Khan Academy

I came across the Khan Academy website today and I must say I am very intrigued. This single guy named Khan produced over 1000 youtube videos and each of them is a little lesson on a mathematical, economics, or history concept. I have doubts that each of the subjects is taught in an excellent way - how can one man do it all? But still, it is impressive. I like the length of each video. In keeping with the Ted.com concept each video is short and that is important for young learners. I realize that many schools are putting up more and more videos like this and I think it is a good thing. It may not be a popular thing to say but I think these videos should replace the teacher-created lecture. It is very arrogant for teachers to assume that their lecture is any better than Khan's for example. Yes, he probably gives a biased view of economics, history, etc. and his math lessons probably cater to one kind of learning style or math program, but this is just a hint of the potential of the internet. We could create realms where there are 10 different lectures on the French Revolution with comment sections attached much like Amazon.com's review sections. The teacher's role then becomes one in which he or she helps students select the right video to watch and how to interpret them for bias.

Critics of online learning also moan about the lack of interaction but I think they are comparing the online realm with their utopian classroom where kids are super-interactive and getting their voice heard. while this does happen it does not happen enough and is no standard by which to judge online learning. Besides, the new revolution unfolding in the online realm is social networking and social learning. You are engaging in it right now if you are reading this. And progressives can cheer because learners get their curriculum catered to their interest and don't have to march to the beat of everyone else in their class.

Critics also contend that school is about more than acquiring information like what Khan's site is set up to do, and that it is about creating community. I think critics need to realize that community can be created and fostered in an online environment. And one of the buzzwords of progressives is creating global citizens. Think about it, where do you interact the most with diverse peoples around the world? On the internet. So of course online learning can have problems but instead of ignoring it we should be embracing it and finding out a way to make it work and unleash its potential. We are almost at the point where everyone can afford a portable multimedia device that allows for web 2.0 interactions. And the costs are coming down that having the government provide them for each student is not so far fetched. And if we invested just a few billion more in the infrastructure it could be high-speed and ubiquitous.