Salman Khan is the creator of Khan Academy. The website has over 22,000 videos of how to learn calculus, history, algebra and almost any subject! Videos range from learning how to add to some of the most complex concepts students learn in school today. It all started because Khan tutored his cousins by putting on videos on Youtube to help teach them. They said that they liked watching these videos better then having him tutor them in person! Soon Khan went and put more and more videos on Youtube and many people discovered them and realized that these videos were helping them learn in many different content areas. Even some teachers have used these in their classrooms where they have 'flipped the classroom'. They are assigning the videos that are basically lectures for homework, students are allowed to watch the videos on their own, at their own pace and can watch the videos over and over again. Then what the teachers usually assign for homework the students are doing in the classroom where the teacher is available for help. This is a very interesting concept for me. I think that these videos can be used as a resource and an extension to students learning or even a way for students to review or get extra help outside of class, but I don't think that these videos should be the only instruction students should be receiving. Some students need someone at the front of the classroom interacting with them to learn and can't learn something from just watching a video. Teachers should not rely on these videos to teach their students. I think these videos are great tools to help students, but should not be replacing actual instruction. What do you think?
Here's the website for the academy: Khan Academy
And here's a video of Khan explaining his videos and ideas: Video
