My Favorite Teacher: Professor Internet
"Live to learn and learn to live, John. You have to learn how to live, and if that is the case, then you really have to live your life to learn."
Remnants of my 2nd grade teacher Ms. Morris are creeping back into my head. Though, it isn't all bad. I've actually been putting her advice from a while back to good use, as of late (or at least I'm beginning to recognize it). So, here are a few places that I love to learn from here on the Internet.
While I definitely agree that it is cool that Wikipedia is user-generated and anyone can write anything about anyone, I still really love Wikipedia most because of how far and wide it reaches. From the handkerchief code to the mention of Flying Rhino Junior High, I cannot ever get enough of discovering that which may seem useless or flamboyantly extravagant. I primarily use Wikipedia for answers to the questions that bother me as I live my life day after day: What was the name of the woman that Kierkegaard broke his engagement to? When did xkcd come into creation? WHAT WAS THE LEGACY THAT JESUS LEFT THE WORLD?
Just don't rely too much on the information. Certainly don't use the website to cite your thesis or anything like that.
My uses: assorted trivia, random quandries, philosophical inquiries
LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE. I'm not kidding. You can learn the basics of various languages for free! Another sweet perk about LiveMocha is that you can submit certain writings and speech quizzes to be graded by native speakers. The community is very honest and everyone there is working for the same cause: the expansion of communication. I'm starting German and Russian (I'm also doing French, but that's a little unfair as it is quite a breeze). Only downside is that after you learn the basics, you have to pay for later lessons. But please, don't let that stop you from bridging the gap from your lips to mine.
Umm...Awkwarddddd... ;)
My uses: learning languages, getting to know other cultures
(Not a video, but an old photo of my own. Meh.)
I'm friends with many of you already on GoodReads. It's such a great website for tracking what you and your friends (or complete strangers) have read, are reading and will read. It could just be the fact that I have been learning from books since I was younger, but I see GoodReads as a great place to expand your intellect. Not to mention, the community circles there are phenom. You can win books from their contests, swap books with other readers, and attend book readings in your surrounding areas. My favorite is being able to communicate with some of the book clubs that are online; some of these people are geniuses. And for those of you that are reading this that are like me and want to know what geniuses read for fun, GoodReads is the place to be.
My uses: keeping track of what I'm reading, giving me a space to talk about the books that I've read, paying attention to what others are reading
The Cat Stance in Kung Fu -- powered by eHow.com
Learn. To. Do. It. Yourself. It's so much easier with a website like this. You could learn how to make your own webshow, how to plan a budget, or how to remove coffee stains from your dentures. It's useless to say how much information this website has; you will waste a lot of time trying to figure it out. Another cool thing about the website is that they're constantly looking for new people to offer 'How to' knowledge, both in written and video form. So, if you're looking to kill some time and have some knowledge to share, act like an old friend did at my junior prom and GIVE IT UP.
My uses: exactly what their motto states: 'how to do just about everything'
Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare
WHY DOESN'T EVERY UNIVERSITY DO THIS?! There are 1900 classes to pull information from, from audio/video mediums to plain ol' black-and-white text. Much of the course information is from the last few years, but if you have never had exposure on a topic, they will provide you with a great amount of information (even if it isn't as up-to-date as you would like it to be). Though, many of them are also intellectually relevant today. Go learn some physics! Go learn some cell and molecular biology! Go learn some moral psychology!
My uses: learn MIT-level material, comparing the education that I'm getting from DePaul with that which I am teaching myself
This one is sort of new: the University of Reddit is a user-teacher, user-student initiative that has so much potential. Do you know a bit about a certain topic and have ever had a hankering to teach a class? This is the perfect opportunity for you. What if you've always wanted to take a class, but you could never find the time or the extra money it costs to do so? This is the perfect opportunity for you. I've been a Reddit member for a while now, and within the depths of their hilarious community, there lies the brains of intellectuals. Such a good idea. I've got two classes that started today, and I'm thrilled. Go sign up.
My uses: making sarcastic jokes on funny posts, taking note of what certain people feel is popular, supporting people that need it, laughing
While I am going to go from university to university in the future, I am going to do so with a confidence that I am genuinely in a place that I can put some deep focus on living. Even when I'm on break for summer or winter, it is good to remember that the mind doesn't stall. Well, that is when it isn't glued to the television or a video game. But a little mindless fun isn't too bad from time to time; I've learned so much from so many games (I love you, dot hack series).
I'd love to give that Ms. Morris a big ol' hug, and if the internet ever takes the form of something, I've got dibs on getting my arms around it too.
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