Khan Academy Triples Unique Users To 3.5 Million(techcrunch.com)
techcrunch.com
Khan Academy Triples Unique Users To 3.5 Million
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/19/khan-academy-triples-unique-users-to-3-5-million/
11 comments
This is gonna sound stupid but I'm serious. Did you learn anything worthwhile from your investment? Any new useful "skill" or all just top level knowledge? Do you consider materials learned from Khan life changing?
One could argue the same thing about a traditional college degree. You spend a ton of money, take four years out of your life, and are forced to take a bunch of classes that don't even pertain to your major (breadth requirements).
At least with Khan, it is free, it can be done in your spare time, and you only focus on things that actually interest you.
At least with Khan, it is free, it can be done in your spare time, and you only focus on things that actually interest you.
I love the Khan academy, it is one of the best things that came out of the internet to date.
But I really wished that they would allow me to sign up with them and them alone without having to use either google or facebook to log in, that's a really bad mistake on their part imo.
But I really wished that they would allow me to sign up with them and them alone without having to use either google or facebook to log in, that's a really bad mistake on their part imo.
Why? Things seem to be going well for them (look at the article you're commenting on). There are smart web people building this system up; presumably this is something they thought hard about before implementing.
- facebook and/or google may not be around forever
- my account with facebook and/or google could get disabled by them on a whim,
severing my link with the Khan academy
- there is no upside to me to log in with a facebook
and/or google account
- there is a downside, which is that I have to sign up for a different service, that
I may have valid reasons for not wanting to join (in the case of fb that does not
require a whole lot of imagination)
Really, when you only allow people to log in to your site by forcing them to become a member of another site first you are creating a barrier that need not exist.
I'm sure there are plenty of valid reasons for them why they do it this way (possibly, for instance because google and facebook do a lot of work to ensure that their accounts are only given out to those that deserve it, thereby cutting out on spam), but for me it does not work.
For sure that is a small minorities, but small minorities are at least still allowed to speak up. Good thing HN does not require a facebook or a google login.
This is also a problem for some school boards. My sister is using Khan Academy with her ELL students (they don't speak any English but Khan's working great for them).
Signing a student up to a standalone service is no problem, but as soon as that service includes email or other student communication, the teachers need to get parents' consent.
This is really limiting the adoption across the rest of her school, they don't really want to get everyone a new GMail or Facebook account.
Signing a student up to a standalone service is no problem, but as soon as that service includes email or other student communication, the teachers need to get parents' consent.
This is really limiting the adoption across the rest of her school, they don't really want to get everyone a new GMail or Facebook account.
We're aware of this, and as @genieyclo said, Google Apps for Education is currently the easiest way for a whole bunch of students to get going. We've been successful using Apps for Education with all of our pilot Khan Academy schools so far.
That being said, we're thinking about becoming our own identity provider as well, primarily for this reason.
Just one of those things that's on the list and has to be weighed against everything else -- the majority of our users are doing just fine w/ Google/Facebook.
That being said, we're thinking about becoming our own identity provider as well, primarily for this reason.
Just one of those things that's on the list and has to be weighed against everything else -- the majority of our users are doing just fine w/ Google/Facebook.
Super, great to see it's on your radar. Thank you very much for all your hard work.
This is a problem for schools using usually custom-built tools to manage the district's resources and administration. For the more flexible charter schools that are more open to the idea of adopting something like Khan Academy into the curriculum, they are small enough (usually one school) to switch over, and are often already using Google Apps as their default method of email and collaboration.
I know that at my sisters' charter school (2 schools, K-8 and 9-12), the entire school is on the Google Apps Education platform and getting started with Khan Academy was really simple for them, as they already had [email protected] email accounts they were used to using.
I know that at my sisters' charter school (2 schools, K-8 and 9-12), the entire school is on the Google Apps Education platform and getting started with Khan Academy was really simple for them, as they already had [email protected] email accounts they were used to using.
I know the school board where I live has banned teachers from using Facebook, and to further your point students under a certain age are not allowed to use either Facebook, or Google.
That's a really compelling point. Thanks.
