Khan Academy's Revolutionary Social Innovation

       The Article entitled, “One Man, One Computer, 10 Million Students: How Klan Academy is Reinventing Education” focuses on the social and technological revolution of how information is transferred to students. The article identifies how Salman Khan has affected the entire world with a video camera, white board, and interactive computer software. Khan transformed the traditional classroom into an more effective virtual domain. He practically redefines the dynamics of a classroom. Many people would argue that a classroom is a specific space and time in which information is transferred, but Khan revolutionizes that notion of a traditional classroom. Now, a classroom can be anywhere, anytime, in any space with mobile computing capabilities.  He is not using comprehensive educational reform or teacher effectiveness models, but simple innovation to combat a massive problem within the education system.

       Khan fits perfectly into this week’s course module, which examines solution and enablers to deliver basic human needs. Khan introduced Khan academy unintentionally as a social innovation. Khan Academy fits directly into our theoretical definition of social innovation. Social innovation is defined as “a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, or sustainable than existing solutions for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals.”[i] Khan academy is a nonprofit, which receives funds from for-profit ventures. Whenever a non-profit social innovation receives money from for-profit venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, it has to be a good idea. The one thing I particularly like about Salman Khan is his humility. He started Khan academy as a non-profit seeking to offer a “free world class education to anyone, anywhere.”[ii]

        Khan Academy is a shining example of what innovation looks like in education. Most educators today find themselves in a difficult situation. They have multifaceted job, they have to increases test scores while still trying to teach effectively with inefficient resources. Khan academy has the potential to tremendously aid educators in their duty. Khan academy impact is already established with well over 6 million student viewers monthly, actively apart of 20,000 classrooms, and videos translated in 24 languages around world.[iii] I think its safe that Khan Academy has had a global impact.

        The article is interesting to me because education is one of those fields that have lack innovation since its inception. Until the 1990’s when schools started to introduce “virtual” classrooms, education was seen in the traditional form. A teacher in a classroom with students lecturing all day. Now, Khan academy and some many others are pioneering a brave new front in education with technology. The most important is that the education change is coming at a relative low cost.

In conclusion, I would like to end by posing two questions to the reader. Are we doing enough with the given technology and time that we have in terms of cost effectiveness of operating school? Has Salman Khan started a platform or benchmark for innovation in virtual and online education?

---

[i] Adapted from Rediscovering Social innovation , SSRI, Fall 2008

[ii] http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelnoer/2012/11/02/one-man-one-computer-10-million-students-how-khan-academy-is-reinventing-education/

[iii] http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelnoer/2012/11/02/one-man-one-computer-10-million-students-how-khan-academy-is-reinventing-education/