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Online Education - Free


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#1 LJ

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Posted 26 April 2014 - 06:53 PM

Here are a couple of places where you can take online courses from top worldwide universities for free.

 

Never hurts to keep the mind active and engaged.

 

https://www.edx.org/

 

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/


Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

#2 catfluff

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Posted 27 April 2014 - 09:42 AM

So random to see your post! Earlier this week, I was thinking about taking up a course just to keep myself occupied and started to poke around. I came across Coursera.org, which also offers free online courses.



#3 Sparky

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Posted 27 April 2014 - 10:18 AM

Ya.....good one LJ.

 

I was thinking about taking something next winter but didn't relish the thought of driving to town on a dark and rainy night.

 

It won't be long until distributed learning reaches the young'ns and negate the need for teachers in the classrooms. A couple more rounds of job action should do it.



#4 jklymak

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Posted 27 April 2014 - 10:28 AM

A lot f people seem to think online learning will obviate the need for teachers, but the graduation rate of online degrees is infinitesimal. There seems to be something about the social pressure of being in a class with a teacher and students you see regularly that spur they urgency to do well that helps students in brick and mortar schools succeed.

#5 LJ

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Posted 27 April 2014 - 07:25 PM

Yeah, I think socialization in a classroom setting is important, not necessarily for book learning, but as part of the growing process. Especially today with most folks head down into a "device".

 

I take courses that interest me, my kids take courses to enhance their career opportunities, or broaden their knowledge on a subject.


Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

#6 spanky123

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 06:28 AM

Ya.....good one LJ.
 
I was thinking about taking something next winter but didn't relish the thought of driving to town on a dark and rainy night.
 
It won't be long until distributed learning reaches the young'ns and negate the need for teachers in the classrooms. A couple more rounds of job action should do it.


Already exists in a hybrid form. There are pilots today where kids sit in a classroom using tablets to access their courses online. Each kid learns at their own pace subjects which interest them and the teacher is there to lend a hand when needed.

#7 David Bratzer

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 07:33 AM

The Khan Academy is my favourite:

 

https://www.khanacademy.org/

 

It is free and easy to use, and they have a learning dashboard that tracks your progress. I'm currently making my way through Crash Course World History taught by John Green:

 

https://www.khanacad...e-world-history

 

The videos are short (about ten minutes) so you can just watch a video here or there when you have time.



#8 Sparky

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 10:08 AM

Already exists in a hybrid form. There are pilots today where kids sit in a classroom using tablets to access their courses online. Each kid learns at their own pace subjects which interest them and the teacher is there to lend a hand when needed.


This process of distributed learning is coming whether we like it or not. The pilot projects that I have reviewed when I was involved with the Education system are interesting to say the least.

It is not all about removing the bricks and mortar and companionship, quite the contrary. The focus for the most part is about having a high quality tool that is consistent, reusable, and cost effective.

The bonus for the student is "any time...any place...any path...any pace."

#9 Wayne

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 05:00 PM

Agreed David.

 

Kahn Academy is a good one.  It has been growing the past couple of years.



 



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