PDF Find out how the Khan Academy can help you teach and help your students learn.
Videos Inside and Outside the Classroom
Almost exactly one year ago I wrote an article entitled YouTube and the College Instructor – Engaging Your Students with YouTube Videos. In it, I encouraged instructors to use videos in their classrooms. Then a few months later, I wrote an article entitled The College Instructor’s Guide to YouTube. In this article, I mentioned other sources of videos and suggested that instructors assign videos as homework.
In these earlier articles, I did not suggest that online videos could replace in-class lectures. But at that time I was not aware of the Khan Academy.
The Khan Academy
It began when Salman (Sal) Khan created a few tutorials to help his cousin learn math. Interest from others encouraged him to publish a series of YouTube video tutorials. In 2009, Sal quit his job as an analyst at a hedge fund and started the not-for-profit Khan Academy. With well more than 2,000 educational videos, the Kahn Academy is fast on its way to revolutionizing the way we teach.
In a 20-minute overview video, Salman Khan referred to feedback he received from teachers who would write, “’We’ve used your videos to flip the classroom. You’re giving the lecture!” He continued with the words of a typical instructor, “What I do is assign the lecture for homework, and what used to be homework I now have students doing in the classroom.”
Today, an ever increasing number of teachers and students are using Khan Academy video tutorials. You math teachers should be really excited. There are hundreds of these self-paced lectures available to your students at home. The topics range from basic arithmetic through calculus and differential equations. Each subject is covered with a playlist of videos. There are, by my count, more than 250 videos on algebra alone. You say you’re teaching statistics? Fine, because there are videos on probability and statistics too. Also linear algebra, in case you were wondering.
However, the Kahn Academy is not just for learning mathematics. There are science videos covering astronomy, biology, chemistry, organic chemistry and physics. There are even videos on finance and history.
In the following 20-minute video, Sal Khan talks about the Khan Academy. I guarantee, you will be impressed! However, if you just want the basics, scroll down to the next video entitled Overview of the Khan Academy Library.
Enroll in the Kahn Academy
I strongly encourage you to check out the Khan Academy.
© 2010 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.
March 19, 2011
