Why Khan Academy is so Popular-Why Teachers Shouldn’t Feel Threatened
Share your thoughts on this article in 5 or more sentences using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, then reply to 2 of your classmates. Click on link below for article.
Why Khan Academy is so Popular...Article
Welcome to 7215X - Technology in Education!
Over the next few weeks, we will explore several educational software and online programs that you can easily integrate into your teaching and learning. We will look at many free Web 2.0 tools that can be used to communicate and collaborate within your building as well as globally. As we prepare our children for a world of work which will be greatly different from the one we currently know, we must also prepare ourselves to change the way we teach so that it reflects best practices, offers differentiated instruction and allows for the seamless integration of technology.
I can see where teachers might feel their jobs are threatened if all they heard about was a "free-educational service" video; but the Khan Academy is much more than this. I don't feel that teachers should be threatened at all. In fact, I think it's an extra tool teachers can use to help support struggling learners. Students may find it helpful to go home and view these videos to gain extra support in an area they are not too familiar with.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it might be a good idea for teachers to post videos of themselves on their Wiki site of lessons they felt their students struggled with. This is a great way for students to view something in private on their own time. According to the article, one man said "There’s no [human] tutor who could sit with me and go over the same material
20 or 30 times." This raises an interesting point. It is difficult for a teacher to explain the same material 20 or 20 times without having to move onto the next lesson. These videos help solve this issue and relieve some pressure. I also like that the videos get more difficult as you move through levels. This is a form of differentiated instruction.
I feel that the Khan Academy videos might help a teacher integrate technology into the classroom. If a teacher is struggling on how to do this, showing one of the math or science video tutorials can help engage the students. I don't feel that teachers should be threatened by the Khan Academy, but rather embrace it.
I think you are right, that we should embrace the Khan Academy collection of video tutorials, and not live like there is a climate of fear over the thought of being replaced by machines.Its good that you pointed out that the Khan videos can be played over and over, whereas you could not badger a teacher that many times.
DeleteKhan Academy is a great source for students that need extra help or struggling on a problem. I don't think teachers have to feel threatened by Khan Academy; instead they should appreciate it and allow students to look through the videos to get more practice. One of the reasons Khan Academy is great for students is because they can pause or rewind any time. Students don’t have to feel worried or embarrassed to interrupt the teacher to repeat something; they can just rewind or pause. The videos in the website is sequenced which makes it easy for students to find the topic they are looking for. The website is very user friendly and convenient for students to access the content “when and how they want it”.
ReplyDeleteIn the website, students can watch videos, practice and also take a challenge. The website cannot replace the classroom setting because it would be difficult to see how much students learn. They can take the assessment but how can you tell if they understood the topics/problems conceptually. In a classroom setting, teachers can check students work and see how students solve a problem step by step and look for errors to help them later. I watched couple of his videos in YouTube, to get a better understanding which was helpful but I’m not sure if teachers or parents can see students' work in detail and get reports about a students work or some kind of feedback so that they can help the child in that particular area. Overall, I think it is a good website; it is free, it has a lot to offer and different approaches work for different kids.
The Khan Academy is very popular with over than 6 million students worldwide each month. The Khan Academy’s video tutorials have the advantage of being able to be played over and over again, with time for pauses and rewinds, and this gives the students ample time to have new concepts sink in their heads. There are more than 3,100 video tutorials in the Khan arsenal of learning, which means that it can cover just about all aspect of math and science. The Khan videos can be accessed by students and teachers “when and how they want it” from almost anywhere the internet can be found.
ReplyDeleteTeachers should not feel threatened about their jobs over the advent of The Khan Academy’s teaching and learning services. However, teachers should wrap their arms around the new Khan initiatives that are a valuable tool in the field of teaching. The article states, “This is how video games work, Khan said – but until now, it’s not how schools traditionally have operated.” Henceforth, we should embrace the Khan Academy’s services as a valuable tool for teaching and learning, without fear of losing one’s teaching job. Technology is moving at a fast pace, and we should move with it accordingly.
