Rest assured, I am not against The Khan Academy … at least not entirely.
There are several reasons to celebrate what its founder, Sal Khan, and the team have done:
A discussion about ‘flipping the classroom’ (as the Economist helped point out) has become mainstream, if not a healthy obsession
Outlets such as TED, Charlie Rose and even Stephen Colbert have helped push the topic of education reform to the masses by interviewing or showcasing Sal Khan
Videos and learning have become an essential component of the learning cycle; as opposed to some form of babysitting tool. See this short video for an example
Even vendors like Cisco are producing white papers outlining the benefits of video in education
Where I take umbrage with The Khan Academy is its inability to properly position what it is doing in the education space.
Theirs is one of prevaricate, not truth.
I’m also not alone.
See examples 1, 2, 3 and 4.
That stated, I don’t want to stop the brilliant work they are doing.
I don’t’ want this post to come off like a jealous diabolical rant either.
What I simply implore The Khan Academy to do going forward is quite simple:
Stop suggesting you are reinventing education. You are positively complimenting it.
Start positioning Khan Academy as supplemental reinforcement or didactic introduction.
Add pre and post learning elements to the videos that assist curriculum lineage or linkage
(ie. recommend other related learning assets that further the learning be it websites, articles, other videos, simulations, exercises, games, etc.)
These steps, in my opinion, will serve not only your organization’s future better, but it will properly align expectations of students, parents, teachers and administrators.
The Khan Academy is great. It is not, however, the reinvention of education.
That, unfortunately, is both naïve and incorrect.
The Khan Academy is in a wonderful situation to actually help in the transformation of the learning experience and thus the learning cycle. It is in a position of strength to help enable a better schooling experience.
The reinvention occurs when our classrooms become melting pots of collaborative-based interdisciplinary learning using formal, informal and social means. It occurs when we truly tear down the walls.
It does not occur solely through the use of your video-based lectures, reporting and badges.
Otherwise, you will remain The Con Academy in my books.
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We are so proud to have had you at our event. Your talk was a big hit. It moved us. We can’t thank you enough.
Malin Björnell, Salesforce
Dan challenged us to have clarity of purpose, both as individuals and as an organization. He related inspiring stories drawing on his experience in business, technology and academia. As he said, ‘There is no ownership without belonging.’
Christian Pantel, D2L
Fantastic engaging talk for our global partner summit. Thank you so much, Dan!
Barb Kinnard, CEO Response Biomedical Corp
Dan not only brought his presentation to life with his charisma, but also content, style and presentation finesse. Our members were especially interested in his thought provoking and top of mind topic on the future of work and how we’re going to be leading the next generation of leaders.
Cheryl Goodwin, CPA
Dan is a conference organizer’s ideal speaker. Not only did he inspire and energize our group, but he also masterfully adapted his content so it resonated with the audience and our conference theme. As a bonus, Dan is able to nimbly navigate to adjust to a reduced time slot when other speakers went over time without sacrificing the impact of his session.
Director and General Counsel
Dan accomplished what we set out to do, which was not only to be inspirational, but also to leave everyone with tools and food for thought / self-reflection to improve their personal and professional lives.
Rest assured, I am not against The Khan Academy … at least not entirely.
There are several reasons to celebrate what its founder, Sal Khan, and the team have done:
These steps, in my opinion, will serve not only your organization’s future better, but it will properly align expectations of students, parents, teachers and administrators.
The Khan Academy is great. It is not, however, the reinvention of education.
That, unfortunately, is both naïve and incorrect.
The Khan Academy is in a wonderful situation to actually help in the transformation of the learning experience and thus the learning cycle. It is in a position of strength to help enable a better schooling experience.
The reinvention occurs when our classrooms become melting pots of collaborative-based interdisciplinary learning using formal, informal and social means. It occurs when we truly tear down the walls.
It does not occur solely through the use of your video-based lectures, reporting and badges.
Otherwise, you will remain The Con Academy in my books.
