C4T #2 Summary

I have been following the blog "Blend My Learning". This blog comes from the Envision Academy in Oakland, CA. The instructors at the Envision Academy are tired of listening to everyone's thoughts and theories on how technology will effect education. They have taken the next step and decided to dig in and test it out. These guys are shaking up the traditional form of education, and having a great time while they work. They experiment with different online classes and curriculum and document their students learning.

This brings me to the first post that I commented on:
"The Results" posted on August 31, 2011. The main experiment that they are currently focusing on is the benefit of using Google Chromebooks and the Khan Academy Website to enhance the education process. They did this experiment by splitting up an algebra summer school class. Students were randomly separated, half of them were placed in a traditional algebra remediation summer school course and the rest were in a Khan Academy course. The students were given a pre and post assessment to measure their individual progress, now the results are in......

First, it's important to know that the data collected will not be recognized by any statistician. The pilot was too short and the sample size was too small. Also, the students knew they were being studied, this can have an effect on the results. The information is just to give a general idea of the pros and cons of using the Khan Academy education system.

Here are the results quoted by "Blend My Learning":

"Among the students in the study who had valid scores on the pre and post course assessment, the results were similar for the treatment and the control group. Students in the “control” or traditional summer school course, on average, increased their percentage of correct answers by 5.2% over the five-week period. Students in the “treatment” or Khan class, on average, increased their percentage of correct answers 6.4%. For example, a student who started the summer knowing 60% of the correct answers in the traditional class ended the five weeks knowing 65.2% of the correct answers. The same student in the Khan class would, on average, be able to answer 66.4% of the answers correctly at the end of the same period."


I also read the post: "What's In the Data? The Value of Feedback". There was not a new post so I just chose the post just before "The Results" post.
This post shows the polls taken by students, on how much they like or dislike blended learning style of teaching. It also states that one of the high points of blended learning is that it forces students to be accountable. They can't just drift through high school, they are forced to learn. I recommend checking this blog out I have read a lot of the posts and it is very interesting and exciting to see where technology is taking us.
My comment:
"I think that blended learning in high school will be of great use. Forcing accountability is awesome! It is way too easy to just glide through high school, never setting or reaching any substantial goals. To be honest I was one of the high school students who made good grades and never opened a book. I listened enough in class to take the test and make an "A". The problem was I never really learned anything. Of course some things just stuck with me, but the majority of the things I couldn't tell you an hour after the test. This is what made me want to become a teacher. I know I can't change the world, but I can help as many students as possible LEARN and APPLY what they learn. If you understand why you are learning something and how to apply to your life, you have succeeded. I am interested to see the results when the Kahn University Website is used on a larger sample size."