Solving Math Problems and Reinventing Education with Khan Academy

Source: Salman Khan at TED, March 2011 | Official TED Video

For me, math is something to fear and dread. Ever since I was a kid, I have had the worst time understanding fractions, decimals, and the likes. Not that I abhor the subject, it’s just that I’m a bit slow when it comes to numbers.

That’s why I envy kids of this generation. If they are having a hard time understanding their lessons at school, they can simply head to their PCs and Google the help they need. They can watch a tutorial on YouTube, browse websites for answers, download an app or an eBook. When I was in grade school, access to these kinds of resources where scarce and YouTube wasn’t invented yet.

I grew up seeing and experiencing, in one way or another, how technology was able to change the lives of people. YouTube videos are no longer just meant for hopefuls who want to become recording artists or TV celebrities one day. Online videos can also be used to reinvent education—the same thing that Salman Khan did when he founded the Khan Academy.

After watching his video on TED, I learned that each student has his or her own learning space. They need someone or something that will provide guidance without pressure to move on to the next lesson before they are ready.

The Khan Academy also provides great tools for teachers to understand the learning capabilities of each of their students. In turn, they are able to better allocate their attention to those who need more guidance.

Had the Khan Academy been around when I was in school… who knows how I would have turned out? Not sure I would have ended up changing my major to math or science, I think at least my horror of calculations and formulas would have been much abated. 🙂