Khan Academy

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Khan Academy
KhanAcademyLogo.png
URL www.khanacademy.org
Slogan "It is our mission to accelerate learning for students of all ages."
Commercial? No
Type of site Online education
Registration required for some services
Available language(s) English, Indonesian, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Swahili, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Xhosa, Greek, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Bengali, Hindi, Chinese, Thai, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean
Content license Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA)
Owner Salman Khan
Created by Salman Khan, founder and Executive Director
Launched September 2006
Alexa rank 4,903 Global, 2,165 US (May 2013)[1]

The Khan Academy is a non-profit[2] educational website created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, a graduate of MIT and Harvard Business School. The stated mission is "providing a high quality education for anyone, anywhere".

The website supplies a free online collection of more than 4,000 micro lectures[3] via video tutorials stored on YouTube teaching mathematics, history, healthcare, medicine, finance, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, economics, cosmology, organic chemistry, American civics, art history, macroeconomics, microeconomics, and computer science.[4] Khan Academy has delivered over 240 million lessons.[5]

Contents

History [edit]

The founder of the organization, Salman Khan, was born to a Bangladeshi father and Indian mother from Kolkata living in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.[6] His father is from Barisal, Bangladesh.[7] After earning three degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (a BS in mathematics, a BS in electrical engineering and computer science, and an MEng in electrical engineering and computer science) he pursued a MBA from Harvard Business School. In late 2004, Khan began tutoring his cousin Nadia in mathematics using Yahoo!'s Doodle notepad. When other relatives and friends sought similar help, he decided it would be more practical to distribute the tutorials on YouTube.[6][8] Their popularity there and the testimonials of appreciative students prompted Khan to quit his job in finance as a hedge fund analyst at Connective Capital Management in 2009, and focus on the tutorials (then released under the moniker "Khan Academy") full-time.[8] Bill Gates once said that "I'd say we've moved about 160 IQ points from the hedge fund category to the teaching-many-people-in-a-leveraged-way category. It was a good day his wife let him quit his job".[9]

The project is funded by donations. Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization,[2] now with significant backing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Google. Several people have made US$10,000 contributions; Ann and John Doerr gave $100,000; total revenue is about $150,000 in donations. Additionally, it earned $2,000 per month from ads on the website in 2010 until Khan Academy ceased to accept advertising.[10] In 2010, Google announced it would give the Khan Academy $2 million for creating more courses and for translating the core library into the world’s most widely spoken languages, as part of their Project 10100.[11] In 2013, Carlos Slim made a donation to Khan Academy to expand its Spanish library of videos.[12]

Khan Academy has eclipsed MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) in terms of videos viewed. Its YouTube channel has more than 268 million total views, compared to MIT's 50 million. It also has more than twice as many subscribers, with 1,000,000.[13][14][15]

Khan Academy currently provides various levels of mathematics courses, and Salman Khan has stated that (with the help of volunteers[16]) soon they will begin to have topics beyond just math such as physics, chemistry, finance, computer science, logic, and grammar.[17]

Khan Academy also had a language release in mid-2012. It was supported by volunteers[16] from Amara and included Indonesian, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Swahili, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Xhosa, Greek, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Bengali, Hindi, Chinese (translated by Eric Hayes).

Khan Academy launched a computer science module in September 2012.[18][19]

Technical format [edit]

External video
James Abram Garfield, photo portrait seated.jpg
Garfield's proof of the Pythagorean Theorem, Khan Academy[20]

The Khan Academy started with Khan remotely tutoring one of his cousins interactively using Yahoo Doodle images. Based on feedback from his cousin, additional cousins began to take advantage of the interactive, remote tutoring. In order to make better use of his and their time, Khan transitioned to making YouTube video tutorials.[21] Drawings are now made with a Wacom tablet and the free natural drawing application SmoothDraw 3, and recorded with screen capture software from Camtasia Studio.[22]

All videos (hosted via YouTube) are available through Khan Academy's own website, which also contains many other features such as progress tracking, practice exercises, and a variety of tools for teachers in public schools. Logging into the site can be done via a Google or a Facebook account for those who do not want to create a separate Khan Academy account. The material can also be accessed with the Khan Academy Modern UI application available free of charge from Windows Store.

Khan chose to avoid the standard format of a person standing by a whiteboard, deciding instead to present the learning concepts as if "popping out of a darkened universe and into one's mind with a voice out of nowhere" in a way akin to sitting next to someone and working out a problem on a sheet of paper: "If you're watching a guy do a problem [while] thinking out loud, I think people find that more valuable and not as daunting".[23] Offline versions of the videos have been distributed by not-for-profit groups to rural areas in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.[6][24] While the current content is mainly concerned with pre-college mathematics and physics, Khan's long-term goal is to provide "tens of thousands of videos in pretty much every subject" and to create "the world's first free, world-class virtual school where anyone can learn anything".[6]

Khan Academy also provides a web-based exercise system that generates problems for students based on skill level and performance. The exercise software is available as open source under the MIT license.[25] Khan believes his academy points an opportunity to overhaul the traditional classroom by using software to create tests, grade assignments, highlight the challenges of certain students, and encourage those doing well to help struggling classmates.[8] The tutorials are touted as helpful because, among other factors, they can be paused by students, while a classroom lecture cannot be.[26]

The success of his low-tech, conversational tutorials—Khan's face never appears, and viewers see only his unadorned step-by-step doodles and diagrams on an electronic blackboard—suggests an educational transformation that de-emphasizes lecture-based classroom interactions.[27]

Badges [edit]

Since 2010, Khan Academy has badges. There are 6 types currently:*

  • Meteorite Badges-These badges are easy to earn and come with small energy point awards.
  • Moon Badges-These badges are harder to earn than the meteorites and have larger energy point awards.
  • Earth Badges-These badges are harder than moon badges but some are still easy to earn.
  • Sun Badges-These Badges are harder than the Earths and unlike the previous categories, earning them is a challenge
  • Black Hole Badges-These badges are extremely hard to earn and there are only 2 available to earn

Services and vision [edit]

The major components of Khan Academy include:[28]

  • a video library with over 4100 videos in various topic areas and over 244 million lessons delivered.[29][30] These videos are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License.[31]
  • automated exercises with continuous assessment; as of December 2012, there are 381 practice exercises, mainly in math. As of February 2013, over one billion problems have been answered on the site.
  • peer-to-peer tutoring based on objective data collected by the system, a process that will be projected in the future.

Not-for-profit partner organizations are making the content available outside YouTube.

A November 2011 grant of $5 million from Ireland-based The O'Sullivan Foundation, founded by Avego MD and cloud computing pioneer Sean O'Sullivan, will be directed to three initiatives:

  1. Expanding the teaching faculty
  2. Extending content through crowd-sourced contributions following a Wikipedia-style model
  3. Developing curricula to help users blend the content with physical teaching through STEM learning

Recent teaching appointees as a result of the grant include Dr. Steven Zucker, formerly of Pratt Institute, and Dr. Beth Harris, from the Smarthistory project at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, to produce art and history content. YouTube video creators Vi Hart and Brit Cruise have also joined the teaching faculty.[32]

A series of summer school camps are planned to start in Northern California from June 2012 to test curricula for real-world schools.[33]

External video
Salman Khan TED 2011.jpgSalman Khan at TED 2011
Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education, TED[34]
  • In 2009, the Khan Academy received the Microsoft Tech Award for education.[24]
  • In 2010 at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Bill Gates endorsed the learning resource, calling it "unbelievable" and saying "I've been using [Khan Academy] with my kids".[9][35]
  • In 2010, Google's Project 10100 provided $2 million to support the creation of more courses, to allow for translation of the Khan Academy's content, and to allow for the hiring of additional staff.[36]
  • An article featuring Khan Academy and Salman Khan appeared in the August 2011 issue of Wired Magazine.[37]
  • In November 2011, the Khan Academy received a $5 million grant from the O'Sullivan Foundation.[38]
  • In March 2012, Khan Academy was featured on CBS 60 Minutes.[39]
  • In April 2012, Salman Khan was listed among the Time 100 Most Influential People for 2012
  • The Khan Academy app features in many 'best educational apps' lists including this one from BBC Active: BBC Active's list of the best educational apps

Educational Impact [edit]

There are both critics and proponents of Khan Academy, disagreeing on the actual effectiveness and potential that it has. Some critics have stated that the Khan videos are insubstantial, "repetitive," and "leave kids staring at screens" rather than promoting interaction and active engagement.[40] Although Salman Khan himself has addressed the fact that there is no "consistent, comprehensive plan" for revamping school courses, critics are unsure of the reliability and widespread application of Khan Academy.[40]

