If you are interested in the concept of a virtual classroom, you may want to look up Salman Khan. Back in 2011, he shared with the world his vision of having a free world-class education that is available for anyone, anytime and anywhere. This is why he came up with Khan Academy.
This is the epitome of what a virtual classroom should be. The academy uses video lessons that are archived so the student can create an individualized learning experience. They can set their own pace so their learning will allow them to take care of other important activities in their lives. This online academy allows anyone to utilize the extensive library full of content in the form of interactive challenges, videos, and even assessments.
The aim of Khan Academy is to convert virtual classroom learning into the education model of the future. Since 2011, the site now has more than 10 million unique user every month. Not only that, 5 million exercises are completed on an average every day.
This education model revolutionizes the learning experience via the Internet. Thanks to the global reach provided by the net, the dream of making education available to everyone is within reach. The lessons are actually hosted on five sites and are available in 29 languages. The academy collaborated with the Getty Museum, MIT and MOMA for content. They are continually deepening their content so they have more to offer the students who are exploring this virtual classroom day in and day out.
Khan Academy is a great example for how teachers and technology work hand in hand to make the learning experience as interesting, convenient and accessible to everyone who wishes to learn. It is also important to note that this is not just for young students. Even those who wish to return to school yet could not because they hold full time jobs can benefit from the self-paced learning provided by this academy. The virtual classroom is also making homeschooling more appealing and effective for those who cannot go to the traditional learning institutions.
Khan is currently focused on bringing the content in this academy at par with the curriculum of world class learning facilities. K-12 Common Core with AP Calculus and AP test partnerships are among the content that Khan Academy is integrating in their current library.
Since 2011, Khan Academy has increased their coverage of physics, history, math and chemistry. They even brought in some art historians to contribute to their growing content.
According to Salman Khan, there is an on-going refinement of the retention, learning and engagement capabilities system used in the academy. He wants to be able to know and understand what the student needs, based on their current level of knowledge. This will allow Khan Academy to make suggestions and recommendations based on that data. This will put the virtual classroom learning to a whole new personalized level.
Thanks to the further advancements of technology and the efforts of the people behind Khan Academy, this platform of learning will continue to grow and develop. It has a lot of possibilities and the potential to improve will always be there.
We are excited to see what Khan Academy can offer the education industry in the future.
To learn more about Khan Academy, visit their website: https://www.khanacademy.org/.
Image courtesy of Khan Academy