Khan Academy iPad App Launches With Free, Educational Videos On Apple Tablet

Popular video education hub Khan Academy launched an iPad application featuring more than 2,700 free videos on March 11.

The app, which is now available for download on iTunes, allows a wide range of users to browse through videos covering topics including chemistry, finance and history.

Some are saying the non-profit organization's foray into the tablet world is solidifying Khan Academy as a key player in the education sector.

The app gives users the ability to sync videos between devices without needing an Internet connection, Lauren Landry of BostInno reports. In addition, users will be able to jump back and forth through the material -- much like students do with books -- as well as interact with lectures and take the material home with them to review at a later time.

The ability to access content without an Internet connection is crucial for users who are on the go.

"If you're going on a road trip or if you're taking mass transit and you don't have cell service, or whatever, you can get the content," Jason Rosoff, lead designer of the Khan Academy, told the International Business Times.

Although it might be a while before iPads completely replace textbooks, similar applications are helping pave the way for change.

TED, another non-profit organization, launched its own education-focused iPad application, TED-Ed, on Monday.

Much like Khan Academy, TED-Ed's app features instructional online videos, but the organization is concentrating on using "sophisticated animation, professional editing and high-quality production values" to deliver short educational tutorials aimed at high school and college students, the Washington Post reports.

Project director Logan Smal­ley told the Post the application initially features about 12 videos but that the library should grow to about 300 videos within a year.

Comments

[Gary wh]

12:31 PM on 05/21/2012

Hey, Khan Academy is featuring their content in presentations for an app for the classroom called Nearpod. If you are interested on Khan's content I totally recommend you to take a look at it. you have to download the Teacher app and sign up at www.but it's really simple and free, I've done it myself :) go to www.nearpod.com or look for it on the app store.

[turnerj41]

05:58 AM on 03/20/2012

Very Cool, but dont forget about MIT opencourseware

[yogajan]

12:07 AM on 03/16/2012

I think this is great. It is not for children only. Even though I am old, I love learning new things and think Khan Academy is brilliant. We all know that it will not replace a great teacher or involved parents, but we can't deny the existence of technology.

[abbraxus]

01:37 PM on 03/15/2012

This guy Khan will go down in history as one of the greatest educators of the masses. What he's done is absolutely amazing.

[maninal2]

04:31 PM on 03/15/2012

A content provider is not an educator any more than a textbook publisher is.

[corujoj]

11:08 AM on 03/16/2012

You should read and inform yourself before commenting. Salman Khan IS an educator and he personally records and produces a great majority of the content on the site. I encourage you to dig a little before you commit to an opinion based on your assumption.

[Eha]

09:49 AM on 03/15/2012

I've been retired from teaching for 10 years now after having spent 32 years in the classroom. Since retiring, I've been busy as a private tutor, and I enjoy very much the opportunity to work with students individually rather than on an assembly line. It's hard to say how best to maximize the benefits of ever-evolving computer technology in a public school setting, but I can easily see how combining a tablet with just the right apps (Kahn Academy included), my experience, and, yes, paper and pencil could work for me (and homeschoolers) very well. I'm saving up for an iPad.

[8john88]

02:18 PM on 03/24/2012

would like to exchange ideas with you. please email me. [e-mail]

[XV8 Crisis Suit]

06:43 AM on 03/14/2012

KHAAAAAN!

[GlennWatson]

02:09 PM on 03/13/2012

The future is here. I love the potential of Khan but I am still not sure how to use it in class. I will work on it this summer.

[MizzMarr]

06:21 PM on 03/19/2012

Are you a teacher? I hear something about "flipping the classroom"

CBS 60 minutes just did a very in-depth report regarding how teachers are integrating this into the class.

cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7401696n&tag=contentMain;contentAux

[GlennWatson]

10:15 PM on 03/19/2012

I am, and thank you

[coachnelly]

01:27 PM on 03/13/2012

Brilliant - this will work great with my school district's policy that allows students to bring their technology to school. When in doubt - look it up! It could be used for days when there is a substitute or as a review of previously covered material. As an educator, I love Khan Academy because sometimes it takes explaining it a different way from a different person to help a student understand the material. It can't wholly replace the classroom teacher and the lessons should not be the focal point of the year, but the Khan Academy is great for review and enforcing concepts!

[TINA ANDRES]

12:12 AM on 03/14/2012

I completely agree with you. I have problems when people start saying that it is the solution to every educational problem though. I have used it with my students and, as with anything, some appreciate it and some find it "boring". The more ways I can teach math concepts to students, the better.

[maninal2]

04:33 PM on 03/15/2012

You might be missing the forest by being in the trees. The goal is not to have you use the technology but to justify your replacement by the technology.

[coachnelly]

04:41 PM on 03/15/2012

There's something to be said for the human interaction between a student and a teacher. An iPad app can't immediately see that a child is having a bad day and ask how things are going. An iPad app can't see bruises on a child's arm and alert the CPS. An iPad app can't feel and express pride when a struggling student finally has that lightbulb moment. Technology in education is the future but humans are not cyborgs - they have emotional needs and one of those needs is to have a connection with other humans. Teachers are much more than the bearer of information - we high five, we enforce discipline, we provide opportunities for emotional growth, we put on bandaids and wipe tears. I coach middle school volleyball and I know the important role I have in the lives of my athletes - I'm not just giving information, I'm teaching them teamwork, dedication, hard work and and demonstrating grace, perseverance, humility and how to be an assertive and kind woman. An iPad app can't do that.

[crimminy]

08:48 PM on 03/12/2012

Now if Bill Gates could use some of his prowess to put technology into schools so all children can use it, and not just the privileged ones...

[SophomoricOne]

12:05 PM on 03/15/2012

AARP had a blurb in their latest paper that by trading out the budget for 7 fighter planes, the US could purchase every kid in the country a tablet. I think we, as a country, need decide whether war or education is more important to our future. We shouldn't place all of this on one man.

[abbraxus]

01:38 PM on 03/15/2012

War and it's tools are the largest export this country has.

[crimminy]

07:39 PM on 03/16/2012

SophomoricOne,

Thanks for that bit of information. Wow. Incredible isn't it where are priorities are? I am definitely not placing all blame on Mr. Gates, but I do think he could, or someone who makes millions (billions) in technology can help invest in America's children. I'd like to say they're the future of our workforce, but with jobs shipped overseas, well, that's a whole other conversation!