[View the story "e-Scholars" on Storify ]e-Scholars Is the future of learning moving online? Storified by The Stream · Tue, Oct 02 2012 11:18:22
Khan Academy was
established in 2006 as a free online video resource explaining basic concepts of math and science to children. Today, after much heralded success, it has grown into a 3400 video library explaining complex theories in biology, chemistry, and physics. Salman Khan, a US native, began posting the videos to YouTube, attempting to help a younger cousin with math at first, but then offering the help to anyone with online access.
Here, Salman Khan is pictured at his house making one of the online videos for the web:
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The following is a sample of Khan Academy's videos with Salman Khan explaining linear algebra:
Linear Algebra: Example solving for the eigenvalues of a 2x2 matrixkhanacademy
In 2012, Salman Khan
published The One World School House detailing how he created Khan Academy and explaining his style of teaching. He also explains how the power of technology can be harnessed to help in the classroom, and how the classroom needed to be "flipped" so that both the teacher and student are learning simultaneously.
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Salman Khan delivered this lecture on Khan Academy and the future of teaching at TEDx in April 2011.
TEDxSanJoseCA - Salman Khan - Providing a Free World Class Education Through Videotedxtalks
A bar graph provided by the International Center for K-12 Online Learning
shows the increase of full-time online charter school enrollments over the last decade:
OnlineLearningAJstream
Not everyone is convinced, however, that online learning or Khan Academy is the solution to all problems in education. The blog
post below critiques Khan Academy for attempting to go beyond its limits, arguing, "it is not a coherent curriculum of study that engages students at all their cognitive levels".
KhanCriticAJstream
Much talk is made of the US school system's perceived "failing". Secondary school students ranked twenty-third in math and science during the 2011 school year in comparison with their peers. The subject of standardised testing is also an issue that has raised many questions in recent years. Educators and parents question whether students are being taught to pass exams or expand their critical thinking:
The video below examines the "education crisis" in the US:
Why Is America's Educational System Failing?paulmaddalena
This clip shows where the US ranks in education compared to other nations:
GOOD Transparency: Education in Americagoodmagazine
DistrictsAJstream
In September, members of the US state of Chicago's teachers' union began a city-wide
strike against the use of test scores to evaluate teachers and called for employment guarantees for laid-off educators. The strike lasted for seven days cutting into the school year in a hot-button struggle between the teachers and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. Below is a picture of the teachers' protest in downtown Chicago:
Thousands marched in the streets of Chicago for the Chicago Teacher's Union strike ( vía @OccupyWallSt) http://pic.twitter.com/Rw5QVM5mEducación_UCM
We stand with the Chicago Teacher's Union. The strike is still on. Photo of Paper Mice drummer John Carroll and crew : http://pic.twitter.com/40flKbdaGonzo Chicago
This blog
post argues that the US education system is a quagmire that is frequently understated and hardly dealt with:
teacher's strikeAJstream
This recent Pew
poll shows education is just as important as jobs are for US voters in states considered key to winning the presidential election:
Economy, education, jobs, health care, deficit are issues that matter most to swing voters http://pewrsr.ch/TqfcpB http://pic.twitter.com/NPqW9oixPew Research Center
The following is a promotional poster for education around the world:
Approximately 67M primary-school-age children are denied the right to an education. We BELIEVE we can make that ZERO. http://pic.twitter.com/DwkDYe1JUNICEF USA
In general, netizens seem to appreciate Khan Academy's assistance:
I sat my six year old down in front of Khan Academy's new CS lessons. Success.Calvin Spealman
Khan Academy is my bestfriend.1DAmerica
Just finished this Khan Academy stuff... I must say, it actually helped. I thought it would just be more busy work but no. #Content.Diksha Sharma
going to make Khan Academy my best friend after chamber choir today and stay in the library hopefully till my brain explodes with knowledge.Sophie Mbogo
#KhanAcademy has taught me more in 20 minutes than my teacher did in an hourIbtehaj Khan
Son making good progress with Khan Academy CS tutorials. He's working on them unattended and having fun playing around. Nice environmentLeigh Dodds
Not a fan of khan academy, but i do agree with his views on schooling http://bit.ly/PwSXbxDarren Sudlow
Where was khan academy when I was a kid!!! #60minutesYoli's Green Living
Netizens also voiced their opinions on education reform while questioning the current state of affairs:
heart, kindness, eloquence, honesty, inspiration, wisdom, connection: cannot be measured by teacher evaluations. #EdreformCaitlin Kelleher
Are 299 state mandated tests in 12 years of school really a good thing? http://bit.ly/QPKAZ6 #edreform #edchat #testingWill Richardson
Replacement NFL refs? Moral outrage, politicians support union! Replacement teachers? That's called #edreform http://ow.ly/1ODu1I #cmonsonGuy L. Gonzalez
The #EdReform movement clearly has no legs to stand on, hence the millions spent on movies, fake studies, and the never mentioned #POVERTYTheFrustratedTeacher
Teachers should be evaluated based on multiple measures- not just students test scores. #npredchat #edreformMichelle Rhee
Are politicians the leaders we need to move education in a different direction? Me thinks not. #edchat #ednews #edu #edreformScott Kinkoph
