Week 4 Discussion 2 Khan Academy: Innovative or Traditional?

  
In the discussion forums for the last two weeks, Sir Ken Robinson and Seth Goodin challenged us to think differently about what the purpose of school is.  Seth suggests that students should be able to watch lessons at home and meet with the teacher during the day to engage in deep conversation answering questions from the video and not simply sitting in class listening to a lecture.  In fact, Khan Academy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. is considered an innovative flipped classroom model that has taken this strategy to scale across America. In the video, Salman Khan: Let’s Use Video to Reinvent Education (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Salman Khan, the developer of Khan Academy discusses how shifting lectures to video provides a way to revolutionize education by making learning accessible anytime, anyway, and anyplace.  On the contrary, the video What if Khan Academy Was Made in Japan? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. suggests that Khan Academy reinforces the American model of learning, which continues to focus on the idea of watch a lesson and practice the skill.  After you watch both videos, think about the focus of this week’s reading: delivering effective lessons that connect your students to learning.  How do you reconcile the two different perspectives on learning exhibited in the videos?  What relevance do you see in each perspective? In what ways, if any, does either approach to teaching and learning reflect constructivism?  If you were asked to pick a side to support, which strategy would have a greater impact on ensuring students master twenty first century skills?  Explain your thinking.
Professor: Constructivism is a theory of learning in which the individual uses personal past experiences to connect and build on their concept of new learning. The pathway for each learner may look different. It is considered a middle ground between direct instruction (content is told)  and behaviorism (content is learned).
 
Part of this Discussion Question is asking you to consider if either approach to teaching and learning shares constructivist views.
 
The video link to your right will provide you a brief overview:      (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.Constructivism: Overview & Practical Teaching Examples (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Required Resources
Text
Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Chapter 9: Designing      Effective Lessons

This chapter focuses on       the specific ways to design and plan effective lesson plans.  It       introduces the understanding by design lesson planning strategy and       examines how a teacher can craft an instructional plan using the backward       mapping approach.

Chapter 10: Engaging and      Connecting Students to the Learning 

This chapter examines       how individuals organize information in their brains and how they make       meaning of situations and events.  It also focuses on the theory of       learning called constructivism and looks at the works of Vygotsky and       Piaget.

Multimedia
Michael Pershan.  (2012, July 6).  What if Khan Academy was made in Japan? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file].  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHoXRvGTtAQ
Rystad, M.  (2013, April 7).  Assessment for learning (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file].  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcLMlY6R7RM

This video explains      multiple strategies for assessment for learning, or formative      assessments, to inform instructional decisions.

TED Talks.  (2011, March).  Salman Khan: Let’s use video to reinvent education (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file].  Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html
Websites
Common Core State Standards Initiative (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.corestandards.org/)

Official Common Core      State Standards website.

Recommended Resources
Article
Darling-Hammond, L., & Adamson, F. (2010).  Beyond basic skills: The role of performance assessment in achieving 21st century standards of learning (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..  Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.  Retrieved from https://scale.stanford.edu/system/files/beyond-basic-skills-role-performance-assessment-achieving-21st-century-standards-learning.pdf

This article discusses      the key role of accountability measures in education and the role of      performance  assessments in twenty-first century learning.

International Society for Technology in Education.  ISTE Standards Teachers. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf
Text
Popham, W. J.  (2010). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

This text discusses the      range of topics teachers need to know about assessment.

Websites
Jing (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html)
Khan Academy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.khanacademy.org)
PowToon (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.powtoon.com)
Prezi (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://prezi.com)
Screencast-o-matic (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.screencast-o-matic.com)
Sliderocket (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.sliderocket.com)
Smore (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (https://www.smore.com)
YouTube (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.youtube.com)