For those of you who thought Youtube videos were simply an endless resource of mindless entertainment, or a welcome diversion from your studies, think again. The site is the birthplace of the world’s largest free online school – which started purely by chance.
Salman (Sal) Khan lives in California. He was a stellar student and valedictorian of his high school. With a MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Mathematics from MIT, he’s always been a hard-working learner with little time to play around and watch Youtube videos. He had a lucrative career in hedge funds, but that all changed when he discovered the power behind his passion for teaching.
Three years ago while his family was visiting from New Orleans, he heard that his young cousin was struggling with 6th grade Arithmetic and offered to help her. Khan put together a series of simple, hand-drawn Youtube videos which he also narrated, and used these to tutor his cousin for an hour in the evenings. Before he knew it, his Youtube videos were being watched by people he had never met – not only that but they found Mr Khan’s Youtube videos so helpful that they started writing testimonials and messages of thanks. He started receiving responses from students in developing countries like Uganda and Ethiopia, who were overjoyed at the accessible nature of these educational Youtube videos. He spent more and more time creating these videos, and eventually walked away from his Silicon Valley career to work full time on educating strangers around the globe.
Since, then, Sal Khan’s non-profit online school, Khan Academy, has grown to include 1100 educational Youtube videos and has 80 000 users a month. The videos start with the most basic addition, namely “1+1=2”, and from there they progress to college-level Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, History and Biology. These are all delivered in the format of Youtube videos, and they are, of course, free to anyone who wishes to view them.
Learners around the world find the Khan Academy’s Youtube videos useful when trying to grasp the basic concepts involved in their subjects, or studying for test and exams. Students preparing for SATs, who feel no amount of data recovery will salvage the knowledge that seems to keep leaking out of their brains, turn to Sal Khan and his Youtube videos to help them meet the challenge.
Sal Khan says “I see a world where anyone with access to a computer and the internet will be able to go to the Khan Academy and get a world-class education.” The praise for his Youtube videos keeps rolling in, and despite the effects on his cash flow, he tells the media he can’t imagine a better use for his time than not-for-profit teaching.
Watch a Khan Academy multiplication video below:
Tags: education, information technology, remote tutoring, youtube videos
