It has never been simpler to educate yourself from the comfort of your own home. With modern technology and the infinite possibilities provided by the World Wide Web we no longer have to go anywhere to learn all there is in the world. Here are some useful online tools to use for your education at home.
1. BBC Podcasts
For people who like to constantly expand their knowledge, the BBC has a wide variety of podcasts and videos available for free on the BBC website. There are an endless amount of categories and topics to choose from. Popular topics include finance, sports, current events, art, nature, travel and much more.
The podcasts can easily understood by the average person since the content is usually not too in-depth or theory based. Simply follow this link to find a world of possibilities for your education at home: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/forum .
2. Dictionary.com
Access it online or download the mobile app or google chrome extension, which allows you to easily look up words on any website. Learning new words help you to better understand any information you are reading. Thus a good vocabulary increases your educational capacity. The website also has a thesaurus and a reference dictionary to help you learn new words and concepts.
Furthermore the website features a new word every day that you can use to increase your vocabulary or you could look at the fun quizzes and slideshows to learn more about language. They also have extensive information on etymology for those interested in the origin of words.
3. Open Yale Courses
Open Yale Courses gives everyone the opportunity to learn for free. Each course consists of high-quality recorded videos of class lectures. These videos can be downloaded for you to watch any time and an audio-only version is also available.
The courses also include a list of suggested readings and other course materials to help you learn more. They offer free courses in a wide variety of subjects like English, Psychology, History, Chemistry, Economics and the list goes on. See the complete list of open courses here: http://oyc.yale.edu/courses
4. YouTube #Education Channel
YouTube’s Education Channel is automatically generated to make access to all educational videos available on YouTube easier to find. In this way you get to see all the videos related to education grouped together on one page. This is a good place for watching videos about the ever changing face of education as well as informative documentaries and lectures on various interesting topics.
It’s a good website for people who want to get new knowledge in an informal setting. Here is the direct link for easy access: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3yA8nDwraeOfnYfBWun83g
5. Codeacademy
Teach yourself to code at home for free with Codeacademy. Programmers and software developers are currently one of the fastest growing careers. There is always a high demand for programmers in the workforce and they are also paid very well. Learning a programming language will be an advantage for anyone. If you have a love for computers and want to learn how to talk to them and make them do things check out Codeacademy.
6. Google Education Suite App
This free Google app suite is a compilation of different Google apps that can be used for educational purposes. The package includes G-Mail, Google Drive, Classroom, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites, Calendar and one-on-one support from a Google for Education partner. All of the above can be used to link up students and teachers making it easier to send each other work and projects from home.
7. TedEd
From the people that brought you TedTalks and TedEx comes this new and innovative website that puts the focus on teaching and learning. Simply select one of the many educational videos available on the site and start building a lesson around this.
This website is perfect for curious people who want to learn more. They also have quizzes about each video to further help your self-education. TedEd is also very useful in more formal education settings like classrooms and can also be useful to tutors. Either way it is an entertaining and visually stimulating way to learn about new things.
8. Coursera
Coursera is an online initiative that makes free education available to all. They offer 1,065 free online courses. Choose from topics such as Programming, Algorithms, Social Psychology and much more. Once you have selected a course that sparks your interest you will be able to view the length and format of the course. You will also see when it starts and how many hours per week you would need to dedicate to the course. This system makes it easy for you to choose a course that suits your schedule.
9. Open Culture
Open Culture is a website that provides infinite possibilities for self-education. They offer free online courses, free online learning, online certificate programmes, links to best online universities and other free online education. You can also learn 48 languages through Open Culture.
You can also watch movies, read e-books, get access to hundreds of free textbooks and listen to audio books. Visit the following link to see for yourself: http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses .
10. Khanacademy
Khanacademy is a fun and free online educational experience. Create a user or simply login with your Facebook or Google+ account for endless exposure to educational subjects. Choose from various subjects including science, biology, maths, arts and humanities and much more.
When you have chosen the subject you want to study you will watch videos on various topics and build your knowledge and skills. The more videos you watch the higher your skill count will be on the website. You will also be able to complete small tests online to see if you can remember everything you have learnt. You can learn anything with Khanacademy.
To conclude, there are numerous types of educational website available to use for free online. It really depends on what type of self-education you are looking for. Do you want to do formal online courses or do you simply enjoy accumulating new knowledge in your free time. There are also various apps and website that serves as an educational aid while studying. By looking at the options above you are sure to find something that will help you self-educated at home.
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Kelly Ray is a dedicated writer, researcher and educator. Her passion to writing leads her to creation her writing blog for students. She finds her inspiration and motivation to educate in everyday life. If you need more tips for self-education, you can follow her in Facebook and Google+ and read her blog TopReviewStars.
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