There are many however, that support Khan Academy for its technological ingenuity and its ability to introduce different educational dynamics. The Khan Academy's ability to freely distribute lessons has demonstrated technology's ability to eliminate economic barriers that prevent effective education. Since Benjamin Bloom's 1984 study on the effectiveness of "one-on-one tutoring," close student-teacher interaction has been aggressively sought after.[40] However, both the cost and the realistic implementation of this ideal has been an issue. Critics promote that the Khan Academy has addressed these issues, through both cost-free nature of the site and its wide accessibility via the internet.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "khanacademy.org Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-05-04. 
  2. ^ a b Contribute | Khan Academy
  3. ^ "About Khan Academy". Khan Academy. Retrieved 2013-02-04. 
  4. ^ Michels, Spencer (2010-02-22). "Khan Academy: How to Calculate the Unemployment Rate". PBS NewsHour. PBS. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  5. ^ http://www.khanacademy.org/
  6. ^ a b c d "About Us: Frequently Asked Questions". Khan Academy. 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  7. ^ "About". Khan Academy. 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2012-05-23. 
  8. ^ a b c Temple, James (2009-12-14). "Salman Khan, math master of the Internet". sfgate.com. Retrieved 2009-12-23. 
  9. ^ a b David A. Kaplan (2010-08-24). "Bill Gates' favorite teacher". CNN (Fortune). Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  10. ^ Young, Jeffrey R. (2010-06-06). "College 2.0: A Self-Appointed Teacher Runs a One-Man 'Academy' on YouTube". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  11. ^ "$10 million for Project 10^100 winners". The Official Google Blog. 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2010-09-24. 
  12. ^ http://www.marketplace.org/topics/life/education/mexicos-carlos-slim-funds-khan-academy-spanish
  13. ^ Solomon, Ethan A. (2011-12-06). "Sal Khan is Commencement speaker". Tech.mit.edu. Retrieved 2012-05-23. 
  14. ^ "MIT on youtube". Retrieved 2012-05-23. 
  15. ^ "khanacademy". Retrieved 2012-05-23. 
  16. ^ a b "Volunteer". Retrieved 2012-09-16. 
  17. ^ "I am Salman Khan founder of Khan Academy-AMA". Retrieved 2013-01-16. 
  18. ^ "The Wikipedia of Education 'Khan Academy' Launches Computer Science Education". careermitra.com. 20 August 2012. 
  19. ^ http://www.khanacademy.org/cs
  20. ^ "Garfield's proof of the Pythagorean Theorem". Khan Academy. Retrieved March 2, 2013. 
  21. ^ Khan, Salman. "Khan Academy FAQ; How Did You Get Started?". 
  22. ^ Khan demonstrates the C03U microphone in CBS News's "Khan Academy: The future of education?" at 62 seconds
  23. ^ "Need a tutor? YouTube videos await". USA Today. AP. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  24. ^ a b "2009 Education Award Laureate: Salman Khan". Techawards.org. Retrieved 2009-12-14. [dead link][verification needed]
  25. ^ "khanacademy on GitHub". 
  26. ^ Rasicot, Julie, "Education Review: Web site offering free math lessons catches on 'like wildfire'", Washington Post, 5 August 2011.
  27. ^ "Innovation in Education: Bill Gates' favorite teacher". CNN Money. 24 August 2010. 
  28. ^ "Khan Academy Vision and Social Return". YouTube. 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  29. ^ Khan Academy
  30. ^ "Khan Academy". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
  31. ^ "Khan Academy". Khan Academy. Retrieved 2010-10-25. 
  32. ^ Frequency Stability - YouTube
  33. ^ "Khan Academy Receives $5 Million to Accelerate the Reinvention of Education". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2011-12-03. 
  34. ^ Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education March 2, 2011; Permanent link, accessed February 28, 2013.
  35. ^ "Sal's Amazing Global Academy". The Gates Notes. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  36. ^ "Project 10100 Winners". Project 10100. Google. 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  37. ^ Thompson, Clive (15 July 2011). "How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education". Wired. Retrieved 4 August 2011. 
  38. ^ "The O’Sullivan Foundation Grants $5M To Online Learning Platform Khan Academy". Techcrunch. November 4, 2011. 
  39. ^ "Khan Academy: The Future of Education?". March, 2012. 
  40. ^ a b c Thompson, Clive (15 July 2011). "How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education". Wired. Retrieved 26 November 2012.

External links [edit]

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