I have read the article and the comments made so far. Every one pointed that how wonderful is that a student can watch the video 20-30 times to understand the concept if he or she had a trouble to do it from the first attempt. But what is the point to watch the same explanation again and again if after 2nd time it didn’t make topic more clear? Live communication with the teacher is very helpful for the students because the teacher could explain the topic with different angles to make it clear. I don’t underestimate the usefulness of this approach. It is definitely has its audience according statistics presented in the article. I agree that those tutorial could be a part of the lesson or can be suggested as an additional practice but they can’t substitute the teacher so no one should be afraid of Khan Academy. I liked that this website besides tutorials has practice and that all topics organized by level and subject. And it is also free so any one could have access. Thanks people like Mr.Khan, they make teachers’ job easier!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the Khan Academy is not out to make a profit is in its favor, with its funding coming from The Gates Foundation and Google. Unlike other teaching systems like FOSS (Full Option Science System), which can be expensive, the Khan Academy programs are for free. Therefore, what has one got to lose by trying the Khan tutorials?
DeleteI think Khan Academy is a great resource for teachers and students and shouldn't be looked to as a threat. I think his initial starting motive was great, and is something that us teachers should think about as well. He says that he started out tutoring his cousins in person. He then started making videos and his cousins liked that version better. He concludes that students like that version better because they can rewind, slow down, pause whenever needed. They also have the option to repeat.
ReplyDeleteIf we use this method and these resources in class, it is quite beneficial to our students and to us as well. It minimizes repeating instruction and gives the students the ability for independent learning as well.
I will definitely try to use his videos in the classroom and encourage kids to make their own videos as well. When they make their own, they can solidify what they learned in class.
I think Khan Academy is a great resource for teachers and students and shouldn't be looked to as a threat. I think his initial starting motive was great, and is something that us teachers should think about as well. He says that he started out tutoring his cousins in person. He then started making videos and his cousins liked that version better. He concludes that students like that version better because they can rewind, slow down, pause whenever needed. They also have the option to repeat.
ReplyDeleteIf we use this method and these resources in class, it is quite beneficial to our students and to us as well. It minimizes repeating instruction and gives the students the ability for independent learning as well.
I will definitely try to use his videos in the classroom and encourage kids to make their own videos as well. When they make their own, they can solidify what they learned in class.
Perhaps lectures could be replaced with Khan Academy videos, but the teacher still has to act as a facilitator and as an assistant in solving problems that only teacher/student interaction can provide.
DeleteIf anything the Khan Academy provides a valuable resource and brings room for improvement in our classrooms. These free online videos are similar to sharing lesson plans online- this evaluation and these videos are to help us as educators to improve our teaching. Many of my colleagues have stated below that while watching a video is helpful- watching it more than twice won’t help improve understanding if the student fails to grasp the subject. This is where it’s more beneficial to incorporate videos into our classroom, so that we can clarify misconception and give extra hands on practice to help ailing students.
ReplyDeleteThis definitely minimizes unnecessary repeating in the classroom. As stated before, these videos are indeed there to help enhance student learning.
I think that the Khan Academy has a great concept on teaching. I like that fact that you can access any lesson whenever and wherever you want and if you don’t understand a concept you can replay the lesson as many times you want. I know I am a very patient person and to be a teacher you have to be a extremely patient but I don’t know if I would be able to repeat a lesson 20 to 30 times so that one person would fully understand. I also know that people learn differently and if repetition is the best learning strategy for you then the Khan Academy would be beneficial.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article I was curious to see what kind of lessons you can find on youtube.com and for what grade level these lessons where geared towards. I concluded that there are many lessons you can find on all different levels. I found a math lesson on adding and subtracting fractions which can be something I can use in the classroom.
The Khan Academy is a great way for students to be tutored in a way that they are not embarrassed. This is something that can be done on your own time, in your own home. Khan invented a way to tutor his niece and then placed it on the worldwide web for everyone else to use. It’s great that Microsoft and Google have given him the capital to take it to another level.
ReplyDeleteTeacher shouldn’t feel threatened by this. It is a great tool to use in the classroom as well. If you can use the Khan Academy to help students in the classroom not alone are you helping yourself, but your students as well.
I couldn't agree more with Sal Khan and his followers. The ability to access lessons and video tutorials, for free at that, is priceless. I honestly don't see how this can be viewed as a threat to any teacher.
ReplyDeleteWith this resources teachers themselves have the opportunity clarify and/or learn material that was even difficult for them. I appreciate any and all help that I can be on how to teach a lesson more effectively and I often pray for the opportunity to see other teachers in action. The Khan Academy videos are nothing short of a great resource. Not to mention, that te fact that one has the ability to view these videos in the privacy of their home. I can completely relate to the man who earned a degree in electrical engineering with help from Khan. Recently I was taking a Calc 2 course and had no clue what was happening in the course. I used google as a resource for helpful tips and also found online videos that helped me. I'm not sure if it was the Khan videos but I loved the fact that I was able stop, analyze, rewind and repeat the video as often as I wanted to. I dont see how anyone could view this tool as a negative one.
