another resource for kids and other humans: Khan Academy

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another resource for kids and other humans: Khan Academy

Victoria Hughes
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Great teaching style, use of simple accessible graphics, and what, over 2400 topics about math, science, finances, and more. Video format. 
http://www.khanacademy.org/





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Re: another resource for kids and other humans: Khan Academy

Bruce Sherwood
I don't think I get it.

I looked at one of the videos, the second of two on work and energy in
the physics section, and 1) I don't see how this is somehow better
than a textbook treatment, and 2) it's not very good physics. I read
that all of the 2400 short videos have been produced by one person,
the head of the organization. This surely doesn't guarantee quality.

How is this progress?

Bruce

On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 3:15 PM, Victoria Hughes <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Great teaching style, use of simple accessible graphics, and what, over 2400
> topics about math, science, finances, and more. Video format.
> http://www.khanacademy.org/
>
>
> Tory Hughes
> www.toryhughes.com
> Milagro Hacienda creativity retreat
> The Creative Development manual
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>

============================================================
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Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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Re: another resource for kids and other humans: Khan Academy

Greg Sonnenfeld
I do believe the idea behind this teaching style isn't the content of
the videos, which are only as good as the lecturer, but instead its
the change in pedagogy. This style embraces several elements that I
find excellent:

A) Lectures as homework, class time as tutorial - When it comes down
to it, lecturers are impersonal. A lecturer, highly skilled in
teaching, can produce a video that explains topics better than a great
number of teachers could in class. By assigning the lecture as
homework, teachers can spend their class time answering questions,
helping students with tricky problems, and spending more personalized
time with students. Motivated students can also watch further into the
course receiving instruction from both lecture and textbook.

B) Pre-requisite flow and metrics - In the same way a college
restricts someone from enrolling in Calc 2 before demonstrating
proficiency Calc 1, this program does this on a granular level for
individual course topics. This identifies where a child has
weaknesses, and does not progress them to a compound idea including
the weakness until the weakness is addressed. This style also allows
excellent students to move at a quicker pace, and helps the teacher
identity students who are having trouble using built in metrics.


****************************
Greg Sonnenfeld


"Junior programmers create simple solutions to simple problems. Senior
programmers create complex solutions to complex problems. Great
programmers find simple solutions to complex problems. The code
written by topnotch programmers may appear obvious, once it is
finished, but it is vastly more difficult to create."





On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 5:37 PM, Bruce Sherwood <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I don't think I get it.
>
> I looked at one of the videos, the second of two on work and energy in
> the physics section, and 1) I don't see how this is somehow better
> than a textbook treatment, and 2) it's not very good physics. I read
> that all of the 2400 short videos have been produced by one person,
> the head of the organization. This surely doesn't guarantee quality.
>
> How is this progress?
>
> Bruce
>
> On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 3:15 PM, Victoria Hughes <[hidden email]> wrote:
>> Great teaching style, use of simple accessible graphics, and what, over 2400
>> topics about math, science, finances, and more. Video format.
>> http://www.khanacademy.org/
>>
>>
>> Tory Hughes
>> www.toryhughes.com
>> Milagro Hacienda creativity retreat
>> The Creative Development manual
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ============================================================
>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
>> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
>> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>>
>
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
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Re: another resource for kids and other humans: Khan Academy

Edward Angel
In reply to this post by Bruce Sherwood

I agree. It's more a sad commentary on the state of our schools than a significant contribution to how technology can help learning. I can't look at their simple black screen for more than a few minutes without being bored out of my mind, regardless of how good the the lecturer is. Consider one of the good TED lectures. Does anyone believe that that lecture would be as good if all we got to do was hear the lecturer and look at some scribbles on a black display?

The contribution of the Khan Academy, which is significant, is that is has provided help for many many people who lack access to any science and math education. 

Ed
__________

Ed Angel

Chair, Board of Directors, Santa Fe Complex
Founding Director, Art, Research, Technology and Science Laboratory (ARTS Lab)
Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, University of New Mexico

1017 Sierra Pinon
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505-984-0136 (home)   [hidden email]

On Oct 6, 2011, at 5:37 PM, Bruce Sherwood wrote:

I don't think I get it.

I looked at one of the videos, the second of two on work and energy in
the physics section, and 1) I don't see how this is somehow better
than a textbook treatment, and 2) it's not very good physics. I read
that all of the 2400 short videos have been produced by one person,
the head of the organization. This surely doesn't guarantee quality.

How is this progress?

Bruce

On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 3:15 PM, Victoria Hughes <[hidden email]> wrote:
Great teaching style, use of simple accessible graphics, and what, over 2400
topics about math, science, finances, and more. Video format.
http://www.khanacademy.org/


Tory Hughes
www.toryhughes.com
Milagro Hacienda creativity retreat
The Creative Development manual






============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org


============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org


============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org