[View the story "The future of online education" on Storify ]The future of online education What's in store as education technology disrupts the status quo? Storified by AJAMStream · Wed, Dec 25 2013 09:06:38
As education reformers struggle over the path forward, classrooms across the United States and abroad are testing the waters of education technology. From drawing on learning tablets in pre-school through online courses at the college level and beyond, education entrepreneurs are forcing many to rethink how we learn and teach.
Sal Khan is one innovator who's disrupting the status quo with his non-profit,
Khan Academy . In the video below, Khan explains his vision for education in the style of his tutorial videos.
Khan Academy Visionkhanacademy
Khan
says the style of his videos makes it as though "we're both sitting at a table and we're working through something together." Many students will attest to the success of Khan's approach:
“My name is Umair. I’m 10 years old and attending CPS in 5th grade. I started using Khan Academy when I was 8. Since then, I have learned a LOT of math...…”khanacademy.org
“I watched your videos and it all clicked.”wired.com
Khan also
counts some big names among his supporters, include Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Silicon Valley investor Anne Doerr, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, former president of the California State Board of Education Ted Mitchell, Bill and Melinda Gates, and top executives at Google.
However, Khan's approach has been controversial among education reformers. The criticism varies.
Some take issue with Khan's lack of formal training in education.
Sal Khan is a good guy with a good mission. What he’s not, though, is a good teacher.washingtonpost.com
Others question the approach of his multiple-choice software.
Gary Stager, a longtime educational consultant and advocate of laptops in classrooms, thinks Khan Academy isn’t innovative at all. The videos and software modules, he contends, are just a high tech version of that most hoary of teaching techniques—lecturing and drilling.wired.com
"Constructionists" argue students need unstructured time to grasp concepts on their own.
Students “fumbling around” is actually where the learning happens – and there’s no shortcut for this process.blog.genyes.org
Regardless, Khan has many more ideas about how the education system can be improved through education technology. These
include grade-less schools, online peer reviews for writing skills, and an evolving view of the role of teachers.
Khan has also forged commercial partnerships to expand his organization's reach, including a
deal with Comcast to increase use of Khan Academy among low-income families. Below is an ad by Bank of America explaining Khan's contribution to the bank's financial literacy tools.
Sal Khan on the Partnership with Bank of Americabankofamerica
How do you think the education system will change due to new technology and online offerings? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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