Fruitcake Rave III

I Know Kung Fu

So we (finally) watch The Matrix and now I get all these allusions* that have been popping up in the most random, and quite frankly, pointless places.

Although, truth to be told, that's not really the only thing I've been suddenly getting lately (yes, including weird looks, and acne)

Lemme just say, Sal Khan is my hero now! Not only does he understand algebra (which, in my mind, is of significant merit itself) but he can explain it. Let's give him a hand, folks! And even more amazing: he can explain it-- and I can understand it! (Shouts, cheers, much applause. Mothers break down weeping and throngs flood the street.)

This is Sal on TED:

http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html

And if you watched the video, now you'll get what I mean when I say 'I know kung-fu'. But seriously, guys, if you're math-impaired like me, give him a chance. After about 3 years of trying to learn Algebra (wow, that sounds really bad. Ok- how about this, I started algebra early and hit a brick wall early as well) I am now halfway through it in after 1 and a half months.

You see, I really, really, really, really^106 detest Algebra textbooks that try to fool me into learning algebra. No way, I'm not swallowing that murder mystery gunk, I'm too smart for that. When you run through a textbook a semester without anything sticking past six weeks, reading another book that talks about how much fun we'll have going on an algebra adventure while rescuing the Princess of Perennially tedious Polynomials and finding advice from the Wizard of !$#@%^&% it's enough to make you put up a mental block against algebra so thick it's probably breaking some law of Quantum Physics.

Finally! A textbook that cut to the bone and stated every principle in one sentence, or less: The Algebra Survival Guide. I ran through it fairly quickly, understood the concepts, completed the exercises...and forgot everything. There were problems, like, what if this number was a negative? How would that work out? Or what if the equation looked like this? How would I deal with it? The textbook never strayed into that territory, and naturally, I grew worried. The worst part, however, was that the book didn't come up with enough exercises, or offered options to review. Consequently, by the time we were settled in Nevada, all my knowledge of Algebra had been wiped from my brain. Yep, they made me learn, but I still found a way out!

Of course, that soon became a problem, not that I was worried about being perennially stuck in 8th grade, but that Ian would soon be in there with me as well. Which of course, was absolutely, completely, totally, unequivocally, unquestionably, without a shade of a doubt unacceptable. Being the big sister, it is my natural sacred duty to be superior in all things. And to have the most ice cream for dessert-- but I digress on my just desserts.

We came here in June, which left me about two and a half months to learn algebra and make it stick. Needless to say, I didn't get that much sleep.

But, between bouts of hyperventilating, horror-filled shock (every time I inadvertently conjured up a mental image), and, though I'll never admit it, sabotage**, enter Sal Khan. Khan Academy was my salvation (it's also a data-freak's dream, but I'll get to that later). If you watched the TED video, you'd understand how it works to 'humanize the classroom' alongside providing extensive data for the teachers to work with. For me, the best thing about Khan Academy were the videos.

The videos were mostly around three to five minutes, explaining every concept quickly and simply. The algebra videos also have a counterpart: worked algebra 1 examples, so one could switch back and forth between videos if a topic was not understood.

The exercise dashboard works by naming topics you choose proficient, not proficient, or pending (you need to answer 10 questions correctly in a row to become proficient). Personally, the things I like best about the Khan Academy exercise dashboard is the way all topics are interconnected, so after you become proficient at one, it imediately gives you a bunch of different recomended options. Also, even after you've become proficient at an exercise, if some time has passed since the last time you've done one, it will have this really awful neon orange color until you do another exercise on that topic to prove you still remember it. Oh, and the best part....

The badges.

There's nothing more fun than flashing my twenty meteorite badges, eight moon badges, two earth badges, one sun badge, two challenge patches, and my 222, 876 energy points at my brother during yet another epic duel of sibling rivalry.

Nothing says "I pwn you" like a sun badge.

But really, go ahead and check out Khan Academy right now! It's a great learning curriculum, and it's free, covering topics from the humanities, sciences, history, economics, and more!

THANK YOU KHAN!

This is Quiet Girl, who will not be that quiet tonight as she is holding a one-girl party to celebrate the defeat of algebra I.

-Shhh...

*I was considering substituting 'allusions' for 'Easter egg' (wiki it if you don't know what I'm talking about)...but...luckily, unlike creators of said allusions, I don't use obscure jargon that makes like, no sense out of context. Most of the time. Kinda. How about, when I'm in a merciful mood, and--uh, moving on. So instead, you get not-so-obscure English major jargon. But if you don't know what I mean even then, I highly suggest... well, what do you do if you don't know what an allusion is? Besides cry out hopelessly at the cruelty of fate, I mean.

**No, not literal sabotage. Just trying to keep my horror from Ian so he didn't get the bright idea of trying to get into Algebra II and making my existence absolutely miserable.