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2010 Executive Tidbits
Price of denim jeans: 47% under $25, 37% $25-50, and 16% over $50. |
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Check out Keith's other site:
Virtual Writing Coach |
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The
Executive Connection SM
a publication of The Virtual Executive
Coach SM
"Vision + Accountability = Success!"
www.virtualexecutivecoach.com
September, 2010
In This Issue:
1. Preview
2. Executive Summary
3. Khan Academy: An Educational Tutorial for the Future
4. Helpful Hints
1. Preview
The Executive Connection explores the creative and analytical
process of business development, team-building, and executive
development. We are an interactive community of executives
and small business owners who desire to network with like-minded
high-performance executives to enhance our knowledge,
skills, and aptitudes in the competitive business world.
Published monthly, the Newsletter offers coaching suggestions
around the topics of: business development, financing,
marketing, networking, incorporations, mergers, human
resources, governmental regulations, and tax laws. Topics
are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and
represent only his ideas on creating and running your
business.
Because we are an interactive community of executives
and business owners, other viewpoints are welcomed and
may be printed in future monthly newsletters with permission
from Keith Barton.
2. Executive Summary
September, 2010
Dear Executive Connection Subscriber,
This month's newsletter features: Khan Academy: An Educational Tutorial for the Future
3. Khan Academy: An Educational Tutorial for the Future
For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the latest
distance learning phenom, Sal
Khan, who was recently singled out by Bill Gates as
the most sought after teacher on the planet, thanks to
YouTube and funding from two donors who pay his salary.
Khan is no slouch--he is a Harvard MBA and former hedge-fund
manager who now works out of his modest Silicon Valley
home while his wife finishes her residency in rheumatology.
His workspace is a converted
closet with two computers and a chalkboard. While his original focus is on math and science
for grades 1-12, he has added math college courses including calculus and differential
equations, physics, chemistry, economics, finance and statistics, and probability. His video
library numbers close to 2000, 10-minute video lectures of Khan teaching with his electronic
chalk on YouTube (he refers to his lessons as tutorials). The classes are free and there is no
advertising--a rarity in today's software apps and search engines.
The impetus for his work originates with his cousin, Nadia, who was struggling in math in her
7th grade class in New Orleans. He agreed to remotely tutor her in 2004, and then tutored her
brothers, Ali and Arman using JavaScript to supply practice problems, grading sheets, instant
feedback, and encouragement. Now he has over 70,000 viewers daily who are learning subjects at
no cost for the first time all over the world. A truly remarkable phenomenon, considering
for-profit universities are charging 40K tuition to take online classes.
Khan has no interest
in making a profit on his educational venture. In fact, it is set up as a 501 (3c) non-profit.
He receives no salary, but has graciously accepted recently two donations of 100K each from
conspicuous hi-tech donors. Khan's intent is to provide up to 10,000 tutorials to help
disadvantaged students, who otherwise could not afford to go to school, much less college.
His tutorials also serve to supplement work taught in the classroom for students who have
a difficult time learning due to a learning disability or ADHD (who are visual learners).
Khan makes use of his chalkboard and his melodious voice and self-deprecating humor make
him a likeable teacher.
A sample of his math tutorials start at basic addition and subtraction and extend to integral
calculus, probability, and statistics. His finance module starts with basic accounting and
balance sheets and extends to ten different banking bailout techniques, IPOs, venture capital,
our current credit crisis, valuation and investing, and concluding with our current Timothy
Geithner and Paulson plans of economic recovery.
In science, he has four modules: biology,
physical and organic chemistry, and physics. He also has a list of "brain teasers" for future
Mensa applicants. Other tutorials prep our teachers for their certification exams, especially
those who might come from business and industry and wish to take an "alternative exam" to
become a classroom teacher, another phenomenon that benefits students with real-world examples
of why learning "stuff" is important and useful in today's world.
Despite all his initial success and glowing
endorsement from Bill Gates, who uses Khan's tutorials
to supplement his kids' education at home, he does have
his skeptics in education who suggest that his tutorials
do not test knowledge learned and do not allow for student-teacher
interaction and classroom discussion. I find these arguments
specious because anyone who was taught in a public school
classroom of 30 students knows, no teacher can reach all
30 students on their individual level during any lecture.
