Ramblings of an old Doc
Published on September 2, 2012 By DrJBHL In Personal Computing

 

No. This is not about the infamous Star Trek villain…. although he might be more famous, this Khan is far more beneficial.

I can’t think of a more altruistic act than this, nor a better use of currently available technology.

Kudos to Mr. Salman Khan.

I can think of dozens of things I want to review. It’s a fantastic help for a child who’s struggling in a subject. The adult can sit and do it together with the child, and make learning a bonding experience instead of a drudge they try to ‘squeek through’. The videos are broken up into 10 minute segments which can be paused and reviewed. If done with a parent, paused and discussed.

I just think this is the bees knees.

“The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We’re a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.

All of the site’s resources are available to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy’s materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.

How it works for students

Students can make use of our extensive video library, practice exercises, and assessments from any computer with access to the web.

  • Complete custom self-paced learning tool
  • A dynamic system for getting help
  • A custom profile, points, and badges to measure progress

Coaches, parents, and teachers

Coaches, parents, and teachers have unprecedented visibility into what their students are learning and doing on the Khan Academy.

  • Ability to see any student in detail
  • A real-time class report for all students
  • Better intelligence for doing targeted interventions

Over 3300 videos

Our library of videos covers K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even reaches into the humanities with playlists on finance and history. Each video is a digestible chunk, approximately 10 minutes long, and especially purposed for viewing on the computer.”- http://edshelf.wpengine.com/tool/khan-academy/

 

Actually, besides being a student, you can also be a coach for a subject.

Anyway, I found this tremendously interesting. I plan on signing up for some stuff… hope one of you guys sits next to me in class.

Remember: No copying and no talking in class.

The official website:  http://www.khanacademy.org/


Comments
on Sep 02, 2012

Excellent learning material on this site. 

Thanks for posting.

on Sep 02, 2012

I plan on signing up for some stuff… hope one of you guys sits next to me in class.
 Looks like a great find, Doc!!  Will check it out when I am back home. 

on Sep 02, 2012

And this is their mascot

on Sep 02, 2012

Is a not-for-profit organization different from a non-profit organization?

 

 

on Sep 02, 2012

Heavenfall
Is a not-for-profit organization different from a non-profit organization?

As I recall, the difference is they are, from a legal standpoint, a regular for-profit company, but in practice are a non-profit one.

on Sep 02, 2012

Heavenfall
Is a not-for-profit organization different from a non-profit organization?

 

 

No... it only refers to whether they pay taxes or not. Has nothing to do with profit or loss.

on Sep 02, 2012

After teaching for many years, I have to say I REALLY don't like Khan Academy; much of the teaching is really poor.  But if you're looking for an online repository for learning new subjects, it's a good start.

There are other online places that do it much better, like Coursera or http://ocw.mit.edu/help/get-started-with-ocw/ .

on Sep 02, 2012

I'm disappointed...I thought, "Finally, a school dedicated to teaching Klingon."

What are we all, Romulans?

On a serious note, at least someone is making an effort.

on Sep 02, 2012

That's pretty altruistic of him.

on Sep 03, 2012

Khan Academy: You now have no excuse.

I'll always have an excuse...

  1. Someone's stolen/hidden my glasses.
  2. I've forgotten my login name.
  3. Somebody hacked my account and changed my password.
  4. Can't sign in, the servers must be down.
  5. I was exiled from the site for using slang words

      And least but not last

     6.  The dog ate my homework.

Seriously, though, we never stop learning, and organisations like Khan provide a great service to the community, especially to those who live remotely and do not have easy access to school facilities or libraries, etc.  For the disabled, too!  It would be a blessing to those thirsty for knowledge, yet cannot get to those places which house it.

Another great find, Doc.