What if you're already 50 years old, but felt that, if you only had enough time and paid more attention to your algebra and trigonometry teacher, or perhaps had a tutor, you feel you'd be really good in mathematics, because you can grasp the concept, but just didn't have the time, or felt you were distracted during your youth? The question is, can you still try and learn?
Enter the Khan Academy.
Khan Academy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit educational organization created in 2006, by Salman Khan. With the stated mission of "providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere", the website supplies a free online collection of over 2,200 micro lectures via video tutorials stored on YouTube teaching mathematics, history, finance, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and economics.
It's the brainchild of Salman Khan.
(from Wikipedia)
In late 2004, Khan began tutoring his cousin, Nadia, in mathematics over the internet using Yahoo!'s Doodle notepad. When other relatives and friends sought his tutelage, he decided it would be more practical and beneficial to distribute the tutorials on YouTube where he created an account on 16 November 2006. Their popularity on the video sharing website and the testimonials of appreciative students prompted Khan to quit his job as a hedge fund analyst in late 2009 to focus on developing his YouTube channel, 'Khan Academy', full-time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTFEUsudhfs
His videos proved popular, attracting on average more than 20,000 hits each. Students from around the world have been attracted to Khan's concise, practical, and relaxed teaching method.
Khan outlined his mission as to 'accelerate learning for students of all ages. With this in mind, we want to share our content with whoever may find it useful.' Khan also plans to extend his 'free school' to cover topics such as English and history. Programs are being undertaken to use Khan's videos to teach those in isolated areas of Africa and Asia. He delineated his motives:
"With so little effort on my own part, I can empower an unlimited amount of people for all time. I can't imagine a better use of my time."
The video are very straightforward, it's almost like having your own private tutor (albeit you can't ask questions, but hey, you can leave questions as comments) or your computer as your private high school or college instructor.
Here's a sample video, a simple lesson in equations...
http://youtu.be/9Ek61w1LxSc
This is learning for learning sake, not learning to get a degree.
So, what are you waiting for...visit the academy today!
Khan Academy
-RODION