Back to School: Computer Courses, Courseware and Podcasts
Back to School: Computer Courses, Courseware and Podcasts
Education is a lifelong pursuit that provides us the experience of intellectual exploration and discovery. Here are several options to help us on this path; perhaps it is learning better computer skills in class or taking a free university class on the internet or listening to audio lectures on an iPod while on the go.
Computer Classes
Many of us wish we had more confidence with our computer to manage our on-line communications and projects. Perhaps it is improving the computer skills we have in word processing or other applications in order to compete for a better job. You might head back-to-school and seek out classes at a local SeniorNet center.
SeniorNet is a non-profit that started in 1986, to provide older adults with classes, education and access to computer technologies. SeniorNet grew out of a research project to determine how computers and communications technologies could enhance our lives as we grew older. Since that time, SeniorNet has grown into a volunteer-based organization that is one of the world’s leading technology educators of adults over the age of 50.
Seniornet has over 200 centers around the US with multiple centers in almost every state. Many of the SeniorNet centers provide a great curriculum of over 30 courses. These very low cost classes are taught by volunteer instructors, most of them over the age of 50; seniors teaching seniors. People who enroll can take from beginning to advanced classes and learn new computing skills like:
- Computer Fundamentals
- Internet and Email Skills
- Digital Photography
- Buying and Selling on Ebay
- The Many Uses of Google, and more
The classes are in a friendly, low-pressure environment. The SeniorNet Computer Learning Centers are operated senior volunteers across the nation with curriculum provided by SeniorNet headquarters. To find out if there is a SeniorNet center near you just click on “Find a Learning Center” link.
Free University Classes on the Internet
Do you yearn to expand your knowledge and really challenge yourself? But lack the mobility or live in a small community without access to a college or university nearby. If you have a computer you can takes free classes at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) by just pointing your browser at MIT’s Open Courseware (OCW) link. MIT OCW is a large, Web-based publication of the educational materials from the MIT faculty's courses. This unique initiative enables the sharing of the MIT teaching materials with educators, students, and self-learners around the world. MIT OCW provides users with free access to the syllabi, lecture notes, course calendars, problem sets and solutions, exams, reading lists, even a selection of video lectures from over a thousand MIT courses representing all five of MIT's schools. This OCW initiative will include materials from virtually all courses at MIT by the year 2008.
If you seek a wider range of courses in other languages or from other universities you might visit the website of the OpenCourseWare Consortium. They are a collaboration of more than 100 higher education institutions from around the world that has created a broad body of free and open educational content for self-learners.
Audio Education on the Go
Perhaps you do not have time to go to class or sit on your computer. You might try to listen to educational materials. Another source is audio education available for free from sources like iTunes. They have a large library of free content such as university course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, and campus tours provided by some of the top colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University, MIT and more. The university content from iTunes can be loaded onto an iPod with just one click and you will experience a lecture just as simply as enjoying your music.
Education is a rewarding journey, thanks to the internet and technology we have so many more options to pursue.
AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
About the Author
Susan Ayers Walker is a leading-edge boomer with over 35 years experience in emerging technologies.
