The world of online learning is continuing to evolve and advance today’s education system. Sites such as Khan Academy and Codecademy provide tools designed to aid students, teachers, and others interested in learning expand their knowledge.
Founded in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, Khan Academy is a nonprofit organization and website “with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere,” according to khanacademy.org.
In 2004, Khan began tutoring his cousin in math via telephone and Yahoo Doodle because they lived in different cities. Soon, more and more relatives and friends were asking Khan for tutoring assistance. When scheduling issues arose, Khan decided to record and post videos on Youtube so everyone could watch and learn on their own time. The popularity of Khan’s tutorials prompted him to quit his job and put complete focus into developing Khan Academy.
With over 3,800 instructional videos and having delivered over 225 million lessons, Khan Academy uses videos, interactive challenges, and assessments to aid the process of learning.
Junior Will Strimling said he learned about Khan Academy in 7th grade and did his sophomore documentary project on it.
“I think it can be helpful as a resource and allows people to take learning into their own hands,” Strimling said.
Strimling uses Khan Academy’s instructional videos to help him with subjects such as chemistry, math, and computer programming. He said since he is an auditory learner, Khan Academy is very helpful.
“It allows me to go at my own pace, it’s divided into individual subjects, and it’s great for review,” Strimling said. “It’s also like getting a second opinion on certain lectures I didn’t understand [in school].”
Junior Astrid Gallagher-Holmes said while she does not use Khan Academy very often, it can be a useful tool in clarifying topics she struggles with.
“I like that the teachers there approach topics differently than the teachers do here, so there’s a chance the new perspective could make me more solid on a subject,” Gallagher-Holmes said.
Math teacher Bill Marthinsen said he agrees that students could benefit from the different points of view online learning sites provide.
“If you’re trying to learn something, you want to go at it as many different ways as you can to sort of solidify what you want to understand,” Marthinsen said. “I’m a fan of anything that can give you more information that helps you make better sense of the world.”
Another online learning site, Codecademy specializes in computer programming, offering lessons in languages such as Python, JavaScript, Ruby, HTML, and CSS. Created by Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski in 2011, the site presents step-by-step lessons and awards users badges for completing exercises.
Sophomore Ben Zweig said after mentioning he was interested in learning a new programming language, one of his friends recommended Codecademy. He said it is a great starting point for anyone new to the programming world.
“It provides clear examples and instruction through a friendly user interface,” Zweig said. “It then allows you to use what you’re learned on your own to build a project they’ve suggested.”
Zweig said he thinks people are more learned due to the educational opportunities technology has to offer. He said there are many tools and sources of information not available in school, but obtainable online.
“It’s knowledge for knowledge’s sake,” Zweig said.