tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post8338453525986606799..comments2024-03-15T02:09:23.712-06:00Comments on for the love of learning: Khan Academy: Improving school by changing nothingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15047405950514440042noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-8542751397219242502012-08-19T19:06:55.834-06:002012-08-19T19:06:55.834-06:00We still need teachers, but their job isn't wh...We still need teachers, but their job isn't what it use to be. Kids can watch short lectures to learn content now, which is what they should be doing. Teachers can give up the talking head part of the gig to start mentoring students and helping advise and facilitate on individual and group projects. If you are going to watch a talking head, why not watch the best? Great post, keep up the good work. Douglas Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12585254833466108022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-42499874243052813762012-05-29T06:16:01.785-06:002012-05-29T06:16:01.785-06:00Bingo. The beauty of Joe's blog here is to lo...Bingo. The beauty of Joe's blog here is to look at new ways of learning. Change. Thinking outside the box. Kahn's videos are like a manual, a textbook, a reference. We shouldn't criticize aids. I also think the evil corporations and Bill Gates DEFINITELY have the kids' interests at heart. They're a backlash of the hopeless and truly evil government forces at work in the USA. But they're ignorant, as are all non-teachers, of how it works.Chris Tampahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01774991207259898120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-32737100949196722592011-04-09T12:15:20.931-06:002011-04-09T12:15:20.931-06:00I think that the objectionable part of the Khan Ac...I think that the objectionable part of the Khan Academy model is that it turns education into a business. Unfortunately, teaching can't be just a series of steps - view vid, activity at school - learn stuff. indeed, KA seems to be "the same old thing". <br /><br />On the other hand, the concept of using technology to "flip the classroom" is one strategy that I think is reasonable. In the same way that we ask students to prepare for class by reading the text or by reading a handout... why not viewing a video or trying out an online game? Students return to class with a common experience on which we base the day's lesson.<br /><br />I wouldn't suggest that we use Khan Academy videos in all of our schools, but the concept is certainly adaptable in my view...Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04747874752507062526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-4344468116403315972011-03-31T11:13:18.708-06:002011-03-31T11:13:18.708-06:00On the plus side, it is cheaper than printing off ...On the plus side, it is cheaper than printing off worksheets!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06723305782940296604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-33453706251805263752011-03-18T11:32:40.249-06:002011-03-18T11:32:40.249-06:00Hi! I referenced your blog post on my blog:
htt...Hi! I referenced your blog post on my blog: <br /><br />http://ic3monster.wordpress.com<br /><br />Hope you don't mind!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-43002655826525153972011-03-12T13:16:35.293-07:002011-03-12T13:16:35.293-07:00I agree with Dean Shareski. Kahn Academy is a too...I agree with Dean Shareski. Kahn Academy is a tool for students and teachers to use. Teachers need to show students how to employ the content on Khan Academy.Dan McGuirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17165245665212961209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-9890556311534688892011-03-12T12:29:20.811-07:002011-03-12T12:29:20.811-07:00What the Kahn academy represents for me is the ide...What the Kahn academy represents for me is the idea that teachers are everywhere and sharing changes things. It's not about any single source of information but one of multiple opportunities and people from whom you can learn. <br /><br />The fact that this guy, with no intent to receive $$$ shares hundreds of videos is a concept worth exploring. It's unfortunate that people like Gates miss the point and begin to find simple answers to the complex challenges of learning. <br /><br />The other idea that this always leads me to is to challenge teachers to teach differently. If Kahn Academy like work is all you do with students, then you should be looking for employment elsewhere. What are you doing in your classroom that makes me want to, and need to attend? And that's where this conversation about change gets really interesting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-25596825429540838252011-03-11T23:01:10.325-07:002011-03-11T23:01:10.325-07:00Khan Academy and its videos are really helpful. Ho...Khan Academy and its videos are really helpful. However, I think interactive sessions are also required by the students. Tutorvista, tutorteddy.com are some of those sites that offer highly personalized, customized, interactive and affordable tutoring service.NicholeJoneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10908243162592124706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-75627813997150027862011-03-11T15:01:39.000-07:002011-03-11T15:01:39.000-07:00I find aspects of the Khan Academy interesting. Th...I find aspects of the Khan Academy interesting. The videos are a great resource. However, in our middle school math program, students use inquiry-based learning to explore math concepts and then "discover formulas" in collaborative groups. I think the learning is richer and deeper this way.Heidi Siwakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12885885715264120902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-16444313244511167692011-03-11T13:17:29.587-07:002011-03-11T13:17:29.587-07:00Joe,
