I've been in a learning kick lately, so I've challenged myself to sit down and learn some of the skills I've always meant to learn. I took a few online courses for fun a few years back, but never really got into them, probably because at the time the courses were limited to a lot of introductory courses or very coding/programming specific. But now online courses have really grown and I'm finding sitting down and watching these videos actually helps me learn much better than doing it all on my own.
First a few resources:
Coursera: Probably the most widely used and comprehensive MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) list of classes offered by various institutions of higher learning. The classes are free to audit, with the option to pay for a certificate of achievement for completing the lectures and any assignments/tests associated with the course.
Class Central and Mooc List: Both are aggregates that compile different courses from various websites.
MIT OpenCourseware: Access to hundreds of MIT courses in a number of disciplines.
Udacity: This one is tech industry specific, offering what they call "nanodegrees" or credentials for different programming languages and other skills tech employers are looking for. Many of the nanodegrees are sponsored by various companies with collaboration from other companies. So you may find a course created by Microsoft with collaboration from AT&T.
Udemy: Similar to Udacity, the courses in Udemy are more skills based rather than theory based. Anyone can be an instructor, so they are effectively crowd-sourcing education. This is probably my favorite for learning a new skill or delving deeper into a subject not normally covered in university courses. The fact that anyone can be an instructor might put some people off, but since courses are reviewed by those who have taken the course gives instructors incentive to make their courses better, more helpful, and even entertaining. The cost of courses range from free to a few hundred dollars, but I've noticed Udemy has promos all the time, which can make a course priced at $299 end up being only $10. If cost is prohibitory, wait for these promos and then stock up on courses. Once you have purchased the course they usually give you lifetime access to the material so there is no time limit.
One of the first courses I would recommend for anyone starting out is "Learning How To Learn" via Coursera and offered by the University of California, San Diego. Barbara Oakley is the lead instructor and she's very interesting to learn from. Her style is not dull or dry, but rather engaging. The course does skim some of the concepts of how our brain functions, but it mainly focuses on skills we can use to become better learners. It's been some time since I graduated from university and having a quick reminder course about learning has really helped put me back into a learning mind-frame.
Some of the coures I'm currently taking include photography, photo editing, writing, and speed reading. One of the tips from Barbara Oakley's course regarding learning is to try and recall what you have learned and also teach others, so I'm going to try and go over what I learn in subsequent posts.
First a few resources:
Coursera: Probably the most widely used and comprehensive MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) list of classes offered by various institutions of higher learning. The classes are free to audit, with the option to pay for a certificate of achievement for completing the lectures and any assignments/tests associated with the course.
Class Central and Mooc List: Both are aggregates that compile different courses from various websites.
MIT OpenCourseware: Access to hundreds of MIT courses in a number of disciplines.
Udacity: This one is tech industry specific, offering what they call "nanodegrees" or credentials for different programming languages and other skills tech employers are looking for. Many of the nanodegrees are sponsored by various companies with collaboration from other companies. So you may find a course created by Microsoft with collaboration from AT&T.
Udemy: Similar to Udacity, the courses in Udemy are more skills based rather than theory based. Anyone can be an instructor, so they are effectively crowd-sourcing education. This is probably my favorite for learning a new skill or delving deeper into a subject not normally covered in university courses. The fact that anyone can be an instructor might put some people off, but since courses are reviewed by those who have taken the course gives instructors incentive to make their courses better, more helpful, and even entertaining. The cost of courses range from free to a few hundred dollars, but I've noticed Udemy has promos all the time, which can make a course priced at $299 end up being only $10. If cost is prohibitory, wait for these promos and then stock up on courses. Once you have purchased the course they usually give you lifetime access to the material so there is no time limit.
One of the first courses I would recommend for anyone starting out is "Learning How To Learn" via Coursera and offered by the University of California, San Diego. Barbara Oakley is the lead instructor and she's very interesting to learn from. Her style is not dull or dry, but rather engaging. The course does skim some of the concepts of how our brain functions, but it mainly focuses on skills we can use to become better learners. It's been some time since I graduated from university and having a quick reminder course about learning has really helped put me back into a learning mind-frame.
Some of the coures I'm currently taking include photography, photo editing, writing, and speed reading. One of the tips from Barbara Oakley's course regarding learning is to try and recall what you have learned and also teach others, so I'm going to try and go over what I learn in subsequent posts.
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