[IAEP] Etoys Video's for Khan Academy

[Steve Thomas]

In the OLPC News article How Khan Academy Can Help
OLPC<http://www.olpcnews.com/content/education/how_khan_academy_can_help_olpc.html>
it
was stated:

**

*A. In terms of The Basics*

*Khan Academy covers almost every basic academic subject in its videos. In
addition, it has one hundred sets of math exercises. OLPC could either use
the exercises from the website or rewrite the programs to make them work
offline in Sugar. Problem Solved.*

Okay, well how much disk space would that take?

I like the idea of re-writing them. The videos as introduction to concept
via demonstrations, visual models, playthinks and excercise that can (and
should) be done w/o a computer.  For exercises I am working on basic
configuration/generation engines for creating exercises so teachers can
easily generate their own exercises using a set of "playthinks" for
particular concepts.  For example: Cuisenaire Rods (some with vector arrows)
is a great tool for learning.  I built a number line where you can set the
unit to a particular rod and provide a playfield so things snap to grid.
Another example is my OOO tools where you have "operation blocks" that you
can drag numbers or other objects that represent numbers into the operations
and play games/excercies like "How many ways can you name 15.
*


*
*

I could use some help and collaborators as there is a lot to do to create an
OER that is a textbook/workbook replacement.
*


*D. In terms of the Teacher/Developer Communication Dilemma*

I was talking to Bert Freudenberg the other day about developing video
tutorials for eToys, and he said there would need to be about 100 to give a
complete tutorial of the program. Imagine if Khan Academy could help us pull
those videos together. *With video tutorials, developers and teachers
wouldn't have to communicate at all!* I'm sure this a big relief for both
parties. Problem Solved.

Name the 100 topics and I will start making the videos (I already have a
number of "Etoys Minutes")

*B. In terms of Motivation into Exploratory Learning*

In an ideal world, kids would pick up the laptops and go to town on all the
amazing programs available on the XO. But that just isn't how it works,
because there is more immediate gratification to be found in simple games
and Facebook. You and I know that exploring the world of science, art, math,
and literature is much more satisfying than whatever instant satisfaction
Facebook or (non-educational) online games can provide. But kids don't yet,
so we need to get our hooks in first. Khan Academy does this through a
system based on gaming, with badges and rewards, just like Xbox Live or the
PlayStation Network. Problem Solved.

Yes providing game mechanics (like bages and awards) and tracking is a nice
touch and hooking into the Khan Academy system (or Sugar providing its own
system) would be nice. Also I like the idea of "disconnected from the
network" XO so there are less "distractions" (no I am not suggesting that
kids can't access the internet, but as a parent and working with kids,
having no TV/Computers/Electronics time has its advantages.  Perhaps a
"Internet is turned off until you do the following tasks option. For those
who don't like this and think kids should have full access to everything all
the time, think of it as a motivation for hacking and getting peer-to-peer
networking working so they can find other distractions ;)

*C. In terms of the Impending Evaluation and Testing*

The people want proof. If governments or private schools are going to employ
this system, they’re going to want evidence that the program works in some
measurable way. We can talk all day about the evils of evaluation but the
fact is that it exists and we need to deal with if we want this to work.

Testing is already built into the Khan System, so teachers and students can
track their own progress. The system is measured whenever it is employed in
a new school, and the statistics show that it WORKS. Problem Solved.


I agree wholeheartedly with the first comment "people want proof" and yes I
know and agree with the "evils of testing," but we need to deal with the
political realities if we want to have a larger impact.

My question is how exactly do we use/hook into the "Testing" in Khan
Academy?  Should Sugar provide some method of tracking (as anathema as I
imagine this may be to some)?

How do you folks envision working together with Khan Academy? Would they be
open to it?


Stephen
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