Friday, March 16, 2012

"Can a Hedge Fund Analyst Revolutionize Education?"

I haven't seen the videos but some sharp folks I know are trying to figure out how to turn everyone into an autodidact, which seems to be the Holy Grail of any serious educator: "Learn how to learn and you won't need me any more".
From Big Think:
What's the Latest Development?
Should former hedge fund manager Salman Khanbe be given a Nobel Prize for his ideas on bringing the digital revolution to education? That is what some are saying. At the very least, Khanbe's video lectures, administered through his Khan Academy, have caught the eye of Bill Gates and TED, philanthropic organizations which want to reform education by bringing it up to speed with current technology. Using Khanbe's method, children begin their lessons at home via video and receive support and exercises from their teachers at school later on.

What's the Big Idea?
Since Khanbe's method introduces new ideas to students at home rather than in class, and asks teachers to play a more reinforcing role, it is being referred to as 'flipping the classroom'....MORE
Here's the WaPo piece BT links to: 
Khan Academy, TED-Ed and the new leaders in education reform
Khan Academy's homepage.
Here is the Academy's YouTube channel.
One of the vids: