Khan Academy - Mahalia

Khan Academy

            Every year people across the United States and around the world are coming up with new ideas to improve the world we live in. Coming up with new ideas means change and not everyone wants the way education is run changed but with the new technology that is being produced every year, it’s hard to stop evolution.  Education is heading in a different direction than it was hundred years ago, technology is at almost every person’s finger tips, and it can make education more exciting.  If technology is used properly in schools by the students and teacher by combining the right balances of technology then there should be no reason why there shouldn’t be a push to have more of it in the classrooms. One web site that is changing the way the classroom looks and runs is called Khan Academy. What is Khan Academy? Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that has about four thousand plus educational videos available online for free (International). Khan Academy was created by Sal Khan, a thirty-five-year old with mutable degrees from Harvard. With Khan it’s easy to understand lessons by watching a short video of a lesson; it shows you step by step on a digital blackboard while Sal Khan’s voice explains the lesson in a clear, understandable way (International). Khan Academy has videos for sixth grade math, junior high and high school sciences and even college med courses (International). Khan Academy is helpful to visual learners and hands on learners. If students need help they can be shown multiple examples and support is there any time it is needed. With this web site improving each day with hopes to make learning easier and more exciting for students to understand the material. The online website Khan Academy is a better alternative for all ages to learning a subject than in an ordinary classroom taught by a teacher.

Many people may like Khan Academy but there are faults to this online education program. In reality most kids just don’t sit at a computer and get their material by listening to a voice. Most people learn by doing hands on learning activities which is hard to do sitting at a computer. Using computers as an educational device can also be a big distraction, like kids can stop the video on matrices and Facebook or text. By doing this they are not really getting a good understanding of the material like they would if in a classroom setting with a teacher. Another reason people are skeptical about Khan Academy is Sal Khan, the guy teaching in the videos, is not even a certified teacher (Webley). Lots of teachers feel like Sal is trying to replace them with a computer and some students don’t have excess to a computer or internet at home meaning they can’t work on Khan Academy if assigned by a teacher. Studies have shown kids using Khan has helped them in the classroom and helped them understand their subject (Webley). Khan Academy outweighs the bad glitches by the good ones, Khans main focuses is that the site is constantly helping people.

Khan Academy is revolutionizing education and it continues to become a more proficient learning method to help people of all ages learn while incorporating technology. Sal Khan is not just talking about how to solve a math problem; he shows you and takes you through step by step. After watching a video the site has practice sheet to help people understand the section more (Webley). Sal may not be a certified teacher but it lets him have a different view than a teacher that is certified, making him think outside the box when helping improve education (Sparks). Khan Academy is there for teachers to use as a tool in any subject to help them refresh their brains so they can re-teach it. This tool is meant to help the teachers not replace them. Khan helps kids move at their own paces, helping kids stay on track and gives more time to those slower learning students which in a classroom setting students don’t get to work ahead or work on a subject longer (Webley). Teachers can log on and see how long a student has watched a video and what subject they frequently watch. Khan Academy can save teachers time by making students watch a video at home or at tutoring about a basic over view of the subject; saving more time in class for activities or a more in-depth view of the subject (Sparks). With Khan Academy students’ keep track of the progress and can earn badges/points when accomplish goals all in a virtually online classroom (International).  More and more studies have shown that Khan Academy is improving the way the classroom is being ran and is helping people learn in a way that help them understand (Sparks). Sal Khan is one guy that has made a big impact on today education and it will help improve on the futures education.

Sal Khan had a hobby which consists of making math videos and putting them on YouTube; after getting positive feedback did he realized he wanted to help improve education. A few years later he has made the very well know Khan Academy. He has made a balance between technology and education in the class room. He wants to transform the traditional classroom, to help students move at their own pace and helps the teachers understand where each student is at in the virtual online classroom. Sal wants students to want to learn and by him posting videos he knows will help people understand better will help encourage more people to want to learn (Urstadt). New technology comes in and out of style like clothes do every year but the change of making elementary through college use more technology is not going back to not using it. It’s going to keep growing/ changing the classrooms and Khan Academy is one educational web site to come so far to be changing the way ever one views education and technology in schools in a good way.

Works Cited

International Business, Times. "6 Reasons Why Khan Academy And Its iOS iPad Teaching App Can Revolutionize Education." International Business Times Dec.Regional Business News. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Urstadt, Bryant. "The Math Of Khan." Bloomberg Businessweek 4230 (2011): 72-76. Business Source Elite. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Sparks, Sarah D. "Schools 'Flip' For Lesson Model Promoted By Khan Academy. (Cover Story)." Education Week 31.5 (2011): 1-14. Academic Search Elite. Web. 22 Oct. 2012

Webley, Kayla. "Reboot The School." Time 180.2 (2012): 36-41. Academic Search Elite. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.