In this day in age, accessing and learning new information is easier than ever. With the click of a button, millions of online resources are at your fingertips. Gone are the days of reading instruction books and needing to personally know an expert in a field. Instead, visual tutorials and virtual courses are the way of the future. One of the leading organizations in this new wave of online resources is Khan Academy.
Founded by a man named Salman Khan, Khan Academy is a website with the primary use of teaching new skills to the masses. There are many online courses ranging from the topics of art history to microeconomics, and there is truly something for everyone. On the interface, Khan Academy has several tabs, relating to various topics. It is easy to use with its organized layout and understandable design, everyone can use this site.
One of the advantages to using Khan Academy is the availability of the information. Anyone can access these courses, as they are free to the public, and as long as one has access to the internet, they have the opportunity to use this resource. However, because it is free of charge, Khan Academy does not offer educational credits for the course(s) one takes.
This resource, nonetheless, is most commonly used by high school and college students. Due to the online tutorials, helpful tips, and useful content, this tool can reinforce knowledge, help with challenging homework assignments, or generally help one grasp a concept. Also, unlike a traditional classroom, where there are time restraints, Khan Academy is self paced. Since there is no set time limit, when it comes to finishing courses, everyone can learn at the speed that is right for them.
Being a personal user of Khan Academy, I can attest to the usefulness, reliability, and helpfulness of this website. Lately, I have been using Khan Academy as a way to better understand the material relating to the course of AP Calculus AB. I can honestly say that the online courses provided by Khan Academy has helped my understanding of the topic significantly more than other alternatives. The method of teaching used by the website is key when explaining the effectiveness of this resource. One starts by watching a video (or several videos depending on the topic) to learn the material, then to reinforce the information, practice problems and exercises and used. You need to answer so many problems correct so you can move on to the next topic. Because of this method, students are able to fully understand the material before moving on, enabling for a more impactful system than other, more traditional forms of learning.
All in all, Khan Academy is the latest in education, tutoring, and online resources. With its accessibility Khan Academy is plausible to become more commonplace in education and other forms of learning, providing, “a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.”
