I received an email from a community person a couple weeks ago that said, “This video and web site should revolutionize education at Parkland".
It got my attention. It's a pretty big statement. I will admit that I opened the link embedded in the email with some skepticism. I was pointed toward the Khan Academy and his gigantic collection of video lessons.
I was somewhat familiar with Mr. Khan, having heard an interview that he did a while ago. He has been quite busy in the intervening time.
According to his website, “what started out as Sal making a few algebra videos for his cousins has grown to over 2,100 videos and 100 self-paced exercises and assessments covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history.”
Here is the TED video that illustrates:
Some points that attracted my attention as I watched the video:
• 2200 videos from basic arithmetic to vector calculus
• 1,000,000 students
• Pause, repeat, rewind
• The first time I smiled doing a derivative…
• Content doesn’t get old
• Flip the classroom…the lecture becomes the homework and the homework happens during class time.
• Peers interact…humanizes the classroom
• Generate as many questions as you need till you get it right…10 in a row.
• Eliminates the “Swiss cheese gaps”
• Knowledge maps. Laddered lessons.
• Student to valuable human time with the teacher ratio
• Help for the adult learner that may be embarrassed about knowledge base.
• Prep for the Compass Assessment?
I must admit that I was skeptical at first, but the more I watched and read, the more intrigued I became. This isn't a particularly new application of technology in the classroom. We've had the ability to insert video into an online classroom for well over a decade. Nearly all of our classrooms have projectors and such for this very reason.
What’s so special about this endeavor?
After watching a lesson on algebra, I understood one of the reasons the Mr. Khan is appreciated. His technique is outstanding. His pacing, inflection, humor, and matter-of-fact delivery contribute significantly to the experience. In other words, he is extraordinarily engaging. In addition, I'm terribly impressed with both his depth and breadth of knowledge.
The question, though, is not what I think about the Khan Academy, but what you think. Based on your experience as a teacher, a student, a parent, or a community member, what are your thoughts?
There is plenty of room here to discuss. I'm interested.
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I was struck by his "Coincidence of Time" comment.
ReplyDeleteLove this concept. My kids will be trying it out soon!
This is totally awesome! I think this is a great idea, especially for adults who are going back to school! It isn't uncommon for prospective adult students to cringe when they hear the dreaded "math" word. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a parent, it was frustrating to not understand how to work on a math problem and watch our children mull through the homework as best as they could. I really like to hear of the interaction in class after the students have had the opportunity to view the video.
You are correct in your observations of Mr. Khan. He has the perfect personality to keep a person interested in math. Hmmm...I'm not going to go wild and crazy and say that I'll become addicted to math, but it has been intriguing enough for me to log on and watch a few more Khan's videos.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thanks for sharing this information. These videos are a great resource to any math class.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you mean "Peers interact…humanizes the classroom"
For those that don't know, the math department is currently using ALEKS in several MAT095/098 classes. ALEKS is an artificial intelligence program/software that "Eliminates the 'Swiss cheese gaps'". The program also gives students multiple problems until mastery is obtained. I’d like to think our department is doing an excellent job of addressing the points you made in the list.
I post a link to the Khan videos as a resource for my online students. I do think they are great for students who want to go back and hear more about a particular topic. I would be concerned having this completely replace all classroom instruction, however--not sure if he covers every topic as completely as I would want.
ReplyDeleteI must say, though, that I didn't realize how much he had added beyond the videos! What he does is not unique--if a student is enrolled in a math class, many of these same resources are available online from the textbook publishers these days: videos, endlessly generated practice problems, etc. What he offers looks a LOT like the ALEKS program we use (Kelly references this above). The fact that Khan Academy is free, however, is a feature that offers some wider possibilities.
What amuses me most are his "badges." These are like achievements that you can earn in video and role-playing games, like a little trophy for achieving a particular set of tasks (watching a certain number of videos, getting so many problems right with no mistakes, etc.). There is some research that shows these types of gaming-like rewards can motivate students more than any percentage grade ever could. Very interesting.
Kelly:
ReplyDeletePeers interact...humanizes the classroom was a comment that Khan made regarding the use of class time to have discussions with one another and the teacher. I believe that he thinks (some?) schools use class time for drill and practice or lecture exclusively without discussion component. In addition, I don't think he is talking exclusively about mathematics.
Parkland's math faculty have always been on the cutting edge and ALEKS is one example. I know many former students would agree. They tell me all the time.
Ms Wilding-Martin:
ReplyDeleteWhy are you concerned having this replace all classroom instruction? Many, maybe most students could learn math from such an environment, as long a human instructor exists to coach individual student through a concept on which s/he gets stuck.
For the last year and a half, I have been telling cert seeking professionals within my industry to check out Khan Academy! I sat with one worker at NASA that was embarrassed to ask for resources in front of his peers. When I showed him Khan Academy, he flipped out!
ReplyDeleteWe have used the "drawing delivery" for sometime in the Sprinkler System Technology program. And find that when, in short bursts (a la Khan), it is combined with having to answer questions before moving to the next incremental lesson, it has elevated retention to remarkable levels. Small incremental "workshop" lessons are rockin' our delivery thinking. We have convinced the State Fire Marshal's Offices in three states to recognize these "Khan" style classes for licensing CEU's. We hope that this will be part of a degree delivery this August for the SST program.
