Educator Peter McIntosh helps his students to take ownership of their learning by using interactive subject-mastery tools like Khan Academy. For more articles and videos about integrating technology in the classroom, visit our Tech2Learn resource page.
Logging in, please wait...
0 General Document comments
0 Sentence and Paragraph comments
0 Image and Video comments
You've made 0 of the 0 requested comments
Please create an initial, substantive response to each of the three viewing tasks below. (3 total)
Then, offer a thoughtful response to at least three different classmates. (3 total)
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
One of my favorite pair of questions that you will encounter over and over again this semester are this:
What does this use of technology assume about students and learning? What does this use of technology assume about teachers and teaching?
At this point in the video, how would you reply to those two questions? What does this particular use of Khan Academy assume about students and the ways that they learn? What does it assume about teachers and the way that they teach?
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
In addition, when teachers know how to use technology as a pedagogy, as the instructor does in the video, then students become engaged in the classroom environment and they take ownership of their learning in the classroom environment.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
Hi John,
I agree that students are more engaged when they take control of their own learning. My concern is the stigma that comes with raising your hand for help. Many students, particularly of middle and high school age, do not raise their hand when they need help because they are embarrassed. This is where classroom culture comes into play. In this type of environment it would be important to build a culture of safety and growth mindset. There are also tools out there that allow students to virtually “raise their hand,” such as ClassKick.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
Thanks, Corrine, for making the point that not all students learn in the same way, nor that every educational technology tool is effective as the next (depending on the purpose).
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
John, I couldn’t agree more. I feel my students are more engaged because I am fluent in the programs I teach. I share my experiences so they don’t need to feel overwhelmed or encumbered by not knowing the program or content. Many of my students have taken ownership of their projects because they feel comfortable asking any question knowing that I will guide them toward a solution.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
Using technology in this way assumes that the students will, in fact, use the hints or ask for further help when needed. This use also assumes that the teachers will be able to provide alternative instructional strategies as requested, and close monitoring.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
This use of technology assumes that there are students willing to learn, invest, and engage in their own education and their future. It is not easy to repeat a course unless you have others that are in the same situation as you. That at least relieves the stress of embarrassment and encourages motivation. The teachers are as invested in the students learning and futures as the students themselves.
The teachers would not be providing the tools and resources for the students unless they are also compassionately concerned about all the students. Khan Academy is a resource available to every person willing to increase their skills in any subject that deals directly with education. The amount of time one must devote to encourage, motivate, and educate in a challenging learning environment speaks volumes about that teacher’s character.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
One of the things I would encourage you to think about, however, with a tool like Khan Academy is whether or not it accurately and appropriately taps in to this motivation. Is the way in which this type of classroom structured helping students build on their intrinsic motivation and interest? Or is there something else at play?
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
Hi Michael,
I think that options like Khan enable students to be proactive in their learning. It is no longer a matter of rote learning but rather engagement. This in turn is motivating, and as noted in the beginning of the video, behaviors needed to change in order for students to advance. I do think that embarrassment is a key factor of whether a student stays enrolled or withdraws so trying new approaches to changing behaviors is just one attempt to move the center.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
It first assumes that students have the requisite computer usage knowledge to navigate the program. Being that this computer experience is shown in Oakland, CA among a large minority student population is encouraging, as seminal works often remind us such populations typically have less computer access/aptitude than white counterparts. Therefore, any assumption that minority students cannot/will not learn via computer IF given the equipment and support, is erroneous.
Sadly I think this was a bit staged in terms of monopolizing on negative statistics to show that ‘anybody’ can learn via Khan. I sincerely hope that I am wrong about this assumption in the development of this video.
In regard to teachers using technology, I feel this is a wonderful example of one-on-one coaching when necessary. I have used Insight by Faronics, which allows me to share my screen with students during an in-class exercise as well as view my student’s screens while they are working. I can directly assist them in solving problems by answering questions just by viewing their screens. The level of interaction is both on-screen and in-person when I need to redirect them to try new approaches to problems. I think this video demonstrates how teachers can better use in-class time targeting individual student concerns versus assuming everyone will encounter the same hang ups in the same place during every exercise.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
Again, at this point in the video, how would you reply to those two questions?
What does this particular use of Khan Academy assume about students and the ways that they learn?
What does it assume about teachers and the way that they teach?
