Brent Sordyl's blog

How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education | Wired

July 18, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

Khan Academy is an educational website that, as its tagline puts it, aims to let anyone “learn almost anything—for free.” Students, or anyone interested enough to surf by, can watch some 2,400 videos in which the site’s founder, Salman Khan, chattily discusses principles of math, science, and economics (with a smattering of social science topics thrown in). The videos are decidedly lo-fi, even crude: Generally seven to 14 minutes long, they consist of a voice-over by Khan describing a mathematical concept or explaining how to solve a problem while his hand-scribbled formulas and diagrams appear onscreen. Like the Wizard of Oz, Khan never steps from behind the curtain to appear in a video himself; it’s just Khan’s voice and some scrawly equations. In addition to these videos, the website offers software that generates practice problems and rewards good performance with videogame-like badges—for answering a “streak” of questions correctly, say, or mastering a series of algebra levels.

(Full Story: How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education | Wired)

e-learning

e-learning, khanacademy

GitHub: khan-mobile – A mobile application for Khan Academy.

July 14, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

(Full Story: GitHub: khan-mobile – A mobile application for Khan Academy.)

e-learning, ipad

e-learning, ipad, khanacademy

Kickboard: a data driven instructional application for teachers by teachers.

July 12, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

Kickboard keeps classrooms afloat. Integrated student academic and behavior records highlight trends. Automated classroom management systems save teachers time. Customizable settings mean Kickboard fits your school’s existing systems from the start.

(Full Story: Kickboard: a data driven instructional application for teachers by teachers.)

e-learning, lessonplans

Weld North Buys Education2020, a Software Company – NYT

July 12, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

Their venture, named Weld North, has acquired Education2020, an education software company based in Scottsdale, Ariz. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but people briefed on the transaction said the purchase price was about $50 million.

(Full Story: Weld North Buys Education2020, a Software Company – NYT)

e-learning

e-learning, weldnorth

LessonCast

July 5, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

The idea behind LessonCast is to enable teachers to make short, two-and-a-half minute videos explaining a particular lesson or classroom management strategy. Unlike other sites devoted to online instruction, LessonCast isn’t about teachers teaching students per se, but rather teachers teaching and mentoring other teachers.

(Full Story: LessonCast)

e-learning, lessonplans

Slides: Developing a Learning Strategy for Mobile and Social (Keynote) « Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang | Social Media, Web Marketing

July 5, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

These six ‘cells’ so to speak have 6 opportunities to take advantage of, they include:

Who Creates: From Expert to CrowdWho Learns: From Siloed to GroupWhat Curriculum Is: From Static to DynamicWhen It Takes Place: From Fixed Time to Time-ShiftedWhere it takes place: From Fixed Location to AnywhereHow it is consumed: From Comprehensive to Component-based

(Full Story: Slides: Developing a Learning Strategy for Mobile and Social (Keynote) « Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang | Social Media, Web Marketing)

e-learning, mobile

BenchPrep bets on textbooks (and more) beyond the iPad | VentureBeat

June 2, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

“Our definition of content is much broader than the textbook.” Even though most of BenchPrep’s initial content involves preparation material for standardized tests like the SAT and GRE, Rangnekar said it will eventually include a broad spectrum of books, presentations, videos, and more. Second, the company isn’t just focused on the iPad — its apps will eventually be available on the iPhone, Android, iPad, and Web browser.

(Full Story: BenchPrep bets on textbooks (and more) beyond the iPad | VentureBeat)

e-learning, testprep

Open – A tool for teachers to create and share lessons with their students.

May 25, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

Open, a free tool used by teachers to create digital lessons for their own students. Instead of learning content in the classroom, students will take lessons created by their own teacher at home and spend the class period working on homework-style problems

(Full Story: Open – A tool for teachers to create and share lessons with their students.)

e-learning, opensource

VLinks Media – Where Mobile Learning Happens – Home

May 19, 2011 by Brent Sordyl 0 Comments

Focused on keeping education a step ahead of the curve. Mobile is a key component of our expertise: we build products that deliver an interactive experience to students anywhere they carry a phone.

(Full Story: VLinks Media – Where Mobile Learning Happens – Home)

e-learning, mobile, testprep