Article #15

The Khan Academy

I would like to dedicate this week's writing entirely to Salman Khan and his website www.khanacademy.org, whose work has proven to be an invaluable resource to me and is quickly becoming my most visited website on the internet. The Khan academy is a not-for-profit organization run by Salman Khan, or Sal Khan, that hopes to fulfill the mission " of providing a high quality education to anyone and anywhere" in the world.

The primary reason why Sal's website is so wonderful is the amount of information that is available to every user. Not only do his teachings range from various topics such as elementary algebra to advanced calculus, but Sal does an excellent job in making even the most tedious concepts interesting and enjoyable. The topics don't just stop at math, however. Sal has videos for subjects like Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and a bit of History and Economics as well. In addition, Sal hopes to expand the library to include material such as English, astrophysics, and many more. If there is something that you are struggling at in school and need clarification on a particular topic, or are simply looking to be enlightened, the chances are fairly high that the Khan academy will have the answers to your questions. Also, if you ever find yourself inquiring about his credibility, you can safely lay your doubts to rest. With degrees from some of the most renowned universities in MIT and Harvard, you can be rest assured that Sal knows what he is talking about.

Another factor that separates Khan's website from others like his is the way in which he teaches. Sal has an exceptional way in transforming complicated ideas such as the process of meiosis or Newtonian physics, into short and easy-to-understand 'lectures'. His videos are anywhere from 10-20 minutes long, and he successfully manages to capture the gist of the various topics. This method goes a long way to helping viewers because the teachings are concise, which consequently allows the viewers to the retain more of the information. For me personally, Khan's website has been an outstanding tool to 'fill in the gaps' of what I learn in school. His videos often provide me a chance to learn about the things that I either didn't understand or that I thought was confusing, while never sacrificing a large amount of time doing so.

The third and perhaps the best reason why I find the Khan Academy such an amazing resource is due to the fact that it is free. That's right; the videos are available to anyone in the world at no cost that has access to internet. Although Sal has a significant number of people watching his videos every day, the number is not anywhere close to what I feel it should truly be. The website is a gateway to a valley of knowledge, and the admission through the gates doesn't cost even a single cent. Honestly, it doesn't get much better than this.