Using Technology to Reinvent Education

Hi all,

When I ran across a TED talk a while back on Khan Academy, I was thrilled to see someone looking at the education system and using technology to alter it. Dramatically.

If you haven’t heard of Khan, this fantastic YouTube video sums up the premise of it.

It all began when Salmar Kahn helped out his cousins by teaching them for a distance with some online tutorials that he posted on YouTube. Turns out, other people started watching… and learning. Eventually, Khan quit his full-time job, started Khan Academy and now some classrooms in California are — what they call – “flipping the classroom.” They’re having students watch the video lectures as homework then doing the actual work online in the classroom where a teacher can monitor each student and give them the individual attention they need. Making education much more effective. And it’s free.

This use of technology is brilliant and innovative, and I hope to see it reach all schools. You can check out the full educational site and use it yourself at http://www.khanacademy.org.

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)