to be true.
KA offers courses in mathematics from grade 4 through advanced college
courses, humanities, economics and finance, sciences and computer
programming. They also offer a variety
of “partner content” which originates from other institutions, but is published
through KA as well. Their content
specialists are a diverse group of people who have extensive knowledge in their
subject areas and have previously or are currently teaching in their field. Courses are delivered through the use of
video instruction, but not all videos are simply an instructor writing on a
board. Some lessons actually take the
learner to places like museums or use video storytelling while discussing historical
topics, and some like the computer programming courses, are very
interactive. My background is in
mathematics so naturally I was more curious about how these topics were
presented. I was disappointed to
discover that most math lessons were of the traditional standup instructor,
showing examples, and at times, explaining the “whys”, not very creative or attention
“keeping”.
For younger students who may need more reinforcement or
rewards, KA offers units in the form of “missions” and awards energy points and
badges. This gives the learning a more gaming feel. Interaction is encouraged by the use of
questioning and providing answers to others questions for any video lesson. Additional badges are awarded for being an
active participant! If you need help in
a particular class, you can sign up to get individual help from a coach. If you desire to use this product in your
classroom, you can become a “coach” to your students. The dashboard keeps you up to date on your
missions, badges, points earned, recent activity, skill progression and more.
Anytime something is deemed a breakthrough in education
or touted as the new education revolution, there will be those who want to
break the legs off of the pedestal. Of
the cons, several videos have been found to have incorrect information or have
used incorrect terminology. Mathematics
professors, John Golden and David Coffey, have become famous themselves, by
producing videos of their own: spoofs that point out these flaws. Another criticism of the learning website is
that it isn’t much different than the traditional instructor lead lecture
method, but without the benefit of a person to ask questions or for an
instructor to simply read body language to gauge understanding. Also noted,
…the output of Khan Academy simply updates the repetitive practices of
"drill and kill." But perhaps the most serious concern is this: that
so many important people--Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, the producers at 60 Minutes--view the work
of the Khan Academy as so remarkable that they may convince us to let it lead
the way in transforming education. That, the naysayers shudder, is chilling,
indeed.[4]
But even the naysayers cannot deny the power of this
learning website. Justin Reich, blogger
for the website Education Week, says “I have summed up my position on Khan
Academy as follows: Khan Academy teaches only one part of mathematics –
procedures- and that isn’t the most important part.” He also cites Golden and Coffey’s videos dismantling
some of Khan’s video lessons, but in the same blog acknowledges that once these
videos were brought to light, KA removed the lessons in question, and uploaded
new ones within a matter of days!
Imagine getting feedback about your content, and making adjustments and
publishing within that time frame. It
would NEVER happen with a textbook and its publishing company! This
is a pro then, right?
Speaking of pros, I read so many testimonials of parents
and students praising the website for its course offerings, the manner in which
they are presented and for many, the ability to hit the pause button, digest,
rewind if necessary, and then continue, was the best part. I am reminded of a recent study on programmed
instruction. Branching programs allow
students to learn at their own pace and provide remedial instruction for
students needing help while allowing other students to move ahead with their
learning. Pros to this type of
instruction include immediate feedback, remedial instruction opportunities, and
real time tracking of student progress.
Khan
Academy just gets it….if you are a student, parent, or just a life-long
learner, Khan Academy will become a household name. The site has been expanding rapidly, but has
shown vast improvements in the last year alone.
Khan’s content is phenomenal, and that
is what matters.[5]
Lynn,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post about Khan Academy. I have used KA throughout college especially, when I was taking Organic Chemistry. KA, in my opinion, knows how to break down hard subjects and make them look easy. I know as a future teacher, I will use KA as a helpful resource for my students.
Lynn,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job reviewing the Khan Academy. I am a math teacher too and I will recommend the Khan Academy to my students. I really liked how you added several pictures to your blog instead of just the required one. Feel free to visit my blog and read my Khan review Anastasia Martin EDM 510 Blog and don't forget to follow me on twitter @anastasia5360.
Hello Lynn,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your review of the Khan Academy! I agree that the Khan Academy is an excellent free online tool. While trying out the math portion of the Khan Academy I was surprised to find myself actually having fun (math is not my strong point). I did notice; though, that the math portion in definitely a supplemental tool due to its lack of important concepts behind some problems. As a future science teacher, I was not really impressed with the science section. Many of the videos were incorrect (in areas) and just provided lectures without thought provoking problems/questions at the end. Thank you for sharing your post!
Thorough. Thoughtful. Very well done indeed!
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