my replacement has arrivedIn the spring, my learning coach told me about Khan Academy. I nodded as he mentioned it. He had just suggested about 10 books and 20 other programs in rapid succession. It was June, and my listening skills were not firing at all cylinders. Now that I have time over the summer, and I've recently become a blogging machine, I've decided to have a look. Well, I've got to say, I think it might be worth the hype. Khan Academy prides itself on being international, but somehow it knew I was from Ontario and aligned all of my assignments to the Ontario curriculum. This is a huge bonus. A lot of other online math tutorials I've found are from the US. If you even say the word inches around my students they start to get nervous. The program is conveniently broken up into the 5 math strands and each strand is then broken up into the big ideas. I decided to try out the data management strand. I chose the bar graph module, and went to work. For each question, I was able to manipulate a visual question. No more pencil crayon bar graphs! Beside each question I had an opportunity to ask for a hint, watch a video or get a step-by-step account of how Mrs. Khan would solve the problem. This is very impressive. Did I mention the whole thing is free? Here is an example of one of their videos. I love how personal their videos seem. It feels like the teacher is online with you, moving the mouse and talking through the problem. I also appreciate the lack of bells and whistles. I've found quite a few math instructional videos on Youtube that are more than a bit embarrassing because the instructor is trying too hard to be fun or exciting. Their must be tens of thousands of these short and direct videos on the site. Khan Academy actually does more than just math. I found a rather large grammar section, and one on art history. It's almost overwhelming how much is on this site. Need to ease in slowly. Could this be a game changer? is it useful?This site is dangerously useful. Although it doesn't offer the warmth and community of a real classroom, Khan academy can really help set students up academically. I could this working for students who aren't able to come to school either due to illness or remote geography. This would be a great tool to help students review for a test. It would also be a great tool to push higher students past their current grade level. I need to spend a lot more time with this site. I have a feeling this might become a big part of my instruction. Very exciting stuff. I will definitely try this with my class...will you?
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AuthorI am a grade 6 teacher who is searching for new ways to inspire my students through technology. ArchivesCategories
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