The Internet has brought a great deal of information available to everyone with just a few simple clicks. If you are interested in learning something or trying something new, to increase your knowledge or awareness, the internet is a good place to start. However, maybe you don't know how to do it. Or you don't have the money to pay for all these '' enlightenments ''. This article is here to help you.
Steps
Step 1. Read
Maybe you want to improve your literary knowledge. Look here for lists: two of the 100 best novels and one of the 100 books that changed history. Study on Wikipedia, Wikibooks, and Wikiversity. You can use the "random" feature to find random articles. When you find an article online or anywhere else, read it carefully. Some people have the habit of skimming the material.
Step 2. Find the book that's right for you
Once you've found a book that looks interesting, you can buy it or search places like Project Gutenberg which has over 20,000 free books. You can also join the project to get access to another 100,000 free books, or search other free databases such as those specializing in certain genres, authors, etc.
Step 3. Listen to the audiobooks
If you don't like reading, or you don't like the ebook format, you might like audiobooks. LibriVox has a good selection of book recordings, many of them of good quality, free. Again, look for sites that specialize in audio books, such as PodioBooks which has a good selection of science fiction stories.
Step 4. Check out old radio shows
There are also some sites that collect dramas and old radio shows. The Mercury Theater collects a good number of their radio dramas, some featuring Orson Welles, and they offer free downloads.
Step 5. Listen to music
To expand your horizons, try many different genres, not just the usual ones. Classic Cat has many links to download mp3s of famous composers and works from all over the web. Jazz Promo tends to have some good free jazz tracks available for download. Search the internet for other free mp3s from artist or fan sites and music blogs. You will discover some good bands and good musicians, this way.
Step 6. Take online courses
In recent times, there has been a growing number of universities and schools making their resources available on the internet for free download via podcast, online notes or lecture materials. Go here for a list of university podcasts. It is a very complete list, with over 75 proposals. Here is a list containing links to podcasts in a foreign language. And here is yet another list that focuses on podcasts of "ideas and cultures". Again, search the internet for something that interests you.
Step 7. Look for educational videos
If you like images to accompany your lessons, videos may interest you. Universities are making many videos of their lectures available for free download lately. You can also search Google Videos, YouTube and other video sites for short documentaries, educational films, historical films, modern music, and more. If you want to find independent short films, head over to the Internet Film Community or Atom Films, which generally have good selections.
Step 8. Try films in other languages
If any of those indie films are in a foreign language, you can learn another language. That site has a multitude of links to communities or language resources, and much more. Many of the links are free to access sites. And if you are interested in ancient languages, such as Greek or Latin, Text Kit is a good site to try.
Step 9. Explore new subjects
If you really want to "expand" yourself, try philosophy, religion, metaphysics. Do you want to learn something about Buddhism? Go here. There are also many other sites that teach the precepts of Hinduism, Islam, or the life and teachings of Jesus.
Step 10. Try the email courses
You can also join many courses that are emailed, such as About U., which focuses on topics like religion, health, and history. Learn how to cook delicacies and treats with this course. All you have to do is open your inbox.
Step 11. Request free material by email
If you eventually find that working on a computer just isn't your thing, then maybe you just need some free stuff sent to you. The National Institute of Medical Sciences has some well-edited books that are offered for free. The same does the National Institute of Mental Health. Other material related to medicine can be found on the Howard Hughes Medical Institute website. Maybe you want a free poster about the human genome? Or maybe you are someone who is more interested in physics? Look for other free publications.
Advice
- Look for new things. You never know what you can find.
- Go to online sites like Wikipedia and click on a random article. Read it and follow the links from that article to others. See what you can learn.
- Try to plan, in order to keep an eye on school or work.
Warnings
- When making downloads, be careful not to download copyrighted material. Especially from P2P networks, as they very often contain viruses, malware, and so on.
- When you embark on a new online learning experience, make sure other people agree with the information they are teaching you. You may learn incomprehensible words instead of Hebrew.
