Khan Academy Launches First State-Wide Pilot In Idaho | Hacker News Reader

Khan Academy Launches First State-Wide Pilot In Idaho

informationweek.com

69 pointseli_awry6 comments

Hi there --

We're really excited about everything that's happening in Idaho. I was there just last week and we saw some really great schools with students and teachers who are enthusiastic about what we're doing. Many of these pilot teachers have attended a workshop for teachers that we've held about how best to implement Khan Academy in a classroom; all the resources are also available free online for any teacher:

https://www.khanacademy.org/coach/resources

Let me know if I can answer any questions about what we're doing.

As a student, I'm just going to say that it's about time somebody did this. Even going to an extremely high-quality school, Salman Khan is just a better at explaining concepts than your teacher. And that's okay.

Just consider this: If students statewide are failing to understand a concept, new videos can be A/B tested in its place, and you put the winner into practice. You actually have the potential to optimize teaching, at high scale, for what helps people learn. That's a huge step forward for everyone involved.

The real problem is that no one teacher is "the best" for all students. What would be brilliant to see is testing which types of presentation styles, speakers or ways of explaining concepts resonate with individual students and giving them a personalised education, no matter which class they get put in each year.

A huge step forward indeed.

Students often work hardest for teachers they like or look-up-to or respect most. So for many students, explaining things well is one necessary but not sufficient teacher characteristic.

Your point is important, and needs to be made. We do need teacher who both understand and explain things well. But in most discussions on education, I am troubled by the lack of emphasis placed on the role teachers have in motivating students, and whether proximity will have an effect there.

When we look back on our school or college days, and think of our most influencial teachers, what stands out most?

As an Idahoan and a parent, you couldn't get here fast enough. Not that our schools are terrible (anymore), but there are a lot of small towns (like where I grew up) that can just use any help they can get.

I'm a product of the Boise school district, and I didn't realize how good I had it until I went to college out of state. I'm glad to see Idaho's still a leader at integrating technology into the classroom.

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