Monday, March 12, 2012

Media and Education

In 1998, Tom Junod wrote a wonderful essay in Esquire magazine about Fred (aka Mr) Rogers and it spoke of Mr Rogers' once held belief that television could support educational good. 
"Fred turned it on, and as he says now, with plaintive distaste, "there were people throwing pies at one another." He was the soft son of overprotective parents, but he believed, right then, that he was strong enough to enter into battle with that—that machine, that medium—and to wrestle with it until it yielded to him, until the ground touched by its blue shadow became hallowed and this thing called television came to be used "for the broadcasting of grace through the land." 
This is the same belief held by many regarding the internet (though maybe not quite as sweetly naive) and one of those people is Salman Khan who's Khan Academy was featured on 60 minutes.
60 Minutes: Khan Academy- The future of education?
(CBS News) Sal Khan is a math, science, and history teacher to millions of students, yet none have ever seen his face. Khan is the voice and brains behind Khan Academy, a free online tutoring site that may have gotten your kid out of an algebra bind with its educational how-to videos. Now Khan Academy is going global. Backed by Google, Gates, and other Internet powerhouses, Sal Khan wants to change education worldwide, and his approach is already being tested in some American schools. Sanjay Gupta reports. Segment http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7401696n&tag=contentMain;contentAux and other web extras

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