For the first 25-30 years of our lives, we spend most time learning. We go to school for many hours every day, then we study at home. No wonder that when it's all finished and we start our adult serious lives we want to forget about books and teachers, and never go back to it again. I know it's not the case with everyone because there are people who genuinely like studying, but that's what I thought after graduating from college.
After some time of "being free from learning" I've discovered something interesting. Learning in your adulthood can be actually so much fun. I can finally get to know things that I'm really interested in, I decide how and when I want to do it and what level of knowledge is enough for me.
What's more, we've got the best access to knowledge than we ever had. Everything is within the reach of our hands - on your computer or a phone. We don't have to buy books or go to classes actually. Whether it's cooking, crocheting, photography or science - you can go to the Internet and learn everything for free. That's just amazing!
When your goal is to learn a skill, not to get a certificate, there are many free options to do that. You can go to one of those websites and enroll in a course of your choice:
1. Alison.com
After the course you get a free confirmation of completing a course that you can download, also you can get a paid certificate if you want. There are ads displayed between modules of courses, and you can pay to get rid of them. They're not really invasive and annoying so if you want a truly free course - just leave them on. You can find courses on many topics there - language courses (English and others), touch taping, web design, photography and many other courses.
2. Open2study.com
There are many cool features like communicating with your classmates, weekly assessments, quizzes after each module. You can get a free certificate, which confirms that you've completed the course, but those are not accredited. There are courses on astronomy, finances, nutrition, psychology, and others.
3. Edx.org
For some courses, you have to pay, but there are plenty for free. You get free access to all materials, but you don't get a certificate. In the description of each course, you can see how much the verified certificate costs.
4. Instructables.com
This site is amazing, there are instructions how to make everything - from a chocolate cake to your own canoe paddle :) Besides single "Instructables", there are also full classes on many topics.
If you're working on your resume or you want to show your boss that you're improving your qualifications - webinars are a good choice to earn a certificate. Those which I took part in, required to be online exactly at the specified time and pass a test to earn a certificate.
I attended webinars for teachers specifically - EdWeb, Oxford University Press, Cambridge English Webinars. Go to Google and find a free webinar in your field.
The other great places to learn something new are Google and YouTube. That's how I've learned basic photography skills. I searched on Google for a free photography course and I found "Ditch Auto - Start Shooting in Manual" at Jerad Hill's page On YouTube I've learned how to make sushi.
Google and YouTube may be so obvious that it shouldn't be mentioned, but sometimes we just forget about the simplest solutions.
When it comes to learning languages, there are many sites dedicated to this specifically. My favorite is Duolingo.com The site is very interactive, so you don't just listen to a lecture but you are actively doing exercises. You can use on a computer or on a phone as an app.
I also use conversationexchange.com where you can easily find a partner to practice your speaking skills with.
What are your favorite ways and places to learn new things?
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