As a matter of fact I will actually start using this resource myself!!
According to the article Khan’s Academy is popular because of the fact that the online videos established be the organization is able to meet the needs of many individuals worldwide that they can access anytime and anywhere which is appropriate to them. The academy’s popularity is due to the hard work put into the videos that are connected to the various content areas of mathematics and science and the financial input that were awarded by the Bill Gates and Microsoft.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion teachers ‘jobs should not be threaten by the availability of the videos by Khan’s Academy, they should see these videos as another tool to assist them in the teaching and learning process especially for mathematics and science. Teachers are therefore required in the classroom to help in preparing students to be that well rounded individual so that they can fit properly into society. There can be a threat to teachers’ job if or when Khan’s Academy began to teach all the core areas that are required in the everyday day classrooms and when students are no longer attending schools.
Khan's Academy sounds like an great resource for both teachers and students. Teachers could certainly show the videos to their students as a tool for reteaching or for extensions. One of the challenges of differentiation is having a mixed classroom where some students need to see material again and others are ready to move on to the next concept. Students could have access to videos appropriate for their needs. Teachers could also use the videos as a hook at the beginning of a lesson.
ReplyDeleteKhan's Academy is also great for students to use. With the Common Core Standards, student accountability is a goal of education. Students need to be able to think about their school work and ask questions like, "Do I understand this?" or "I am interested in this, how can I learn more?" Khan's Academy can allow them the time and independence for both of these questions.
I didn't realize that Khan's Academy was ever seen as a threat for teacher's jobs. As great as online videos are, I don't think they can ever replace a real life teacher, parent or tutor to ask questions and offer support, especially in elementary education.
Wow, if Microsofr and Google can fund Kan's project and turn it into a career or organization then it must be really good. Allowing Khan to hire staff and pursue his dream of “providing a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere” is really big. I like the fact that anyone, student or not could access the site and receive free tutor that simplify difficult or complex areas in Math, Science and now other subjects. I wish this was availabe in my days of attending High School, and in my country.
ReplyDeleteI think Kan's site is a breakthrough for students who really need help in their school work. Teachers who wish they can reach all of their students needs should not feel threatened by Kan's site. They should count it as a poistive and as a further help to enhance what they had already taught, or want to teach. I will definitely go on this site for help in my future Math class since I have a few moere to do. Well done and thanks for your help Kan in making learning easier and fun.
I think the Khan Academy video tutorials are a great learning tool for students to use. I haven’t ever heard of the Khan Academy or seen any of their videos, but based on the content of the article, it seems to be a resourceful tool to use with students. If I were to use the videos with students, I would advise students to use these videos to help them go over material that has been gone over in class to help them build on these concepts, as a refresher or if they were having trouble with this concept, in class or at home.
ReplyDeleteI also found it quite interesting that this business started as a small nonprofit organization and has grown so widely in the last couple of years. I also liked that it has done great job to catch the attention of big name companies such as Google and Microsoft, who has given the organization such a great grants to help them in funding the company even more.
Derice
ReplyDeleteBefore now I have never early heard of the khan Academy. It seems from what I have found out about it that it is a great site not only for teachers and students. I liked the fact that this organization began with the simple goal in mind of tutoring from afar. It seems that it has been and will continue to help many students in need. As a teacher I do not feel threatened by this because at the end of the day it is really allowing my students to reinforce what they have learned with me during the day, at home. They have someone going over and taking their time and explaining to them how things are done. To me this is great, especially now a days where technology is everywhere. I feel that this program will benefit the students greatly and will also help the teachers.
Donald Ford
ReplyDeleteKhan's academy definitely has its uses but is very out of step with current instructional methodologies. His tutorials are based on grossly outdated visions of math education. It doesn't address the Commom Core Learning Standards. And even more importantly, it doesn't begin to pretend to understand the developmental and constructivist approaches to learning math.
These failures are the very reasons for our current levels of innumeracy and math-avoidance of our present day young learners. Coolmath. Ready Math, and Go Math are just a few alternative math resources the offer our young learners 21st century math. This math is contextual. It treats math as a real-life meaningful activity in the context of our lives.
