Khan Academy and the School of One

What do you think of the concept of a “School-of-one” and Kahn Academies? How will this approach to technology shape the classroom of the future?

           
                I was very intrigued by these school reform ideas after listening to the Freakonomics podcast and watching the Khan Academy video. I feel as though the mood about public education in the States has been one desiring reformation for a while, but for various reasons (i.e. funding, apprehension to change, etc.) has not made significant changes through the years. However, I believe ideas like these could be tipping points in the shift towards education reform in this country in how easily they cater to individual learners. As a new teacher, I would welcome ideas such as these and advocate for their integration in our education system.

                I’ll start with Khan Academy. I can understand why there would be such a substantial interest in the videos that Salomon Khan has produced and uploaded to the web. They are simple, interesting, somewhat short (about 10 minutes), can be paused and restarted easily, and can be conducted at the convenience of the learner (among probably many more reasons).  This method for carrying out lectures is appealing in its accessibility. But what is even more exciting of an idea in my opinion is how Khan Academy is able to track it’s learners progress. It sets out the videos like building blocks, in order of what concepts need to be built upon and allows an instructor to troubleshoot areas in which the student needs further instruction and help. This individualized instruction and assessment would end up saving the teacher time to focus attention on needs that each student has, as opposed to the traditional method in which all students receive training that may not be applicable to the needs of each student.

                The School of One is similar to Khan Academy in this way.  Focus is given to the needs of the individual as well. Like Pandora matches a song to the listener’s taste, the training a learner receives is matched by how they respond to the lesson they are given.  I would agree with the idea that all individuals learn differently, just as we all have different tastes in music.  I think it makes good sense to structure our learning opportunities to accommodate this understanding.

                In regard to the applicability of these ideas in our future schools, I don’t think it will be long before we will begin to see changes occur across the country that will incorporate these types of concepts.  Their introduction into the public education system will probably require successful study cases, and may be held up in the short term by political red tape and resistance from some communities. But in the long term, I believe ideas like these will eventually start to emerge in public curriculum.