Learning Monitor, December 2009
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The Learning Monitor
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IN THIS ISSUE
1. Quote of the Month
2. This Month’s Features
3. A Note from the Editor
4. Views, News, and Insights
5. The Learning Smorgasbord
–> Learning Tools & Skills
–> Collections & Teach-Learn-Share Sites
–> Science & Math
–> Computers & the Internet
–> Health
–> Business
–> Education
–> Language & Culture
–> Music (and Neuroscience)
–> Philosophy
–> Journalism
–> Games
–> Personal Finance
–> Odds & Ends
6. Contact Info
7. Subscription Management
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1. Quote of the Month
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School and other education constantly proceed upon false
principles, and show a clumsy apparatus pointed at a false mark;
but your apparatus is simple, and the mark a true one; and while
parents and young persons are left destitute of other just means of
estimating and becoming prepared for a reasonable course in life,
your discovery that the thing is in many a man’s private power,
will be invaluable!
– Benjamin Vaughn in a letter to Benjamin Franklin, 1783
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2. This Month’s Features
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Khan Academy
The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission
of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.
We have 1000+ videos on YouTube covering everything from basic
arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics,
chemistry, biology and finance which have been recorded by Salman
Khan.
via GOOD Blog
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A good service from Wild Apricot:
32 Free Webinars for Nonprofits – January 2010
Coming out of the holiday season, I thought we might find January a
slow month for free web-based professional development
opportunities for nonprofit folks — but, in fact, with 33 different
webinars in the list, this month’s round-up of training events is
larger than ever!
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3. A Note from the Editor: A Wealth of Means
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As you might guess from the quote of the month, I have recently
been re-reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. Franklin was a
fascinating character, and one of the most remarkable things about
him was his passion for self-education and lifelong learning – a
passion that Benjamin Vaughn applauds in the letter quoted from
above.
Later in this same letter, Vaughn muses that “…perhaps more
persons are at a loss for the means of improving their minds and
characters, than they are for the time or inclination to do it.”
There was no doubt a great deal of truth in this statement at the
time it was written, but it is interesting to consider precisely
how untrue it is now.
While there are still issues worldwide with appropriate levels of
access to the Internet, there are very few people in developed or
even semi-developed countries who can claim anymore that they do
not have access to the “means of improving their minds and
characters.” The question now is much more one of whether they can
make the time, and whether they are so inclined.
Neither time nor inclination are trivial matters, though. Among
other issues, the “means” are now so abundant – as regularly
witnessed by this newsletter – that it is easy to become
overwhelmed and simply devolve into throwing sheep at people on
Facebook. If there is one prediction I would make for 2010, it is
that we will see a significant increase in recognition for (a) the
role of the “curators” who help us make sense of it all, and (b)
the importance of effectively managing our own personal learning
and knowledge.
That may be wishful thinking, but if you are reading this
newsletter, I am betting there is a reasonable chance it is
thinking you share. And I hoping you may be willing to share your
thoughts about how you will manage your own learning and knowledge
in 2010. Just drop me an e-mail at [email protected].
Finally, thank you so much for subscribing to and reading the
Learning Monitor. Hard to believe it, but the Monitor will enter
its third year on January 1. Naturally, I would have never kept at
it this long without the encouragement of great readers.
Happy New Year!
Jeff
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Jeff Cobb
Mission to Learn
http://www.missiontolearn.com
http://twitter.com/missiontolearn
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4. Views, News, and Insights
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We are apparently now in a situation where modern technology is
changing the way people behave, people talk, people react, people
think, and people remember. And you encounter this not only in a
theoretical way, but when you meet people, when suddenly people
start forgetting things, when suddenly people depend on their
gadgets, and other stuff, to remember certain things. This is the
beginning, its just an experience. But if you think about it and
you think about your own behavior, you suddenly realize that
something fundamental is going on.
via Boing Boing
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Social Learn
We’re building a new vision for learning using the best social web
technologies to connect people, resources and ideas. Then it’ll be
up to you to decide what, how, and when you learn… and who with.
via Downes
BookServer
The BookServer is a growing open architecture for vending and
lending digital books over the Internet. Built on open catalog and
open book formats, the BookServer model allows a wide network of
publishers, booksellers, libraries, and even authors to make their
catalogs of books available directly to readers through their
laptops, phones, netbooks, or dedicated reading devices. BookServer
facilitates pay transactions, borrowing books from libraries, and
downloading free, publicly accessible books.
via ReadWriteWeb
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5. The Learning Smorgasbord
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An eclectic selection of delectable learning. All of it either free
or at very low cost.
Learning Tools & Skills
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8 Services to Start Your Learnstream Flowing
in your learnstream. Here’s a post to get you started on some of
the basic services to consider for your learnstream. I listed a
couple of options for most services (my primary is listed 1st).
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Gapminder.org – For a fact based world view
Gapminder promotes a fact based world view by unveiling the beauty
of statistics.
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10 Power Tools for Lifelong Learners
from Open Culture: Every now and then, we like to remind readers of
the audio/video resources that Open Culture makes available to
lifelong learners. These collections are all free, and can be
downloaded to your computers and mp3 players. When you add it all
together, you will find thousands of hours of free educational
content here from quality sources.