- the likelihood of Facebook or Google disappearing anytime soon is very minimal
- the stories of disabled accounts are vastly over-hyped, and the likelihood of it happening are almost nil
- there is significant upside for you to use your Facebook or Google account to signup/login with a service. Much less work, it's one click to login after you authorize it every time, no need to have another login/pass combo, and if you wish to no longer use the site, it's easy to disable
- most people have a Facebook or Google already, especially KA's market
The effort to create and maintain signups/logins separately for KA vs using existing drop-in solutions for both Google & FB makes the decision obvious. This is a much more convenient solution for both the users and devs of KA.
HN does not require but does allow you to use a similiar login scheme with Clickpass.
- the stories of disabled accounts are vastly over-hyped, and the likelihood of it happening are almost nil
- there is significant upside for you to use your Facebook or Google account to signup/login with a service. Much less work, it's one click to login after you authorize it every time, no need to have another login/pass combo, and if you wish to no longer use the site, it's easy to disable
- most people have a Facebook or Google already, especially KA's market
The effort to create and maintain signups/logins separately for KA vs using existing drop-in solutions for both Google & FB makes the decision obvious. This is a much more convenient solution for both the users and devs of KA.
HN does not require but does allow you to use a similiar login scheme with Clickpass.
Everybody understands that there's a cost/benefit tradeoff here, so spelling it out all over again doesn't really move us forward.
Why is this particular cost/benefit tradeoff bad? Again: the evidence is that Khan is doing well. And Khan is not run by morons who just do whatever Google and Facebook --- the two largest identity providers on the Internet --- tell them to do.
Why is this particular cost/benefit tradeoff bad? Again: the evidence is that Khan is doing well. And Khan is not run by morons who just do whatever Google and Facebook --- the two largest identity providers on the Internet --- tell them to do.
>Everybody understands that there's a cost/benefit tradeoff here, so spelling it out all over again doesn't really move us forward.
You just asked the commenter to spell it out in your previous comment. Chastising him/her for doing so really, really doesn't move us forward. His comments about requiring sign-up (particularly on services that don't allow minors under 13) were an excellent explanation.
You just asked the commenter to spell it out in your previous comment. Chastising him/her for doing so really, really doesn't move us forward. His comments about requiring sign-up (particularly on services that don't allow minors under 13) were an excellent explanation.
Make a new google account. If you don't use google plus it can be whatever you want used with one or many services.
I think tptacek's point was that you don't know enough to call the decision "a really bad mistake on their part". Saying it doesn't work for you, though, is totally fair.
I think my point is that education should be as accessible as possible and that any barrier is too much. There will always be those that are left out inadvertently or because their numbers are not significant enough to be taken into account.
Better to play it safe and to open that door as wide as possible.
Better to play it safe and to open that door as wide as possible.
Isn't it required to be at least 13 years old to have a google account? How does this affect the kids who want to use khanacademy? Are they forced to have a facebook account?
EDIT: Actually, facebook also has a minimum age requirement of 13 (https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=210644045634222). Can't see how khanacademy missed that. I think this is a major flaw in their signup system. Should they (khanacademy) really be blocking every kid younger then 13?
EDIT2: It seems like they address it here (http://www.khanacademy.org/about/getting-started) but their solution is having the parents create an account for the kids.
I don't really think this is actually acceptable by facebook's terms of service though, not sure about google. See point 4 in https://www.facebook.com/terms.php
EDIT: Actually, facebook also has a minimum age requirement of 13 (https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=210644045634222). Can't see how khanacademy missed that. I think this is a major flaw in their signup system. Should they (khanacademy) really be blocking every kid younger then 13?
EDIT2: It seems like they address it here (http://www.khanacademy.org/about/getting-started) but their solution is having the parents create an account for the kids.