thanks for your words on the Khan academy. ...Joe,<br /><br />thanks for your words on the Khan academy. You do a great job of gathering current thinkers' ideas/opinions on what appears to be a powerful site. I agree with you and Will Richardson that this is more of the same. So hard to convince others of the difference. Keep up the fight.tcomforthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13909719292643267224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-53751795657404202992011-03-11T10:06:54.872-07:002011-03-11T10:06:54.872-07:00I posted my comment on my blog: www.school-network...I posted my comment on my blog: www.school-networking.de . I hope this is fine for you!<br />SigiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-13973765655416250322011-03-11T09:23:13.293-07:002011-03-11T09:23:13.293-07:00While I do not think that the Khan Academy will &q...While I do not think that the Khan Academy will "revolutionize" education, as a classroom teacher I do think that it can be a very useful tool, especially for students that need remediation. Many times students need remediation (or just a refresher) on a concept. The videos are a great "reminder" of what to do. I also like the practice problems for basic concepts because it keeps track of student's progress. I plan on assigning students certain "concepts" to work on as needed. I can then look at each problem the student missed to see how they are progressing. This is something that I would not normally have the time to do. A great benefit of the videos is that the students can pause them, or even rewatch them. This is something they cannot do with their classroom teacher. I would love to make videos of every concept to help my students, but I do not have the time. I think this could can be a very helpful resource and best of all, it is free!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-86816234676196107422011-03-11T08:57:04.640-07:002011-03-11T08:57:04.640-07:00I have grappled with these same thoughts you so el...I have grappled with these same thoughts you so eloquently put together.<br /><br />I teach in both an on-site f2f program and a completely virtual program. My most successful students from both programs--the students who use the technology to get the quick and dirty "factual" information, then come to me to help them create connections through the use of real world problems, primary sources, and experiments. Viewing the Khan videos exclusively to "learn" is not learning. It might result in having factual knowledge or skills to replicate, but there is little to no application of those skills in the videos themselves.<br /><br />A real teacher, who builds a relationship with students to encourage them to learn, fail, and learn from their mistakes is vital. Plunking kids in front of computers to "learn" is a travesty and does not result in learning. It does result in learning how to "go through the motions" of school and basically learn the info to pass the quizzes and tests, maybe write one or two written assignments, and then promptly forget it. I have seen it happen in my own experience and I am ashamed when my students have "earned" credit, but show no real learning being internalized.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-79936594769897092982011-03-11T08:46:51.219-07:002011-03-11T08:46:51.219-07:00I don't think there is anything transformative...I don't think there is anything transformative about the Khan Academy, except perhaps in how content is able to be spread and used widely.<br /><br />But I will say I have a hard time putting something down that genuinely helps people. I don't see it as a threat at all. I see it as a supplement. I see it as a form of differentiation. There are absolutely people who can learn specialized content better in this way. The popularity of the site itself attests to this fact. <br /><br />I don't think we need to push either/or on this. As I've heard Doug Johnson say, we need to switch the either/or to AND.Steve Johnson @edtechstevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07072809949861882048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-66540175957624775072011-03-11T08:43:08.502-07:002011-03-11T08:43:08.502-07:00Khan has allowed some traditional teachers at my s...Khan has allowed some traditional teachers at my school to spend more time asking kids to use the information in real ways. Instead of going over homework, teaching the new skill and asking kids to wrestle through homework alone, they come to class having been introduced to the concept on Khan and then can problem solve and apply concepts to real-world situations. I know that's not the value Gates sees, but it's still there.