10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons

Special Online Learning
10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons
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In the past weeks, online learning swiftly went from a vision for the future to an everyday reality for students, teachers and parents all over the world. But web-based education isn’t just for schools and universities. No matter how small your home, the world of online knowledge is boundless.

By Fiona Brutscher

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Special Online Learning
10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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One of the more romantic takes on social isolation is the idea that it will encourage families to enjoy more downtime together. If gathering around the proverbial campfire with your loved ones sounds great, maybe now is the time to learn or teach the kids an instrument? Fender Play is offering a free 3-month trial for guitar, bass or ukulele lessons. So you’ve dusted off your old guitar or ordered a uke online. Once you’re proficient, you can access individual song tutorials, free of charge, and learn to play “You Are My Sunshine”, “Let It Go” or, um, “Creep”. As a family.

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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Educational non-profit Khan Academy is a free video-based learning platform, with additional exercises and supplementary materials. Thanks to a strong focus on providing access to education for people of all ages, all over the world, many courses are available in several languages, including Spanish and Hindi. Want to take a course that will be fun for both adults AND children in your house? Look no further than Pixar in a Box and Disney Imagineering in a Box. The former is an introduction to animation art, the latter teaches users to design a theme park. Both sneak in plenty of maths and science, so you can leave the kids in front of the computer with cartoons, guilt-free.

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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MasterClass relies heavily on the celebrity factor – and accordingly charges celebrity prices. The roster is impressive, and the lure of private lessons with everyone from Martin Scorsese or Anna Wintour to Dr. Jane Goodall or Margaret Atwood is strong, but learning is mainly restricted to watching the experts share their insight. Once you have accepted the premise that listening to a (famously) successful person talk about how they became successful (and famous) will teach you something – and if watching beautifully produced, inspiring videos is likely to bring you joy – then you’re sure to find a MasterClass that appeals to you. Once you register, you’ll have full access to all classes (and you’ll want to watch them all to get your money’s worth).

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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edX, the non-profit online teaching platform founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, implements the principles of massive open online course (MOOC) philosophy more thoroughly than most. Only certification comes with a charge. “We learn not for school, but for life,” is a mantra to keep in mind when choosing online courses. Maybe you don’t need to upskill, learn a language or start a degree. If what you really need are the tools to deal with the recent changes in your life – and the world at large – maybe this is a good place to start: “Resilience – The Art of Coping with Disasters”.

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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The curriculum at FutureLearn is mainly provided by British universities, some offering the possibility to earn credits towards a degree. Courses are available for free or with certification in a paid upgrade, and the unlimited pack gives you access to all courses and certificates. Border closures and supply chain disruptions brought the issue of food security into sharp focus. Learn more about this global challenge –and possible solutions – with Future Food: Sustainable Food Systems for the 21st Century.

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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At Udemy (short for “You Academy”), anyone can teach and anyone can learn – with many courses free of charge. During the height of global lockdowns, the company slashed the prices of many of its most popular courses. The main focus is on job skills. Modern Productivity — Superhuman Focus in a Distracted World is one of many courses recently price-reduced by 90%. Its main goals – developing a productive mindset and staying motivated – will resonate with many people struggling with self-discipline in an unfamiliar home office environment. Maybe it’s the course to take to prepare you for other online courses?

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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If programming is your area of interest, then head over to Udacity. Although most online learning platforms have a few tech and IT courses on their books, this one is considered top dog for computer science. It also made headlines with a “nanodegree”, the first entirely MOOC-based master’s degree. The learning platform recently introduced a quarantine special, offering free access for 30 days. The corona crisis accelerated the digital revolution and there will be no way back. Professional programmers will continue to be in high demand, so now is the time to learn anything from Python to C#, Data Science to Web Development. Basic IT skills will increasingly become a part of non-tech jobs, too. If you’re new to the field, start with Udacity’s “Introduction to Programming”.

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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iTunes U is a dedicated iPhone and iPad App for educational content. Some of its audio-only content was recently moved to the Podcasts app, but the catalogue that remains features full courses, complete with worksheets, links, photos, videos, assignments and 1:1 tutoring. Has a break from your nine-to-five inspired you to leave the daily grind behind altogether? Subscribe to the podcast “How to Start a Startup”, put together by programmer, entrepreneur and Stanford University guest lecturer Sam Altman.

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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Did you use your days at home to finally sort through countless digital photos clogging up your hard drive? Now that you’ve weeded out the highlights, it’s time to truly make them shine. Adobe, the company behind Photoshop, has made some of its digital services free until 31^st May and has collected a list of resources to help customers use them. Photoshop ain’t cheap, but it’s the industry standard for a reason. If you’ve always wanted to improve your image editing skills, Adobe Learn offers a wide range of video tutorials. Want to sharpen your photos, fix a group photo so everyone looks good or make colours pop? Dive in now!

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons.
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Coursera offers courses across all academic fields, many from renowned institutes of higher learning, including American Ivy League universities. Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and plenty more contribute. Its “for campus” licenses are currently free for universities impacted by COVID-19. Of its offerings, “Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content” caught our eye for obvious reasons. The recent shift to online working, learning, socialising and entertainment has made good online marketing even more essential. Content that went viral during the virus outbreak reached a huge, captive audience. After all this is over, these skills will continue to be in demand.

#staysafe #stayathome #selfisolation #selfisolationactivities #quarantine #lockdown #homesanctuary

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10 Engaging Online Classes That Will Expand Your Horizons

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