Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization found by Salman Khan in 2006. In 2004, as a businessman in finance, Salman was tutoring his cousin Nadia in math via internet. Soon, he realized that many students found his tutoring contents helpful and left his job to devote his time and passion into creating Khan Academy.
Funded by Google and AT&T, Khan Academy now offers video lessons and learning contents that ranges from Kindergarten through early college. Some of the content areas taught in Khan Academy includes math, science, history, computer language, music, economics, and many more. This teaching resource provides mini-lessons on each topic area as well as assignments that can be used to evaluate learners' understandings. |
Easily AccessibleKhan Academy started with a page in a YouTube. Now, however, students are able to access these learning contents but its original website and also by mobile application. Virtually, Khan Academy can be accessed from anywhere in the world where internet reaches. Moreover, the website provides tracking tools for its users. Teachers are able to track their students' progress while students can keep tract of their achievements.
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Scaffolding
I chose this teaching resource because of its flexibility. Khan Academy can be used by a novice who merely wants to experience a content field. It can also be used by students who are implementing intense study in an area. This is possible because Khan Academy provides a step-by-step lessons on a content it teaches. It allows students to scaffold (Vygotsky) without adult intervention. One of my colleagues once said, "It assumes that I am dumb, but after I watch the videos, I ain't anymore."
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Flipped Classroom and Limitations
In classroom, teachers may use Khan Academy for "Flipped Classroom," in which students watch lectures via Khan Academy for homework and work on cooperative assignments in school.
Limitation is that many students and teachers are unaware of such beneficial teaching system. Students cannot perfectly grasp content ideas merely by watching videos. In other word, students may decide to unlearn (Kohl), without any legitimate reason to learn. They need to be engaged in discussions, projects, assignments, etc. If I were to modify the website, I would include specific instruction for teachers and students about how these mini-lectures could be utilized for maximum comprehension of the contents. |