I don't really think this is actually acceptable by facebook's terms of service though, not sure about google. See point 4 in https://www.facebook.com/terms.php
The age requirement comes from a United States federal regulation promulgated under COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act,
http://www.coppa.org/
and one of the most common workarounds for that regulation for a child logging in from the child's home with the parents' permission is simply for the child to self-report an incorrect birthdate. (It's usually a good idea not to have your real actual birthday on too many websites anyway, especially if you are a minor, as one's date of birth is one key element for identity theft.) It's too bad that a federal regulation designed to protect children often turns children into liars to get access to wholesome websites that are good for children, but that's what happens when a regulation isn't carefully thought out. One of the few websites with a lot of under-thirteen-year-old users that actually makes it reasonably easy for parents to follow the COPPA regulation is the Art of Problem-Solving (AoPS) website
https://www.artofproblemsolving.com/
(which actually offers even better math-learning opportunities than the Khan Academy website, many of which are free and a few of which cost money). I have three children signed up on AoPS; one is under thirteen and one other started at age eleven but is now an adult.
http://www.coppa.org/
and one of the most common workarounds for that regulation for a child logging in from the child's home with the parents' permission is simply for the child to self-report an incorrect birthdate. (It's usually a good idea not to have your real actual birthday on too many websites anyway, especially if you are a minor, as one's date of birth is one key element for identity theft.) It's too bad that a federal regulation designed to protect children often turns children into liars to get access to wholesome websites that are good for children, but that's what happens when a regulation isn't carefully thought out. One of the few websites with a lot of under-thirteen-year-old users that actually makes it reasonably easy for parents to follow the COPPA regulation is the Art of Problem-Solving (AoPS) website
https://www.artofproblemsolving.com/
(which actually offers even better math-learning opportunities than the Khan Academy website, many of which are free and a few of which cost money). I have three children signed up on AoPS; one is under thirteen and one other started at age eleven but is now an adult.
From http://www.khanacademy.org/about/getting-started
-----------------------
If your students are under 13:
You currently have two options: you can sign your school up for Google Apps for Education, which will help you provide each student with a Google account that can be used with Khan Academy, or you can have your students' parents individually create accounts for each student on either Google or Facebook. We are constantly working to improve this situation, but that's the best we've got at the moment (sorry!).
If you already have Google Apps for Education accounts but aren't able to use them to sign in on the Khan Academy, you might need to upgrade your account.
-----------------------
If your students are under 13:
You currently have two options: you can sign your school up for Google Apps for Education, which will help you provide each student with a Google account that can be used with Khan Academy, or you can have your students' parents individually create accounts for each student on either Google or Facebook. We are constantly working to improve this situation, but that's the best we've got at the moment (sorry!).
If you already have Google Apps for Education accounts but aren't able to use them to sign in on the Khan Academy, you might need to upgrade your account.
That's only for people with Google Apps for Education (teachers)!! Also, if you are under 13 you can't use the site if you didn't sign up with google/facebook (which have their own weird under 13 rules)
See "1. Eligibility" in (http://www.khanacademy.org/about/tos)
EDIT: Also, I found out that youtube actually doesn't let anyone under 13 use their service, so I'm guessing you can't watch the videos either if you're under 13. See "12. Ability to Accept Terms of Service" in (http://www.youtube.com/static?gl=US&template=terms)
I just found out the internet is just for people over 13...
See "1. Eligibility" in (http://www.khanacademy.org/about/tos)
EDIT: Also, I found out that youtube actually doesn't let anyone under 13 use their service, so I'm guessing you can't watch the videos either if you're under 13. See "12. Ability to Accept Terms of Service" in (http://www.youtube.com/static?gl=US&template=terms)
I just found out the internet is just for people over 13...
I hadn't looked at Khan Academy in a year or so, but it looks like they've vastly expanded their offerings since then. In particular, they've added a couple of hundred lessons of Art History stuff, which I'm quite keen to look through.
The mathematics and physics stuff would have been great for me... if it had existed fifteen years ago.
The mathematics and physics stuff would have been great for me... if it had existed fifteen years ago.
I think it would be nice if MIT (and others) would make a deal with the khanacadamy to provide there courses in a khanvideo style and change there exercises in khan-style exercises. Everbody on the World should be able to learn anything from 1+1 to quantum physics on khanacadamy.
OCW kind of stuff is already super awesome but in would be much better in a khan-style. When you watch lectures on OCW you know its not for you, its for the studens in the class. The professor talks about when the exams are and so on. The other thing is that its hard to know when you are ready to take a course, in the khan system you could show what you have to know to do the course.
I see a bright future for education.
OCW kind of stuff is already super awesome but in would be much better in a khan-style. When you watch lectures on OCW you know its not for you, its for the studens in the class. The professor talks about when the exams are and so on. The other thing is that its hard to know when you are ready to take a course, in the khan system you could show what you have to know to do the course.
