Is anyone here using the Khan academy tutorials?

Forums: Reference, Education, Math, Khan Academy, Online Tutorials
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I was just watching his TED talk so I checked out the website (http://www.khanacademy.org/#browse) and I'm thinking about signing Mo up.

If you're using it, do you use the practice and feedback part or just watch the videos? In general, how long does it take to work through a lesson? Did you have your kid start at the beginning and work their way through or jump in at the spot you think they needed to start? What do you do with the feedback you get?

Most importantly, what does your kid think about using this site?

Teachers, what do you think about the lessons?

Thanks!

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What do you mean "signing him up" for the Khan academy? I thought you just went in and watched a video on a topic that interested you (or one to help you through your homework).

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@littlek,

To use the "practice" and "coaching" areas you have to have an account.

You can just go in and watch the videos or you can sign up and they will track one's progress.

1 Reply

@boomerang,

That's cool!

1 Reply

@littlek,

Are you familiar with the lessons? Do you know any kids that are using it?

I'm wondering if we should start with "Developmental math" or "arithmetic" .

1 Reply

@boomerang,

What kind of academic credentials does Khan actually have?

http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/khan-star-trek.jpg

1 Reply

@tsarstepan,

Was he a tailor ?

( or WILL he be a tailor ? )

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@boomerang,

Why not just start it and see? Does it cost something?

1 Reply

@boomerang,

This site may be of interest to you:

http://singularityhub.com/2010/09/11/is-the-khan-academy-the-future-of-education-video/

It includes a PBS News Hour video on the academy, an overview of the academy library as well as an example lesson.

There are several good "related" videos at the youtube site for the PBS video found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kly25zVbco

1 Reply

@boomerang,

The Khan tutorial on dealing with islammic neighbors is fascinating:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY_YM4JESyk

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@littlek,

I did sign up.

I just wanted a little more information from people who have actually used the lessons.

I spent a chunk of the day watching some videos in areas where I think Mo needs a better understanding. It's kind of cool in that they offer a lot of alternative strategies for working out a problem, usually shown alongside the more traditional approach. Some of them show not just how something works, but why it works.

We'll muddle in and see how it goes.

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@Butrflynet,

Thanks Butrflynet. I'll give those a look.

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I bet the day will come
that u can get an education zapped into your head,
all at once.

It might be a while, tho.

Will Yale have a better ZAPPER ?

David

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

Will how much money your parents have determine what kind of zapping you get?

It kind of works that way now, but with less actual zapping going on.

1 Reply

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

Will how much money your parents have determine what kind of zapping you get?

I imagine that it 'd be a lot like financing college.

boomerang wrote:

It kind of works that way now, but with less actual zapping going on.

Yeah; the other way is faster.

I RESENTED it, when I had to leave home to begin kindergarten.

HUGE jurisdictional challenge.

I was a kindergarten dropout; did not need Timothy Leary 's advice.

I LIKED hanging around the house idly.

David

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Wow ! This is going to help so many kids who hate reading but love Math. Many of the kids I only see once a week will be able to fill in more gaps on their own. (I plan to watch some of the more advanced videos myself, since I'm an auditory learner as well.)

Actual tutors are not obsolete yet. A real tutor is to this program what a choose-your-own-adventure novel is to a standard novel. Students can move in the direction they want with a good tutor, while this program looks more linear.

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@boomerang,

The Khan math videos have the gungasnake seal of approval, and are totally straight up. For kids who actually want to learn things there are significantly better tools for doing it around than there were back in the day, and this stuff is one of them.

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Thanks Oylok and gunga for watching some of the videos. I confess to never having been very good at math and the fact that I never had to use it after school hasn't helped much. I was hoping that someone who knew more about it than me would give them a look and report back.

I've convinced Mo to watch a couple of the videos but I'm not getting very far. I'm trying to not make it "another awful thing I make him do".

I stumbled across a video for "vedic multiplication". Mo loves this:

1 Reply

@boomerang,

As a next step then, you might try mixing Vedic math with standard math by replacing the lines and dots with actual numbers in the following way:

123 x 321

STEP 1:

----------Draw up a diagonal grid or "lattice" that looks like this one:

---------------------1--------1

----------------2---------_---------2

-----------3--------_---------_---------3

----------------_---------_--------_

---------------------_---------_

---------------------------_

STEP 2:

----------Notice how each blank is located along a downwards diagonal from a red number and blue number?
----------Fill the blank by multiplying the red number times the blue number:
----------(So here we have 2 x 2 = 4.)

---------------------1--------1

----------------2--------_---------2

-----------3--------_---------_---------3

----------------_---------4--------_

---------------------_---------_

---------------------------_

STEP 3:

----------Do that for all the blanks:

---------------------1--------1

----------------2---------1---------2

-----------3--------2---------2---------3

----------------3---------4--------3

---------------------6---------6

---------------------------9

STEP 4:

----------Add the purple numbers vertically:
----------(So here we have 2 + 6 = 8.)

---------------------1--------1

----------------2---------1---------2

-----------3--------2---------2---------3

----------------3---------4--------3

---------------------6---------6

---------------------------9

--------------------------------8

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LAST STEP:

----------Do that for all the numbers, and note how the row of black
----------numbers is the same as what the Vedic guys came up with:

---------------------1--------1

----------------2---------1---------2

-----------3--------2---------2---------3

----------------3---------4--------3

---------------------6---------6

---------------------------9

-----------------3---8---14--8---3

-------------------------------------------------> So as in the video, the answer is 39,483.

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Is anyone here using the Khan academy tutorials?

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