Saturday, February 28, 2015

There's More To Life ...

... than Netflix.

I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms and Netflix is a great companion, but sometimes I turn off Netflix in favor of other pursuits.

Did you know that it is possible to take courses online, and I don't mean quilting classes?  I have taken online courses through Coursera.com, edX.org, Yale University (oyc.yale.edu), and other places.  I can listen to lectures and watch videos on my computer from my hotel room, complete assigned readings on airplanes, and enjoy learning new things during those "in between" times in my life.  Some of these courses are self-paced and some are completed on a schedule, but every course I have taken has been FREE.  How cool is this?

I have completed Introduction to Art: Concepts & Techniques taught by a professor at Penn State University.  I have taken a writing course from Duke University.  I am in the middle of a literature course from Yale University.  I'm about to start two new classes, one self-paced/open-ended and one to be completed by June 1.

I feel like these types of courses have been designed to work with people's crazy schedules, and I certainly have a crazy schedule.

Have you ever taken an online course?  What did you take?  Do you know of any other good courses starting soon?

1 comment:

Vireya said...

Interesting! I have enrolled in a Coursera one starting soon, and as it is my first one I'm a bit nervous about it. Glad to know you've had positive experiences with them, as I don't know anyone else who has done one.