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09299668189605993704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-48273554186632629452011-03-11T08:36:00.640-07:002011-03-11T08:36:00.640-07:00What is TRANSFORMATIVE is keeping my kids out of s...What is TRANSFORMATIVE is keeping my kids out of school so that they can choose to access Khan's fabulous content online, when they need it and as they need it, when they want it. As far as I am concerned, "need" in education comes from "want"..... If you want an iPad to use technology a certain way, then you need it. If you want to learn advanced algebra, then you need Khan to help you through it. If you want to get into Harvard, then you need advanced algebra and can access it through well done technology via Khan and your iPad......<br /><br />It's a new circle.<br /><br />One of my ideas that no one else likes is: if the parents weren't well educated, and they aren't parenting well, and they don't have jobs.... then what if we stopped pouring money into the failing schools and their infrastructure and instead funded these families' homeschooling? I learned more homeschooling my children than I ever learned in my own school experience. And my kids have learned enough between the ages of 9 and 12 in homeschool to pass any high school exit exam and many AP exams. <br /><br />Back in the Age of Enlightenment, the schools as they exist today were completely unimaginable. Those who did study often waited to age 9 to begin, and were often complete and moving into college level work by age 14. Apprenticed, capable, responsible and dynamically intelligent. <br /><br />It was a good idea to create factory schools to allow underprivileged children access to a basic education.... but the implementation proved the goal to be nearly unattainable. What we end up with is a multibillion dollar system that barely provides daycare through age 18, with still only the few privileged or especially bright children actually receiving something that barely resembles the dynamic intelligence of the Enlightenment era forefathers.<br /><br />Just my .02.Birthblessedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153536936015967711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-66333764335278262012011-03-11T08:19:37.033-07:002011-03-11T08:19:37.033-07:00By chance I came across the Khan Academy last nigh...By chance I came across the Khan Academy last night and this morning I see your post.<br /><br />I was thoroughly disappointed with the positive view people were taking with the Khan Academy, as if they were doing something revolutionary. But videoing a lecture? For kicks I checked out a calculus lesson and promptly fell asleep.<br /><br />Well, I actually do see value in the Khan Academy as the videos could provide some extra help for students. But the way the website is setup, they seem to try and convince people that they are a better option than schools. That's just wrong.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13958034895477321774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-23302963038541754352011-03-11T06:27:17.620-07:002011-03-11T06:27:17.620-07:00Our community college has been producing videos li...Our community college has been producing videos like those of the Khan academy for a couple of years. We have been using them as supplements to our regular instruction, but not as replacements.<br /><br />The Khan academy audience, if I remember correctly, is children who have access to the internet but not human teachers. It would work well for kids watching the videos over cell phones in third world countries. Of course, America is not a third world country, so we have better options.<br /><br />The coordinator for our video production has been teaching since 1968. He has a list of the technologies that have been trying to replace him, and each has failed.<br /><br />The Gates Foundation is really having its way with higher education. Many community colleges are adopting redesign models for their courses. The most common model, the emporium model, has all of its content delivery through videos. The model uses on-line homework which is entirely drill-and-kill.<br /><br />Our college is adopting a version of the emporium model, but we are only offering half of our math sections using it and we are still requiring hand written assignments. It is our attempt at a compromise version of the model.Chris Searshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17011015768708974448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2707703066300530859.post-29483214415391891142011-03-11T05:37:17.537-07:002011-03-11T05:37:17.537-07:00Thanks again Joe. I have watched nearly 100 of th...Thanks again Joe. I have watched nearly 100 of the videos (mostly math) and all the History section. As a history/social studies teacher I was not impressed. Too "formulaic" (no pun intended) in the presentations.<br /><br />However, the redeeming quality might serve as a crude model in the possibility of flipping the classroom for teachers wondering the technical approach to knowing how to do it.Ric Murryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16053188864706614234noreply@blogger.com