Michael is right, the instructor MUST be available to confer with students that get sidetracked or just can't make a critical connection. And, in my opinion, the students still need to have some communal experience where direct student-to-instructor discussion takes place. A live, one-hour class per week has been more than enough to do that for some of our most technical teaching. However, the instructor MUST be engaging and personable or the live portion quickly devolves into wasted time from the student's perspective. "Personable and engaging" can be as simple as having prepared questions to prompt conversation in a "students-to-instructor" (many to one) chat room. Recognition of the students efforts to answer and some very light humor are all that is needed to have true engagement even in the most intense subject matter.
I look forward to learning more about ALEKS!
Sooner or later people are going to realize that they can learn on their own without paying tuition to a college. Just as newspapers have lost their bargaining power to the Internet, colleges will too. After 2300 years of monopolizing the learning market, colleges will either find a new niche or perish. Hey, at least we lasted longer than newspapers did.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like Plato 30 years after the introduction. certainlly worth a serious investigation. Parkland has always been on the cutting edge of education. This generation of computer usage. It seems to be a tool our teachers could help students learn.
ReplyDeleteI don't think our education system is going away anytime soon. For one, as someone who has taught online for several years, there is no amount of technology that can replace the ability of a human teacher to read a student's facial expressions and figure out where they are going wrong. The value of discussion, debate, perpetual struggle, interpersonal skill development, etc cannot be replaced with technology. People are social animals and I'm convinced that the best learning occurs in a social environment.
ReplyDeleteI think what we will see is that technology pushes educational systems forward instead of replacing them.
I have only looked through this briefly but have you also seen RSA Animate Videos. Basically makes cartoons of lecutres, speeches, and various topics. Also very interesting and helpfull. I really like the video for Changing Education Paradigms
ReplyDeletehttp://comment.rsablogs.org.uk/videos/
It is a whole lot like PLATO.
ReplyDeleteIt is effective for students who already understand math. Much like ALEKS, it is based on teaching how to manipulate symbols using carefully prescribed procedures. Students learn to figure out from assorted clues which bemusing procedure to perform; they nod sagely as they are told how incredibly important it is that they understand this; their working memory is exercised and they become much better at taking directions they don't really understand, memorizing steps, figuring out which confusing details matter for *that* task, and get through it and go on with their lives. It's excellent training for an awful lot of "real life" jobs - and in my opinion one reason we're rather far behind other societies in actual learning and why people believe pure B.S.
Now, the fact is, that this is what many students have been learning in math courses forever -- but the teachers have pretended that understanding was important, and included that stuff in the curriculum. The pretense is gone now!
http://blog.genyes.org/index.php/2011/04/02/khanacademy/
ReplyDeleteThis series about the "Khan Academy and the mythical math cure" includes a video about what constitutes an effective educational video at http://youtu.be/eVtCO84MDj8 (the comments are fascinating, too).
The doctoral student asks people a physics question which most of them get wrong. Then he shows 'em a video that corrects them. They tend to think the video is wonderful and clear. They are asked the same question. They still get it wrong.
WHen they view a video that includes discussion of the misconceptions, they find it less satisfying, more confusing... but more of 'em get it right.
When people are discussing constructivism VS direct instruction, as they are wont to do, they tend to leave this issue out. Either brand loses its effectiveness if students are allowed to continue trying to use their simple models for situations that require more advanced understanding.
I introduced my 8-year-old son to Khan Academy, and he's really taken to it. He earns "energy points" and "badges" for working through material and demonstrating mastery - and these are very motivating for him. So far, he hasn't watched very many videos, but that will change as he moves into material far beyond what he has learned in school.
ReplyDeleteI also enrolled myself, and set myself up as his "coach" - the range of tools for coaches/teachers is truly remarkable.
I'm going to encourage all the parents at his school to enroll their kids, and have them do at least a few exercises over the summer, to keep their skills sharp.
I believe that being able to deliver material through a variety of methods is always an important thing to do. In addition to ALEKS and sharing with students situations where the math they are learning can be used, more and more material on the math market provides videos with direct applications of the math being taught in the course. These applications in most texts though have been available to students long before now in comment boxes or introductions to sections within the textbook. In order to reap this benefit, students must spend time reading the text.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have not taught online classes yet, I have taught classes which have involved an online component where students work problems and have material presented to them by the computer. I have yet to encounter a class where the students did not seek me out for assistance beyond what the computer was able to offer. Because of this and other material, I am in strong agreement that our education is not going away anytime soon. I believe though that our education system will continue to evolve, and that technology will continue to play a part in that evolution.
I think the videos are wonderful, but I would caution people about trusting the answers to questions asked in the comments. I have seen many problems with incorrect solutions given.
ReplyDeleteI currently do this with MyWritingLab in the developmental composition classroom. I have had great success with it. However, getting students to watch the videos is a bit of a challenge.
ReplyDelete