Khan Academy
Giorgio Sironi (Nest Group)
Description
• Service: educational videos for
  delivering content
• Platform for exercises
• Platform for coaching
  – Tracking of students and their history as
    they change tutors
  – Tracking of topics and their reception by
    the class
Description
• Users
  – K-12 students
  – Adults
• Main actors
  – Content creator (Salman Khan)
  – Platform creators (rockstar developers
    hired by the foundation)
  – Coaches: teachers who use the platform
    as main support
Description
• Didactic objective: deliver content...
  – at the student's pace and with possibility
    of replay
  – at the student's time and will
  – and provide exercises targeting
    excellence
• Business model
  – It's a foundation! (IRS-recognized 501c3)
  – Donation from Google, Bill & Melinda
    Gates Foundation...
Browsing the website:
     homepage
Browsing the website:
        homepage
• Video explanations of different
  depths
  – 2' introductions
  – TED talk
• Promoters are shown
  – Bill Gates
  – Google
Browsing the website:
      curricula
Browsing the website:
        curricula
• Variety of subjects
  – Mathematics and scientific subjects
  – Economics and finance
  –…
• Weaknesses
  – Humanities (History, Literature)
    • not suitable for teaching with registered
      videos
  – Soft skills (writing)
    • require exercise and human correction
Browsing the website:
       videos
Browsing the website:
       videos
Browsing the website:
          videos
• YouTube hosting
  – Outsourcing lowers costs
  – CreativeCommons BY-NC-SA license
• Features
  – Categorization and comments
  – Questions&Answers system powered
    by students who watched the video all
    over the world
    • It's a large FAQ where a student's question is
      usually already been answered by someone
Browsing the website:
  practice sessions
Browsing the website:
     practice sessions
• Path of exercises of increasing difficulty
• Randomly chosen exercises from a
  particular subject's archive
  – The student has to get 10 in a row correct
    • Stage: mastery learning
    • Students are not left behind: they can continue
      exercises at different paces
Browsing the website:
  coaching platform
Browsing the website:
     coaching platform
• Enables usage in classrooms
 – Students
   • Knowledge map to get to know their position
   • Video progress and exercises progress
     – Data for the teachers
 – Teachers
   • Tracking of students in time (their whole academic life)
   • Profile of students when they where with another
     teacher
   • Progress of the single student on a single topic
Strengths & weaknesses
• Comprehensive and consistent video
  content
  – All videos shot by the same person
  – Different subjects
• Strong platform being built by some
  of the best developers in the world
• No monetization: costs are high
Conclusions & take-aways
• Videos and other reusable delivery of content frees
  up classroom time for exercise sessions
• E-learning can track students for their whole
  academic life
• Finer statistics means a better usage of resources
  – Teacher stays with students currently left behind
  – Teacher can discover the problematic areas
    automatically
  – Proficient students (on a given topic) can tutor the others

Khan academy

  • 1.
  • 2.
    Description • Service: educationalvideos for delivering content • Platform for exercises • Platform for coaching – Tracking of students and their history as they change tutors – Tracking of topics and their reception by the class
  • 3.
    Description • Users – K-12 students – Adults • Main actors – Content creator (Salman Khan) – Platform creators (rockstar developers hired by the foundation) – Coaches: teachers who use the platform as main support
  • 4.
    Description • Didactic objective:deliver content... – at the student's pace and with possibility of replay – at the student's time and will – and provide exercises targeting excellence • Business model – It's a foundation! (IRS-recognized 501c3) – Donation from Google, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation...
  • 5.
  • 6.
    Browsing the website: homepage • Video explanations of different depths – 2' introductions – TED talk • Promoters are shown – Bill Gates – Google
  • 7.
  • 8.
    Browsing the website: curricula • Variety of subjects – Mathematics and scientific subjects – Economics and finance –… • Weaknesses – Humanities (History, Literature) • not suitable for teaching with registered videos – Soft skills (writing) • require exercise and human correction
  • 9.
  • 10.
  • 11.
    Browsing the website: videos • YouTube hosting – Outsourcing lowers costs – CreativeCommons BY-NC-SA license • Features – Categorization and comments – Questions&Answers system powered by students who watched the video all over the world • It's a large FAQ where a student's question is usually already been answered by someone
  • 12.
    Browsing the website: practice sessions
  • 13.
    Browsing the website: practice sessions • Path of exercises of increasing difficulty • Randomly chosen exercises from a particular subject's archive – The student has to get 10 in a row correct • Stage: mastery learning • Students are not left behind: they can continue exercises at different paces
  • 14.
    Browsing the website: coaching platform
  • 15.
    Browsing the website: coaching platform • Enables usage in classrooms – Students • Knowledge map to get to know their position • Video progress and exercises progress – Data for the teachers – Teachers • Tracking of students in time (their whole academic life) • Profile of students when they where with another teacher • Progress of the single student on a single topic
  • 16.
    Strengths & weaknesses •Comprehensive and consistent video content – All videos shot by the same person – Different subjects • Strong platform being built by some of the best developers in the world • No monetization: costs are high
  • 17.
    Conclusions & take-aways •Videos and other reusable delivery of content frees up classroom time for exercise sessions • E-learning can track students for their whole academic life • Finer statistics means a better usage of resources – Teacher stays with students currently left behind – Teacher can discover the problematic areas automatically – Proficient students (on a given topic) can tutor the others