Etonkids International Bilingual School’s Stephen Lampkin hails from the US and earned his Master of Education degree in Elementary Education. He worked in various schools from 2009, acquiring a great deal of knowledge on how to walk the tightrope with numerous personalities of parents. He came to Beijing to expand his educational knowledge and understanding. He currently works in the Research and Development Department of Etonkids to make sure that the students get the best possible education.
He says, “In this current technological age, information is figuratively always at our fingertips. With so much knowledge readily available, it is becoming easier to learn new skills. In the past, gaining access to all of this knowledge was not always so easy. Sure, encyclopedias were available, but they were big, clunky, and difficult to use, and if one was not available, you had to go to the library. What was the future’s response to the headache of using encyclopedias? The Internet.”
The Internet changed the way adults and children learn since it can be tailored to fit personal learning styles and fit within people’s time limitations according, to Lampkin. The days of having to sit down for over two to three hours each day learning have long passed, and the Internet has created options that weren’t available, making learning more enjoyable.
“With so many options and learning platforms on the internet, it can be daunting to try to wade through all of the different options, figuring out what is best to use.”
“Etonkids International Bilingual School’s Stephen Lampkin”
Presenting: Khan Academy
“Khan Academy is a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based website and app that specializes in its ease of use and convenience. Not interested in any of those subjects? Fear not, because Khan Academy has you covered. They also offer arts and humanities like music, world history, and language arts.”
“Khan Academy is a free, E-learning platform that was founded in 2006 by Salman Khan. The premise of the website is to help children and adults learn at their own pace in a systematic, guided fashion. The app and website teach you any subject. First, it assesses your level in the subject, and then it gives you lessons based on the assessment. All subjects are broken down into different skills to learn, and then it gives short tests on the skills so the user knows the effectiveness of the lessons that were given. While Khan Academy is a spectacular website and app that is available for iOS and Android, the one drawback of it is the usability for toddlers. As Salman Khan teaches most of the lessons, sometimes, it can be difficult for them to pay attention to his voice.”
“Taken as a whole, Khan Academy is a wonderful platform that gives people the chance to learn at their own pace. It’s a breath of fresh air in this increasingly muddled information age.”
The Khan Academy apps are available on Google Play and Apple Store in English, French, Norwegian Bokmål, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish. The apps have access to videos but there are some that have to be bought as in-app purchases to access them.
Platform: iOS and Android
Price: Free to download with in-app purchases
This article originally appeared on page 36 of the October 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ETONKIDS
