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Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

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Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#121

Post by bsenftner »

zozbot234 wrote: post #119
bsenftner wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can't automate teachers, in any effective manner. To teach requires an empathetic comprehension of the student's misunderstanding. That right there requirements an AI goal so far a head of our current capabilities, it may as well be called impossible. Modern AI has no capacity whatsoever for comprehension, and that is about as big a failure as something called an artificial intelligence can fail.

We can definitely automate many parts of tutoring, but physical teachers will still be important for the reasons you describe.

My point being, the critical support a teacher provides when they "help a student" requires the teacher to comprehend the misunderstanding of the student - that comprehension step is beyond current known science to artificially replicate.

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#122

Post by WinstonSmith84 »

huitzitziltzin wrote: post #104

Very favorable comments all around from the very online crowd who comments here. I’m much more skeptical. I have no doubt this will work well for some students, but as someone who taught online for the better part of two years I can say with certainty that the experience is very different and (for the wide majority of students) worse than being in person. My colleagues and I can attest to both general learning loss (…

Maybe there is a difference with kids which have been used to get online schooling from the very beginning and others who suddenly have to study remotely. And then, it may also depend on your family situation at home such as having an independent, quiet room or a noisy shared room .. ?

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#123

Post by [deleted] »

bonoboTP wrote: post #92
dragonwriter wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> why deal with a mediocre local math teacher if you can get taught by the best? Because…you actually can’t. Static media (like books and non-interactive lectures) scales easily, but that’s not teaching (even if, especially in large lower-division courses, that’s what university faculty essentially does.) Human interactivity, which is what teaching fundamentally is, doesn’t scale, which is why those large lecture cla…

That's what we need. The best resources online from truly great teachers, then a discussion session locally with a local teacher. Just look below any comment section of a great science lecture or course on youtube. Tons of people grateful that finally someone explained it in an understandable and non-dry way, including the "why" questions, the context, the intuition etc. instead of how they were taught by their own t…

[deleted]

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#124

Post by codingdave »

dalbasal wrote: post #39

Online learning resources are amazing. Compared to pre-internet, the depth, quality and accessibility is amazing. It really does open an opportunity route for a lot of people. However... Institutional learning, whether it's K-12, colleges, techs or whatnot have barely changed. The same fundamental dynamics exist, whether it's tertiary sorting and prestige or primary teaching methods. Education still serves and fails…

> It's in the same realm as defense, energy or transport.

There is one important difference - almost all the school district leadership I have talked to supports change. They are held back not because they want to stick to the status quo, but because the funding model is driven by test scores, so the curriculum needs to follow the testing. That is what holds back innovation.

This effort by Khan and ASU bypasses that problem by not being free. Tuition is $9900 per year for students outside of Arizona. You have much more flexibility to innovate when you have non-federal funding.

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#125

Post by bnralt »

huitzitziltzin wrote: post #104

Very favorable comments all around from the very online crowd who comments here. I’m much more skeptical. I have no doubt this will work well for some students, but as someone who taught online for the better part of two years I can say with certainty that the experience is very different and (for the wide majority of students) worse than being in person. My colleagues and I can attest to both general learning loss (…

In my experience, in-person educators often do a rather poor job with online education. There's often a lot of effort to emulate in-person learning, instead of an acceptance that online education is its own thing. They also often approach online education with a bias against it, which I doubt helps things.

In-person educators trying to do online learning, getting poor results, and then saying it's the fault of online education is a bit like a YouTube educator teaching in person classes, doing poorly, and then declaring that in-person education is inferior.

Also worth noting that students who have spent years being conditioned with in-person learning might have an adjustment period when starting online education, one that might not go smoothly if it's happening during a crisis and guided by people inexperienced with and predisposed against this form of education.

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#126

Post by richardw »

huitzitziltzin wrote: post #104

Very favorable comments all around from the very online crowd who comments here. I’m much more skeptical. I have no doubt this will work well for some students, but as someone who taught online for the better part of two years I can say with certainty that the experience is very different and (for the wide majority of students) worse than being in person. My colleagues and I can attest to both general learning loss (…

Some students have terrible teachers and an excellent online supplement can’t hurt.

Living in South Africa, we have a huge difference between the best private schools and the worst public schools. It would be nice to know that every child in the world has at least a base level of education available that reduces “quality of your teacher” as a variable.

Obviously this assumes they’re able to learn remotely. I realise that’s not everyone. That doesn’t mean this has no value. I had extra lessons that were part recorded (so I could rewind etc) and tests with a teacher who could help guide through aspects I didn’t understand. Improved three symbols in one year with about a solid week of study over each holiday. Self study worked very well for me, as a supplement.

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#127

Post by MrBlueIncognito »

PretzelPirate wrote: post #110
huitzitziltzin wrote: post #104

Very favorable comments all around from the very online crowd who comments here. I’m much more skeptical. I have no doubt this will work well for some students, but as someone who taught online for the better part of two years I can say with certainty that the experience is very different and (for the wide majority of students) worse than being in person. My colleagues and I can attest to both general learning loss (…

We’re researchers able to separate the negative effects on children of online learning from the negative effects from other causes such as global panic and uncertainty, the inability to see friends, etc…?

> the inability to see friends

At least that last factor is directly correlated with online learning.

Also I know from experience that most students in online classes aren’t even actively listening. A good chunk of them end up on YouTube or Instagram.

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#128

Post by aaron695 »

dalbasal wrote: post #39

Online learning resources are amazing. Compared to pre-internet, the depth, quality and accessibility is amazing. It really does open an opportunity route for a lot of people. However... Institutional learning, whether it's K-12, colleges, techs or whatnot have barely changed. The same fundamental dynamics exist, whether it's tertiary sorting and prestige or primary teaching methods. Education still serves and fails…

No post body was provided.

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#129

Post by dalbasal »

codingdave wrote: post #124
dalbasal wrote: post #39

Online learning resources are amazing. Compared to pre-internet, the depth, quality and accessibility is amazing. It really does open an opportunity route for a lot of people. However... Institutional learning, whether it's K-12, colleges, techs or whatnot have barely changed. The same fundamental dynamics exist, whether it's tertiary sorting and prestige or primary teaching methods. Education still serves and fails…

> It's in the same realm as defense, energy or transport. There is one important difference - almost all the school district leadership I have talked to supports change. They are held back not because they want to stick to the status quo, but because the funding model is driven by test scores, so the curriculum needs to follow the testing. That is what holds back innovation. This effort by Khan and ASU bypasses that…

>> They are held ... because the funding model is driven by test scores, so the curriculum needs to follow the testing

There are many, many educational metastructures large and small around the world. Public, private, religious, regional, national, etc. By an large, the status quo persists much more widely than some specific incentive or funding structure. That doesn't mean test scores are good. It does mean that replacing the test score system will not, in itself, change much.

Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school

#130

Post by Yajirobe »

umangrathi wrote: post #35

I am looking forward to the day, when quality formal education is available online to all which you may complete at your own pace instead of going with a strict semester and class system. Also, along with offline schools for supporting social learning and helping classes which require offline components like labs, in person support classes, interest based study groups etc.

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