Khan Academy : The New Online Tutor

Khan Academy (KA) is one of the most talked about educational websites in this day and age. Many people wonder; “What is the big deal about the site?” “Why is it so popular?”. Khan Academy is an educational website that is meant to help anyone and everyone in subjects from math to Computer programming. Khan Academy was founded in 2006 by MIT and Harvard Business School graduate Salman Kahn. Salman started tutoring his cousin with math problems through Yahoo’s Doodle. When more of his relatives and friends started asking for help in math, he thought it would be great to put videos on YouTube and allow everyone to view his explanations. Salman’s videos became so popular on YouTube he made a life altering decision to quit his job and create Khan Academy.

One of the great things about Khan Academy is that it is a nonprofit organization that is free for anyone to learn and receive information. Salman has received very profitable donations from numerous people like Bill Gates and Google. Since 2006, Salman has taken KA and expanded the subjects that people can learn on his website. When I recently viewed the website KA has subjects from 3rd grade- college math, Computer Programming and even Humanities. In my opinion, KA is a website for everyone. I have had past history with Khan Academy. In the fall of 2012 I was taking Organic Chemistry. Anyone who has taken Organic Chemistry knows that it is a hard subject to grasp. There were many times in which I could not understand the various topics covered in lecture and the teachers and student tutors could not help. As a result, I took my problems to YouTube and came across Khan Academy. Khan Academy helped me understand Organic Chemistry. The videos were clear and understanding enough for someone who has never taken a chemistry class in their lives to grasp. The more I researched and viewed the KA website I noticed that Salman has hired experienced teachers, web technicians and business technology individuals in order to keep the information that is given out correct and concise with what is being taught in the classroom.

Khan Academy has not only helped me but it has also helped other people across the world. Barbra wrote on the Khan Academy website stating, “I just found your web site. I am 72 years old and I am now taking up learning where I left off. Thank you so much for all your hard work. Keep adding new subjects.” Barbra is a living testimony on how Khan Academy’s mission is “… by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere. “. Khan Academy has become such a resourceful tool in education that teachers and homeschooling parents use it to teach difficult topics to their students. Homeschooling parent Karla stated ,on the Khan Academy website, “My son and I have personally learned with Khan Academy math’s curriculum this year, and we can honestly say he has learned far more…” she also went on to say, “When doing Khan Academy lessons, I feel that my son, Khan Academy, and I are a dynamic learning team.” . When I read the other testimonials from other people it was all positive comments about KA. Many people see it as a very resourceful education website especially for math. However, not everyone is a fan of Khan Academy.

Krista McKeague, writer for Common Sense Media states, “The videos tend to be more procedural than conceptual and may, at times, contain minor inconsistencies that could confuse some learners.” Negative viewers see that the world is trying to put Salman on a pedestal because of website. When I furthered my research into finding negative comments about KA, I discovered that many issues are with the math subjects of Khan Academy. Justin Reich co-founder and co -director,author of the article: "Don't Use Khan Academy Without Watching this First", of EdTechTeacher states, “Khan teaches students to memorize a small set of procedural rules for dealing with multiplying negative numbers, with essentially zero effort expended to explain conceptually what the symbolic manipulations represent.” . In my opinion it does not matter how accurate a person must be in order to explain the subject I feel at the end of the day it is up to the teacher or homeschool teacher to teach the child/students the foundation for that topic in any subject and not just rely on a YouTube video.

In conclusion, KA is great educational resource, however, in my opinion, it should only be used at just only a resource. Once I become a teacher, I will use Khan Academy, along with many other videos, explain tougher topics to my students. I will encourage everyone to use Khan Academy because it is free and their main goal to educate anyone anywhere.

Works Cited
1.Khan Academy
2. Khan Academy Wikipedia Page
3. Educational Media "Don't Use Khan Academy Without Watching this First"
4.Common Sense Media