Khan Academy: An antidote for ignorance

Frank_Macky

Very inspiring. Aside from mathematics, Khan also has videos on biology and chemistry.

The site itself - khanacademy.org - is excellently done and incredibly, it's all free.

Khan gets what looks like a 100% standing ovation among the TED audience which is precisely what he deserves.




Alvin Toffler's book Third Wave ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave_(Toffler) ) mentions industrial age style education (the so-called 2nd wave) which is the paradigm our schools are still operating under.

What's 2nd wave technology like? One-size-fits-all. Mass produced. Henry Ford's quip that "you can have the Model T in any color as long as it's black". Powerful but regimented (one could even say fascistic) technology.

What's 3rd wave technology like? Khan Academy is an example of Third Wave education. It's go-at-your-own-pace, individual-customized learning. As long as you're self-motivated, this is optimal.

Frankly, the idea behind Khan Academy is drop dead simple: it is easier to learn from a video than from a live lecture, because you can rewind and forward as you please.


Perhaps we could extend that analogy to spiritual/religious stuff as well. Organized religions are 2nd wave inspired. Today's New Age-y type spirituality reflects a more individual-oriented spirituality, which the change-fearing, dogma-bound ignoramuses of the 2nd wave like to badmouth as "people making themselves God".

The 2nd wave mentality will ultimately disappear because the 3rd wave is far more empowering and the people who can understand and embrace it are going to gain influence and will be the ones who mold the future. The old farts will eventually die off and the young and nimble-minded will be the ones to inherit the earth. The technology is here and the real battle/problem is to keep the old farts from imposing their obsolete ideas, biases, preconceptions and limitations on the next generation.

crocopie

I disagree that learning on video is easier than live lecture. People are different. Some learn by reading, others by watching videos, other by live demonstration. I practice Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and no matter how much I watch videos, I need to drill a technique several times before I could master it.

The outcome is different from person to person, and videos cannot answer everything. You still need guidance.

As far as worship and church service in religion, Greek/Russian Orthodox may fit your description the best, despite being as old as Roman Catholicism. Oh, and I'll have to include the older forms of Buddhism too.

Frank_Macky

^ I seriously doubt anyone can learn martial arts purely through videos. On the other hand these lecture videos are a great replacement for the actual lecture when it comes to purely mental subjects. There is added value in actual interaction with the teacher, but well-done videos will get most people 80-90% of the way there for the subjects that Khan Academy tackles. That's precisely the revolutionary (yet brain-dead simple) realization here...

And if you'll excuse me, I'm off to brush up on my calculus...

mistervontrier

dudes, try coursera.org

the best classes from best teachers from the best universities FREE for humanity.

Frank_Macky

^ coursera.org course selection looks awesome, but it seems that khanacademy.org is far more straightforward and user-friendly.

Coderboi

Many of the interesting courses listed in coursera.org don't seem to be available yet...

mistervontrier

Frank_Macky wrote: »

^ coursera.org course selection looks awesome, but it seems that khanacademy.org is far more straightforward and user-friendly.

i think the difference is that coursera actually offers "courses" not just "learning materials". some courses in coursera will actually provide you with a certification if you finish the whole course period.

mistervontrier

Coderboi wrote: »

Many of the interesting courses listed in coursera.org don't seem to be available yet...

you have to enroll and wait for the classes to start. courses depend on the instructor's schedule too.