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
Using educational technologies, the Kahn Academy assumes that teachers could motivate students to learn in the classroom environment.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
Whether the intrinsic motivation to learn coming from within each student or the teacher finding ways to motivate his students through the climate of the class, motivation is the piece that holds it all together.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
At this point in the video, this particular use of Khan Academy assumes students “want to learn” and are motivated intrinsically. This structure also allows students to take risks in problem-solving without fear of failing. They can choose to use hints or try without knowing that those hints will always be there if they need them.
With relation to teaching, I believe this use of Khan Academy assumes the teacher has built relationships with his students and has established a culture of safety in his classroom (otherwise students would not be raising their hand for help).
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
Safety is necessary to build rapport and be functional. If the teacher is presented as authority (and the only authority) that presents a difficult precipice to overcome. If students feel they’re in a shared space the outcomes are more productive.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
I do not believe students purposely fail out of a class or school. It takes a village to educate a child and these teachers are that village. The village is the teachers, Khan academy, and a winning attitude to succeed. These students learn and work as a team for the same goal.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
I think this point in the video represents student investment. If a student is focused and trying the exercises, then they are trying to be successful. I also think that the fact that computers are naturally engaging and are viewed as a tool in this case shows student’s that they do not need to rely explicitly on themselves or their own knowledge to be successful; they can pool resources and collectively learn.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
Reflect on the video and make a connection to one of the “visions” that Cuban offers. What does this vision of educational technology (using Khan Academy) represent? Make a brief argument about which vision this use of technology represents.
Technophile: “The technophile’s vision of such schools is anchored in making teaching and learning far more productive and meaningful than both are now.”
OR
Preservationist: “The vision buried within the preservationist’s story is one of schools’ continuing to do for society what they have historically done: pass on prevailing values and accumulated knowledge to the next generation, improve ways of teaching and learning the prescribed curriculum, sort out those children who achieve academically from those who do not, and give taxpayers as efficient a schooling as can be bought with available funds.”
OR
Cautious Optimist: “… cautious optimists acknowledge the power of organizational structures and cultural beliefs to shape routine school and classroom practices but see these beliefs and structures changing slowly. They believe that putting computers into classrooms will yield a steady but very slow movement toward fundamental changes in teaching and schooling.”
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
For instance, the Cautious Optimist believes in the hybrid approach. That is, introducing computers in the K12 classroom with instructions from the teacher. This approach is methodical and logical. This approach, in addition, yields a “steady but fundamental approach” to introducing technology into the 21st century K12 classroom environment.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
John, I feel that many districts have taken this approach to technology integration. Technology should enhance teaching and learning and pedagogy cannot be tossed out. This use of Khan Academy demonstrated use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
The use of Khan Academy is not replacing the instructor, it is changing his role to more of a facilitator. This provides students with the opportunity to try and apply their knowledge and problem-solving abilities before seeking assistance. It is scaffolding at its best. However, without the teacher’s established culture, students would not be as likely to take those risks.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment Hide Thread Detail
I feel like the instructor is not providing the appropriate content knowledge. Thus, I feel like the students are missing out on critical and higher order thinking skills. In my opinion, the Khan video lacks content knowledge and pedagogy knowledge. Thanks.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
This is a clear admission of technology in schools makes the difference. Technophiles is the direction of choice. This innovation in schools today helps to master the influence of success for students. IT is as if we have 30 teachers assisting us with Q&A while the students are taking quizzes, working thorough problems, and learning on there own with faculty assistance.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
I still believe in a future grounded in Julio’s experience! I am biased in that I teach almost exclusively computer application courses – the programs, usage, history, interface, etc. The gamut of what my students need is far & wide. Building rapport is necessary, presenting myself as a resource not a dictator, sharing my experience to show HOW learning programs will help them in their careers, are all vital elements to teaching what I teach. The way that I teach, completely driven by the advancements in the programs; having seen the growth of the platforms and knowing how much they have improved has made me a better teacher because I can share that knowledge and all the intermediate things we used to have to do to get from where we were to where we are. I see that this may not coincide with what is going on from the Educational Research perspective and that the 3 options Cuban offered where his way of predicting the future without much to go off of. I respect that, but none of us would be here (in this class)today without the hope of Technophilia back in 1993.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
General Document Comments 0