Khan Academy

     This week we have dabbled in using Khan Academy. After starting to read Blended, I realized that I have already started the process of using blended learning in my own classroom (Yay!). During math workshop, I have started some of my higher achieving students on Khan academy. This is an online math program that allows me to challenge my kids who are ready for 3rd and 4th grade math standard practice during our math rotations.

     While I love the ability to reach my higher achieving students, as they can sometimes be the forgotten group of kids, we have run into a few kinks. Right now, the only devices available to us are iPads. We have found that some of the "fun" features, like building avatars after earning points, are not available on the iPads. While this might not deter older students, those fun features are definitely needed to motivate my 7 and 8-year olds. A few of my students are intrinsically motivated enough that they simply enjoy the challenge but we have found this to be a issue with a few of the apps we have tried.

     Fun feature issues aside, Khan academy has been a great addition to my kids workshop time. The best part about Khan is that it uses instructional videos to teach each new skill or strategy. The students can refer back to the video at any time while they are practicing. It also shows which questions the students missed so that you can pull a student and reteach right then and there, or pull a small group to address misconceptions. I am really looking forward to digging deeper into the program and getting my kids excited and motivated about challenging themselves and working at their own pace.

Comments

  1. ArchloutechJanuary 25, 2019 at 7:21 AM

    Khan Academy really has helped in differentiating topics into bite-sized chunks. Nice post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kayla BreamJanuary 25, 2019 at 9:51 AM

      Yes! I like how I can pick single topics for them to work on!

      Delete
  2. Jannelle SchneiderJanuary 27, 2019 at 3:22 PM

    Hello Kayla,

    My son's school used Khan Academy, they input his MAP scores so he is getting what he needs. I love the videos and how they help. I wish I could utilize it in my classroom...hoping sometime in the near future.

    Jannelle Schneider

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kayla BreamJanuary 28, 2019 at 4:46 PM

      Yes! I just figured out how to put MAP scores on there and I'm excited to see their growth!

      Delete

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