Khan Academy, I feel isn't hindering teachers or making them look bad. I think this website is a great resource for both teachers and students. I actually tutor a young man in Math and depending on which topic we tackle that day, I actually advise him and his mom to go on Khan's website as an introduction the night before. He still has questions about what's being taught, and that's where I come in and break it down further.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, this site is great for tutorials it couldn't ever replace a teacher. I say that because some students aren't able to sit in front of a monitor to learn every math concept. Many children need manipulative and hands-on engagement. Teaching and tutoring I feel aren't the same and never will be.
I also mentioned this website is great for teachers. I myself use it when I need to brush up on topics I leaned years ago. Does it mean I am going to teach my students this way, NO. I am using it as a tool to aid in the development of my lessons and not as a cheat sheet. Furthermore, the way teaching is today, there isn't one teacher that can teach this way. I am sure more of his tutorials aren't aligned with the common core curriculum.
I don’t think that teachers should feel threatened about their jobs due to Khan Academy tutorials. I believe that these tutorials are great learning tools for the students to review and reinforce the concepts, learnt in the classroom. I think that there is not any online video or digital resource available that can ever replace a real life teacher. Teachers can use these videos to support their teaching instead.
ReplyDeleteAs these tutorials are available online, it enables the students to learn at their own pace. They can watch these videos again and again to understand the concept which they were unable to comprehend at first attempt.
Normally due to time constraint, it is very difficult for the teacher to go over a topic multiple times. But these tutorials empower the students to strengthen their learning concepts. They can watch them at their own available time. They don’t have to provide immediate feedback to anybody to show that they have apprehended the idea. I was surprised at first to know that how this nonprofit organization started and established within few years due to the support of big companies.
I think they Khan Academy is a great way to help students help themselves whenever they're struggling with a certain subject or task, however, that's all these videos and tutorials are going to be; a little help.
ReplyDeleteThere are thousands of videos and tutorials online, other than what the Khan Academy posts, that can help students with whatever academic issues they struggle with. I think these tutorials are great for students who rather have a sort of private tutoring session, rather than a one-on-one with a teacher. The tutorials teach students without having the pressure of an adult or a teacher hovering over them. Some students work better without the pressure, so these tutorials are great for them. This teaching method, however, is not beneficial to all students. Much of learning requires a teacher physically, mentally and emotionally to be there for the student.
I don't think teachers should feel worried about these tutorials or online "tutoring" sessions. The point is that the teacher the facilitator, and students need a teacher to learn. The tutorials are great for students as well as teachers, and as a teacher I might even use some of the tutorials to help me with my lesson. I would encourage students to use the tutorials to help them as well if they are struggling and need extra help. I would even encourage my students to create their own tutorials to help their present classmates, or any future classmates or students of mine. Tutorials and online videos are a great resource, but nothing can ever replace the teacher.
Khan academy offers short videos that cover many subject areas. The videos are good teaching materials for visual learners. They are also a good introduction to flipped learning in the classroom. Khan Academy is free, which makes it accessible to most students and they can access it when and where they need it. The videos are good materials to use for home-schooling. However, students must have a working computer, with high speed internet access to use Khan’s tutorial videos in their learning.
ReplyDeleteOne advantage of using Khan’s video tutorials or any other video tutorials in teaching and learning is students can go over the same material as many times as it takes for them to learn the material. They can rewind, pause, and replay the videos as many times as it takes for them to learn the material. Teachers, on the other hand, do not have the time to go over the same material so many times, due to time constraints. I have used video tutorials many times in the past for mathematics, because I did not grasp the material the first time the teacher taught it. They have brought me academic success in mathematics many times. The beauty about Khan’s video tutorials, or any other video tutorial they can be accessed via the internet anywhere in the world.
Khan’s videos cannot replace teachers inside the classroom. Many times, even with the videos, many students cannot get the material being taught; therefore the teacher must help the student understand the material in order for the student to have success. Also, there are some students who learn best by working in a group with face-to-face interaction from teachers and other peers. The videos are impersonal; students cannot interact with them as they can with a teacher. For these videos to enhance student learning, students have to be highly motivated and focused. On the other hand, a teacher knows her students, and knows just how to motivate them to learn.
