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Online resources are not very different than having access to good libraries. Great libraries have existed for thousands of years but you won't find examples,

by gsatic 5y ago

Online resources are not very different than having access to good libraries. Great libraries have existed for thousands of years but you won't find examples, anywhere in the world, where kids are just left at the library to learn. One of the fundamental aspects of learning is practice. Teachers/coaches/guides and mentors play a big role in keeping kids on track. It's not just about the best quality content. Or getting them interested. It's about keeping ppl on track when the repetition and practice gets boring. This is easy to do with small groups. But very hard as group size increases which is why I don't have too much faith in the online model.

visarga 5y ago
> It's about keeping ppl on track when the repetition and practice gets boring. That's the missing ingredient for online learning. I think being part of a class, having friends there, and not wanting to be left behind plays a huge role.
- WinstonSmith84 5y ago
  Maybe. But I feel like I wasted so much time when I was at school, playing around with others, not motivated to learn (but I did), sometimes feeling behind on some topics while feeling bored/ahead on others. We were all envious of having rather A than F, or stressed when we underperformed, but being "cool" was not about having the best grade. And being cool was part of the "culture" - totally pointless in retrospective. I don't know if online schooling might have been better but clearly when thinking about it, on site schooling has been filled with a lot of inefficiencies that maybe online schooling is doing better. I guess at least that parents have to be behind in order to "coach".
- Bedon292 5y ago
  But the inverse can also be true. When you don't have friends there, and are already ahead of most of the class you have no motivation or incentive to keep going.
dalbasal 5y ago
They're not fundamentally different, but I don't think fundamentals matter here. The mobile internet of 2022 is not very different, in principle, to the 2000 internet. But it is much more available and accessible to many more people. That means it has very different consequences. So yes, as good Will Hunting said, you could get an ivy league education at a library. Some kids (and adults) did. Online resources make that pool of people much bigger. I agree though that access to an online school is not a substitute for school. Most kids still need structure, coaching, support and peers. That said, it's still really important to have libraries, and that's what Khan is doing here. This is commendable.
AlwaysRock 5y ago
> Online resources are not very different than having access to good libraries. The guidance is the biggest differance. When you have limitless resources to learn from its hard to know where, and more importantly, and why to focus your attention. Online resources typically give you a very clear path and often a clear why something is important to learn.
rahimnathwani 5y ago
> Online resources are not very different than having access to good libraries. When I was 10 or 11, I was trying to use some operating system call on my Acorn Electron. The manual said one of the parameters had to be supplied using "two's complement". I had no idea what that was, and no idea how I might find a good explanation in the local library. Today, a kid could find a great explanation in 2 mins, without walking to the library.

by gsatic 5y ago

visarga 5y ago

> It's about keeping ppl on track when the repetition and practice gets boring. That's the missing ingredient for online learning. I think being part of a class, having friends there, and not wanting to be left behind plays a huge role.

WinstonSmith84 5y ago
Maybe. But I feel like I wasted so much time when I was at school, playing around with others, not motivated to learn (but I did), sometimes feeling behind on some topics while feeling bored/ahead on others. We were all envious of having rather A than F, or stressed when we underperformed, but being "cool" was not about having the best grade. And being cool was part of the "culture" - totally pointless in retrospective. I don't know if online schooling might have been better but clearly when thinking about it, on site schooling has been filled with a lot of inefficiencies that maybe online schooling is doing better. I guess at least that parents have to be behind in order to "coach".
Bedon292 5y ago
But the inverse can also be true. When you don't have friends there, and are already ahead of most of the class you have no motivation or incentive to keep going.

dalbasal 5y ago

They're not fundamentally different, but I don't think fundamentals matter here. The mobile internet of 2022 is not very different, in principle, to the 2000 internet. But it is much more available and accessible to many more people. That means it has very different consequences. So yes, as good Will Hunting said, you could get an ivy league education at a library. Some kids (and adults) did. Online resources make that pool of people much bigger. I agree though that access to an online school is not a substitute for school. Most kids still need structure, coaching, support and peers. That said, it's still really important to have libraries, and that's what Khan is doing here. This is commendable.

AlwaysRock 5y ago

> Online resources are not very different than having access to good libraries. The guidance is the biggest differance. When you have limitless resources to learn from its hard to know where, and more importantly, and why to focus your attention. Online resources typically give you a very clear path and often a clear why something is important to learn.

rahimnathwani 5y ago

> Online resources are not very different than having access to good libraries. When I was 10 or 11, I was trying to use some operating system call on my Acorn Electron. The manual said one of the parameters had to be supplied using "two's complement". I had no idea what that was, and no idea how I might find a good explanation in the local library. Today, a kid could find a great explanation in 2 mins, without walking to the library.