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Monday, May 20, 2013

The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: Will Online Khan Academy 'Educate the World"?

The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: Will Online Khan Academy 'Educate the World"?:


Guest Post: Will Online Khan Academy 'Educate the World"?

EWA's 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford University, took place earlier this month. We asked some of the journalists attending to contribute posts from the sessions. The majority of the content will soon be available at EdMedia Commons. Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few of the posts, including the ones from our keynote sessions. Justin Pope, higher education reporter for the Associated Press, is today's guest blogger.

Is Sal Khan the Messiah? No, seriously. At EWA’s 2013 National Seminar, veteran PBS reporter John Merrowintroduced Khan—the charismatic former hedge fund adviser who turned the math Wtutorial videos he made for his cousins into an education website with thousands of videos watched by millions around the world—by recalling meeting a group of five Hasidic rabbis who had come to hear Khan speak recently in New York. They mentioned the Torah’s prediction of a man in the fifth millennium who “will come to educate the world.” They didn’t seem to be joking - more like scoping out a candidate.

Khan’s talk at EWA’s conference was an engaging hit, and a perhaps heartening reminder that people still