Now we have a plethora of expensive "learning academies"
to provide further tutorials for students "who didn't
get it" in the traditional classroom and for those ambitious
students who want to study for the MCAT. LSAT, GRE, and
any other specialty exam to further their education.
I've tried a couple of finance tutorials which are each around 10 minutes; with playback you
can review topics and take short quizzes at the end of each tutorial and keep a running score
if you so choose. It's easy and fun to use and although you don't see Khan in front of you,
you imagine him right next to you using his electronic chalk to unfold the mysteries of basic
and advanced math, science, and engineering subjects, topics sorely lacking in our public
schools today. If I had one suggestion, I would ask Khan to consider a "humanities" curriculum
that encompasses art, history, archeology, astronomy, geology, and other liberal arts subjects
that give us more pause to reflect on the vast intellectual assets at our disposal that make
for a fuller and more enriching educational experience.
Helpful Hints:
- Go to www.khanacademy.org
and see for yourself how easy it is to navigate Khan's
tutorials and the information one can learn in ten
minutes.
- Do you think online tutorials will become a requirement for schools today? Why or why not?
- How many of you have taken a distance learning class and how helpful did you find the
instructor, classroom discussion, and exams? How would you compare your distance learning
experience with the more traditional for profit weekend courses that many universities
offer today?
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
The Executive Connection SM is a free publication.
If you want to continue to receive this Newsletter, you
can SUBSCRIBE
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Be assured your name and email address are confidential.
We do not sell, rent or share our mailing list with anyone.
Contact Information:
Keith Barton, Ph.D.
Voice: 281-583-5005
Fax: 281-583-5008
Web: http://www.virtualexecutivecoach.com
E-Mail: keith_barton@att.net
(c) Copyright 2010,
Virtual Executive Coach SM
and A. Keith Barton, Ph.D.
All rights reserved.
Distribution Rights:
The Executive Connection SM is copyrighted,
but you may retransmit or distribute it to whomever you
wish as long as not a single word is changed, added, or
deleted, including the contact information. However, you
may not copy it to a web site.
Republication of The Executive Connection SM
in paper media is encouraged and permitted by individuals,
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reprinted in its entirety, without change, and includes
the contact information.
With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue
to fit your space requirements. Republication also is
encouraged under other circumstances. However, the advance
permission of
A. Keith Barton, Ph.D. must be obtained in the event that
changes in the text are desired.
The Executive Connection SM
Mission:
The Executive Connection SM is dedicated to
helping first-time business owners and executives to recognize
resistance to change, while they create and manage their
own businesses. My goal is to help you transform your
vision into a successful business venture with the addition
of accountability structures and silent partner.
The Executive Connection SM is a publication
of The Virtual Executive Coach SM and Keith
Barton, Ph.D.
We would like The Executive Connection SM to
be as interactive as possible. If you have feedback, comments,
topics you would like addressed, or can suggest additional
resources to benefit us all, please email us at any time.
Send your e-mail to keith_barton@att.net.
Please forward this issue to anyone you think would find
The Executive Connection SM interesting and
beneficial. Your recommendation helps us keep growing,
and ensures an excellent exchange of information and techniques.
Archives:
You can read previous issues of The Executive Connection
SM in our archive section.
About Keith Barton, Ph.D
Dr. Barton received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University
of Texas at Austin and has been a practicing therapist
for over thirty years. He is a graduate of MentorCoach
and is accepting new clients.
He has been an adjunct professor at the University of
South Carolina, consultant to Fortune 500 companies in
executive development, founded and managed Texas Community
Living Ventures, Inc., in 1986 for providing group home
services to persons with mental retardation. Keith founded
and has been running a clinical practice in Northwest
Houston since 1990.
He writes part-time with the goal of completing one novel
a year. His desire to coach others derives from his passionate
interest in helping others become attuned to their creative
powers of storytelling.
Dr. Barton has training in coaching, cognitive and family
therapy and health psychology. He has published articles,
made presentations and conducted workshops about:
Small Business Development
Employee Wellness Programs
Anxiety and achievement
Stress management
Self-esteem
Communication skills
Leadership styles
Core values in the workplace
Executive Development
High-performance groups
Physician support groups
Writer support groups
© 2010 The Virtual Executive Coach SM
and Keith Barton.
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