I see a bright future for education.
1 - Sal Khan was at one point on the OCW Board. The possibility of OCW borrowing/partnering/licensing KA's dashboard, interface, knowledge map, and the like is not outside the realm of possibility BUT...
2 - ...it won't happen anytime soon because the funding/grants KA received from Gates Foundation and Google Grants is primarily for internationalization of the app and translation of the videos.
3 - I'd welcome OCW improving their interface, so if any MIT CS students are reading this, you all might want to volunteer time to improve the OCW app.
2 - ...it won't happen anytime soon because the funding/grants KA received from Gates Foundation and Google Grants is primarily for internationalization of the app and translation of the videos.
3 - I'd welcome OCW improving their interface, so if any MIT CS students are reading this, you all might want to volunteer time to improve the OCW app.
This is actually what the new online Stanford CS classes seem to be aiming towards. I've only been following ml-class, so I can't attest for the ai and db classes, but the ml-class's lecture videos are structured very much like Khan Academy videos.
I'm loving Khan Academy since I saw a post by John Resig about their practice framework. Math is so much more fun and interesting since I started using Khan Academy.
Unless you practice your mathematics and physics daily, you will eventually forget most of what you know.
Yes, but hopefully KA will get its spaced repetition ( http://www.gwern.net/Spaced%20repetition ) efforts going at some point, while most users are still there.
Whenever you login they put refreshers of previous exercises at the top which I love. I know if I don't use it I'll lose it but it has been a lot of fun learning there.
I teach the SAT, and I have all of my students do the arithmetic exercises on Khan academy + the exercises for any subjects they have difficulty with.
It works great. Students nowadays tend to do all of their math on a calculator; they're not so great at mental math. It really holds them back on the SAT. The test's format invites calculation errors. The SAT specific videos are great, too.
It works great. Students nowadays tend to do all of their math on a calculator; they're not so great at mental math. It really holds them back on the SAT. The test's format invites calculation errors. The SAT specific videos are great, too.
1. I wonder what their international user base looks like. (Not counting native English speaking countries like UK & India)
Two weeks ago my mom cut out a lengthy article for me, as she often does when she thinks she's read something relevant to my interests. To my surprise it was on Khan Academy, something I already read about past summer in Wired.
2. Does anyone know whether KA has received any more international press coverage lately?
Two weeks ago my mom cut out a lengthy article for me, as she often does when she thinks she's read something relevant to my interests. To my surprise it was on Khan Academy, something I already read about past summer in Wired.
2. Does anyone know whether KA has received any more international press coverage lately?
KA plus One Laptop per Child would be an incredibly powerful combination for third-world schools. OLPC should make it the homepage on the XO.
In case anyone is wondering, Khan Academy did not launch today, as CrunchBase seems to think.
I'd be much more impressed it these (or at least a part of them) were paying customers.
Why? Khan Academy is a non profit organization. They are not looking to make money. They are trying to change the world of education.
I am impressed by these numbers because it means that more people are now aware that there is a quality free resource where they can educate themselves.
I am impressed by these numbers because it means that more people are now aware that there is a quality free resource where they can educate themselves.
Why would it be more impressive? Because paying customers vote with their money. Money is a better validation than "you're great!".
Yes, money is a validation if your goal is to make money. If I am a for-profit company and I show you millions of visitors for my website but no real revenues, I would agree that it's not impressive.
As the other commentator pointed out, their goal is not to make money. And this is impressive because it's a huge progress towards their stated goal.
As the other commentator pointed out, their goal is not to make money. And this is impressive because it's a huge progress towards their stated goal.
"We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere." http://www.khanacademy.org/about
I found some of Khan's orgo videos helpful review material. In fact, the doctorate-level professor I had didn't do a much better job (if at all better) of explaining the material the first time around.
I can't imagine how much easier K-12 would have been had Khan Academy been around. I've looked at other math and learning resources, and while they're all solid in ways, there just seems to be something that Khan "gets" that others don't, even if it's just as simple as a good UI and design.
In my opinion, Khan Academy is worth every ounce of hype, and I'm usually someone who is strongly anti-hype.