TEDtalk: Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education

Salman Khan on Khan Academy is really a great talk. It is one of my favourites with Richard St John on success and Amy Cuddy.

First of all, he shows one great quality teachers should have. He is passionate. Not only he is passionate but he shows it, he lives it. I would like to be able to communicate that enthusiasm I have inside myself but does not show because I am too introvert.

One great other quality he has is how he welcomes feedback and positively uses it to progress and make his work better. The way he presents his cousins' feedback is funny (like the feedback from his first users or from teachers) at the same time he uses it as a drive for being reflective.

The way he has organized the core program of his Academy should be an inspiration for us, it is just organized like a huge lesson plan. Rightful planning and organization, we have a lot to learn from his method.

The philosophy of teaching he tries to convey is very modern. He wants the teacher's time in the classroom to be the most efficient possible for learners. Doing the video at home, so the teacher is available a 100% for the difficulties of her/his students, seems an excellent idea.

I also appreciated how learners are at the center of his project and its development. How the system is focused on the learners' primary outcomes; when a learner is stuck, it is recognized immediately then either the teacher or one of his peers can help her/him.

Communication to the scale of global team working for everyone to succeed at her/his own pace, it is a great project. I felt stimulated to use his method in my classes in the future.

Microsoft v Openoffice

To be fair I seldom use MS Office applications. Why? Because it is expensive. When I bought my computer I did not have that much money left to buy MS Office.

Instead, I usually work on Open Office (an open source equivalent to MS Office) applications. From a philosophical and ethical point of view I think it is better to use open source program.

I find Open Office to be as convenient as MS. I frequently work on Open Office Writer ( OOW) instead of MS Word, I do most of my writing (like my assignments or theses) on OOW. It allows me to have a Backup of my academic work just in case.

For presentation I am accustomed to OOPresentation. 

However it lacks a few functionalities of MS Power Point: for instance, you cannot scroll the slides which is slightly inconvenient when you are reviewing your presentation. The master pages are also less up to date than MS PPT. Apart from those 2 points I like it.

From time to time I need OO Spreadsheet and I cannot find that much difference with Excel.

In the future when I will have to keep a record of my students and their record, I will probably have to use a database or maybe stick with Spreadsheet. Does anyone have any experience of both? Can he/she give me his/her advice on what is best?

My interesting websites about teaching and learning literature


Here are some websites I found:

 www.english-lecturer.com/

http://www.teachingliterature.org/teachingliterature/index.htm

Reflective practice

In education there is not one single method to teach. All the mechanisms of learning and teaching have not yet been explained. Therefore if a teacher wants to adapt to his audience and devise the right approach reflective practice is a useful tool. The teacher will reflect on the different ways/methods of teaching and after modify his/her practice according to his/her past and current experience. The main obstacle would be to face objectively your own practice in order to change it.

Reflective practice bubble

              
Reflective Practice is the center of the evolution of our practice as teachers.
I put the students in red because we must never forget we are here for them.
Our job could not be done without our colleagues, so team working had to be there.
Evaluation is necessary to reassure our learners and their family that we are doing a good job, It is also important to know as soon as possible if our practice were to become substandard to address the issue immediately.
Keeping our knowledge up to date is also a priority.
To be able to implement all these goals, time is needed.

Technology wise I am in between two worlds.
One part of me is very traditional and does not use computers. When I write to my friends, I like to find a nice postcard and use a pen to write on it. When I want to have news from my family or friends I like talking to them on the phone because the tone of their voice tells me if everything is all right for them or not. Communication is not only about written words, it is also about the voice, the body language, the look...
My other half is technology oriented and like using computers to surf on Google. Internet is so fascinating, it is like a window on the world. You can potentially access any information available. I also use computers for my studies and for professional reasons.