For example, with regard to student privacy, I believe it's important to well educate parents and students about the use of their names and other information online, and then to ask parents to provide permission for platforms you decide are top-notch and valuable for students. For example, I keep persisting in my advocacy to use Khan Academy for math in the face of rules that have banned the platform in my school system. There are so many reasons why I believe it's a platform that should be embraced, reasons that include the following:
- Khan Academy teaches students how to learn online
- Khan Academy is a great resource to act as a guide on the side for teaching assistants who are helping students master a concept
- Khan Academy uses a terrific blend of language and visual models to teach a concept
- Khan Academy is a progressive site that continually assesses a student's performance and then assigns tasks related on the student's needs. This is a terrific help to students and teachers.
- Khan Academy has great enrichment opportunities with regard to math puzzles, coding, the standards of mathematical practice, and information and exercises in multiple other disciplines.
- You can access Khan Academy in multiple languages which is helpful to immigrant students and families.
- Khan Academy provides great data for teachers, students, and families to use to assist and motivate student learning
- Khan Academy is supported by lots of money, good intellect, and modern day research--it's always improving
- Khan Academy supports personalized learning and is a terrific home-school platform to use
- Khan Academy offers students ready feedback whereas paper/pencil and some other platforms have substantial lag time between doing the work and receiving feedback.
- Khan Academy is a great way for students to learn how to succeed on standardized tests since its a resource for test designers and test questions for most standardized tests
- Khan Academy is not language-heavy like other platforms thus giving students who struggle with language, a chance to learn math differently
Khan Academy is not all things, and you have to learn how to use it well. No one strategy or tool in teaching is the end-all, but when used with multiple other strategies and approaches, it's a terrific tool.
Our system pays for a Khan Academy-like system rather than approving Khan Academy. The other system is okay, but not as good, in my opinion, as Khan Academy. The other system is a little easier for teachers to use, yet it's language heavy thus leaving out the learners who struggle with reading and English, and it maxes out at the end of elementary school standards rather than a system, like Khan, that moves up to college and beyond which is terrific for our advanced students.
Khan Academy is a free resource, and one that could help us to save money too since we pay for the other system. Though I do believe that systems should pay, in part, for quality tech. After all we have to support what is good, and that support, when used well, will lead to even greater quality.
My students who did well on MCAS last year used Khan Academy effectively to learn. Many utilized the system for individualized and collaborative enrichment too.
I will continue to persist as I believe this is a platform that fits the adage, "If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he eats his whole life." Students can use Khan Academy to develop their learning throughout their lives. I think we're remiss not to embrace this platform, a platform students all over the world are using to elevate their skill, knowledge, and concept understanding. If you agree with me, reach out and speak up too. Maybe together we can forward this small change for teaching/learning growth and betterment.
