Skip to main content

Adopting insights from Kahn Academy

This year our school has charged the faculty to try experimenting with some new educational techniques proposed by Salman Khan, founder of the Khan Academy. With the help of online video, he has "flipped" the instructional / homework model upside down where students are given instruction at home via youtube video and then they do their homework in class with the help of the teacher. See the TED video:

So now that we're studying Shakespeare, I thought I would produce a short video on iambic pentameter ... a subject I teach every year with a fair degree of success. Here's my attempt:
I didn't expect thousands of students and teachers around the country would use it to help them learn this topic. Things I learned from the comments posted on this video:
  • I sound like William Shatner, Mark Zuckerberg, or George Watsky
  • These kinds of videos work for some students, not others--more evidence for differentiated learning.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Assignment #1: Introduce Yourself

As I mentioned in my previous post, the first thing I do in class is have my students write and deliver two minute introductions. Obviously it gives me a sense of their writing and presentation skills, but more importantly it allows me to know who they are. Here's the prompt I give them: Your first formal assignment is to compose and present a short introduction so I may better get to know you. I'm only looking for a two minute introduction. I would like you to type it out and then read it to the class. Make sure you save your work somewhere because I'm going to ask you to post it in your portfolio (more on that later). I'd like to get a sense of who you are and what your voice is. Not sure what to write? No problem ... here are some ideas to help get you started: What are you passionate about? What are some of your goals for the year? For your life? What is the most important physical object in your life? (take a photo of it and bring it to class) What is y...

Anyone can make an Android App

Android App Inventor android.kevinbrookhouser.com 1. Go to and bookmark       ai2.appinventor.mit.edu 2. Start a new project     "grumpyapp" (no spaces or symbols) 3. Drag a button into your screen 4. Make the button this image. 5. Download these MP3 files.   meow  and  hiss . upload it as a new sound in App Inventor. 6. If you have an Android device, get the  A12 Companion App for Android  and c onnect your Android to the computer. 7. If you don't have an Android device, get this  chrome app  and install  this apk .  8. Go to "Blocks" and create this. MITs Android App Inventor Get the App! Connect Android Device to Computer over WIFI Get the Moto E Animal Dashboard Video bit.ly/ARC_Welder_Chrome You need this cat. Right click [save image as]. And you need the meow at the bottom of this page. Hello Purr Instructions Magic 8 Ball Instr...