I can see Khan Academy offers a great source of videos to students. It's also a convenient source that can be accessed in worldwide as world-class education for anyone. However, does it meet standards and circumstances for each age group? I believe these online sources could be one of the supportive sources and improvement for learning purpose. Like myself, I would get help on the Internet if I struggle with math problems or unfamiliar vocabulary words. I found some sources such as Youtube and Dictionary, could be a helpful outside source for learning sometimes. However, we can't totally rely on certain tutorials and videos. As educators, we are physically here to help students develop learning ability and higher-order thinking skill. Teachers are the primary source for students with their experience and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIt’s understandable that the Khan academy videos have become so popular. Before reading this article I had no idea that Khan had originally done live online lessons. Recording these videos and putting them on YouTube makes them much more accessible. This way you can watch, stop, replay and speed up the lesson to your liking. Like the article said there is no live teacher who is going to re teach you any topic 20-30 times, stop, go or repeat when you need. I have used the Khan Academy videos in the past to assist me with calculus. It was beneficial because it was FREE on YouTube. Many tutoring sites charge viewers to access these programs. I personally did not get a lot out of it because I am more of a hands on, in class learner. I like to have a person explaining things to me, where I can ask questions and ask for help. Unfortunately Khan videos cannot provide this type of instruction. On the other hand these videos have reached millions of people across the United States. Overall Khan Academy tutorials are a great additional resource for students. I do not think they can replace live instruction, but it can work as an intervention, or remedial tutorial video.
ReplyDeleteWow, its amazing how a little leap of faith can remove big mountains and create gigantic cities. Congratulation to Khan's Academy for this opportunity to help others especially student in their quest for learning. The fear of teachers losing their jobs as a result of students' access to this academy is relative. However, I think if they embrace the idea of Khan Academy being of great assistance to student with remediation on the contents they teach, then their jobs will be more meaningful and less stressful. The ability of students viewing these videos at their leisure and as many times as they will like is rewarding. My advice to other business owners is to fund programs like these to ensure that technology is totally integrated in our education system.
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ReplyDeleteKhan Academy is popular, free and online. Some teachers might feel that their jobs are threatened with the existence of Khan Academy. This academy should not be a treat to teachers. It should be seen as an educational resource for teachers and students. I recently worked with a teacher who informed me about Khan Academy. Mathematics was the teacher’s weakest subject. She said, “I used Khan Academy to learn various teaching strategies in mathematics. This site is excellent.” The teacher benefited from Khan Academy because she used it as an educational resource to foster her teaching strategies in Mathematics. Other teachers can also benefit from Khan Academy. They can use it as an educational resource to support struggling learners in their classrooms.
Students can also benefit from Khan Academy. They can use it to reinforce and learn new concepts. It will help them learn what they want to learn at their own pace. They can also access the site from any computer with access to the web.
Free online lessons by Khan Academy is another useful resource for students to use to strengthen weaknesses in science and mathematics.I would advice against using the site to introduce math concepts, however it is a great tool for reviewing topics and seem to be most useful among college students.
ReplyDeleteThe lessons presented by Khan Academy cater more to the visual and auditory learners. Elementary children learning mathematics need a more constructivist approach to learning the subject. There is therefore no need for teachers to feel threatened by Khan Academy as they are needed to to provide guided instructions to our children.
Free online lessons by Khan Academy is another useful resource for students to use to strengthen weaknesses in science and mathematics.I would advice against using the site to introduce math concepts, however it is a great tool for reviewing topics and seem to be most useful among college students.
ReplyDeleteThe lessons presented by Khan Academy cater more to the visual and auditory learners. Elementary children learning mathematics need a more constructivist approach to learning the subject. There is therefore no need for teachers to feel threatened by Khan Academy as they are needed to to provide guided instructions to our children.
I think the Khan academy is a great resource for teacher’s parents and students. It helps people who are struggling in math and science. They can go on privately on their own time and get help. Students can use it to help build on concepts they are currently learning. Parents can use it to help their children. Teachers can use it to brush up on lessons.
ReplyDeleteI don't see why teachers should feel threatened. Everyone benefits from the website and they are still teaching. They should use this as a tool to reinforce their lessons.
I've heard of the Khan Academy, but I've never used it. I look forward to using it in the future.
Khan academy is a brilliant idea it allows students who are struggling to get help in any subject that they are working on; and have their privacy because any teacher will tell you, some students are scared or too proud or even embarrassed to ask for help. I have personally used YouTube lessons to refresh my knowledge on certain subjects, and to ask a teacher 30 times to go over a single subject would make me discouraged to ask at all. I think the only problem teachers would have with the Khan Academy is that the lessons might be teaching different methods in math or irrelevant facts that will not be of concern pertaining to the class. Every teacher has to move on with the times and with these personal tutor program videos it is a brilliant idea. Teachers should embrace the Khan Academy and implement it in their student’s studies.
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