I think Salman Khan is onto something with Khan Academy.  I’ve been wondering when we’d see Internet-style disruption coming to education, and this might be it.

Sal’s found a way to leverage the power of the Internet.  He’s a great teacher, and his videos package up that teaching ability, for anyone, anywhere to use, at virtually no cost.  For a system that’s depended on teachers being physically present with their students, this is a way to take our best teachers and make them available to everyone.  I don’t think this will fully replace a face-to-face education (and it shouldn’t), but it can surely augment it.

Also, he’s using video very well.  Instead of a talking head or a lecture podium shot with fuzzy slides, we see what’s most important — the shared “paper”.   Also, he’s kept the videos short, and single-topic.  Too many people are still using traditional video production principles (e.g. long segments, talking heads), and Sal’s showing us a much more effective way.

Finally, I wish Richard Feynmen had been able to do this before he died.