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How to Learn (Almost) Anything | MIT OpenCourseWare
Examines how new computational tools and activities can help people
learn new things in new ways. Discusses theories of learning and
education underlying the design and use of these tools, and
explores how new tools can change the ways people think about
learning and education. Special emphasis on “constructionist”
approaches to learning (represented by tools such as StarLogo and
programmable LEGO bricks).
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Collections & Teach-Learn-Share Sites
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The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission
of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.
We have 1000+ videos on YouTube covering everything from basic
arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics,
chemistry, biology and finance which have been recorded by Salman
Khan.
via GOOD Blog
LatitudeU: Free Courses
Online learning is becoming the fastest and most cost effective way
to learn new skills. LatitudeU was built for online learning and
now offers FREE online courses from leading e-learning publishers
to help you advance your career. There are over 100 FREE online
courses available at LatitudeU.
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DIY Scholar’s top 10 courses of 2009
Drumroll… the envelope please… I now present my first annual top 10
free online courses. The 2009 winners are:
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Science & Math
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Google Ocean
With ocean in Google Earth you can Dive beneath the surface and
visit the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench; explore
the ocean with top marine experts including National Geographic and
BBC; learn about ocean observations, climate change, and endangered
species; discover new places including surf, dive, and travel hot
spots and shipwrecks
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Computers & the Internet
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Threatpost
Internet security videos from Threatpost, Kaspersky Lab’s Security
News Service dedicated to helping IT security professionals succeed
by delivering the most important and immediate security news and
analysis available.
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Clinic 10277: What’s New in Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for Developers
This two-hour clinic describes various new features and
enhancements that Microsoft SharePoint 2010 provides developers. It
describes how you can create and deploy SharePoint 2010 solutions
using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010. It also describes how you can
develop remote clients for SharePoint 2010 and develop SharePoint
2010 solutions that incorporate data from external line-of-business
applications.
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IMARK – Information Management Resource Kit via Zunia.org
IMARK is mobilizing and building upon existing resources to create
a comprehensive suite of distance learning resources for
information management and exchange. IMARK supports agencies,
institutions and networks world-wide, and helps them to work
together and share information more effectively.
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Health
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Life Cycle Assessment
Harvard University’s School of Public Health partnered with
Professor Olivier Jolliet PhD of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale
de Lausanne in Switzerland to develop a course designed to provide
the fundamentals on Life Cycle Assessment/Analysis (LCA). With
backing from The Sloan Foundation, Harvard has developed the course
as a series of modules available on-line to the general public,
free of charge, designed to provide this type of foundational
environmental knowledge to as broad a population as possible.
via MYGreenEducation
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How to Buy Individual Health Insurance
A guide on how to buy individual health insurance, brought to you
by Aetna and AARP. Topics covered include: premiums, deductibles,
coinsurance, co-pays, hospitals, networks, preventive care,
prescription drugs and out-of-pocket maximums.
via Insurance.us
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Business
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10 Places to Get a Free Business Education Online
Getting a business education doesn’t have to be expensive. An
increasing number of colleges, universities and even nonprofit
organizations offer free business courses online. Find out how you
can sign up for these courses and what you can get from them. (All
but a couple of these have already been mentioned in the Monitor,
but it’s nice to have them all in one place.)
***
32 Free Webinars for Nonprofits – January 2010
Coming out of the holiday season, I thought we might find January a
slow month for free web-based professional development
opportunities for nonprofit folks — but, in fact, with 33 different
webinars in the list, this month’s round-up of training events is
larger than ever!
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Education
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Free teacher training and professional development for teachers
The goal of Thinkfinity’s professional development for teachers is
to help educators engage students and enhance learning using our
online resources. Check out our free teacher training courses and
register for the one that best meets your needs.
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Language & Culture
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TranslationZilla
Compare your language skills with your friends with this online
language game.
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50 Open Courses to Make You an Expert on China | Online Schools
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Learn Fluent Tagalog with Next Level Online Lessons
Learn fluent Tagalog effortlessly with online language lessons from
Learn More Tagalog study program. Practice speaking the language by
repeating the sentences read by the native speaker aloud. Aim to be
able to speak and write the language fluently. Develop intuitive
understanding of sentence structure by being exposed to countless
sentence examples. Enhance your understanding of the Filipino
culture with topics that expose the cultural heritage of the
Filipinos.
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Music (and Neuroscience)
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NOVA | Musical Minds | PBS
Visit the companion website to the NOVA program Musical Minds, ask
neurologist Oliver Sacks your questions about why music affects the
brain and how it can treat some neurologic disorders, see an
expanded version of the film’s sequence on Sacks’s brain as it
reacts to different pieces of music, and more.
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Philosophy
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QualiaSoup’s Channel
A good collection of videos on philosophical topics.
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Journalism
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News University: Journalism Training. Covering Climate Change
Once a novelty, the climate change story is now as big as the
world, and as local as your back yard. As the story itself has been
expanding, so has the journalistic coverage. Today, it is no longer
owned by journalists on science and environmental beats. In
addition to government and political beats, global warming can be
found in beats ranging from international affairs (think climate
treaties), to technology (think solar panels), to business (think
green industries) and even to the simple general assignment beat
(think forest fires, and deaths and illness from heat waves).
That’s the goal of this course ― to give non-expert reporters and
citizen journalists a firm grounding in the science and policy
underlying climate change.
via BigGreenBoulder.com
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Games
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EnerCities
Are you ready to take on the challenge of running your own virtual
city? Do you have the skills to create a solid, sustainable energy
strategy? Will you build a nuclear plant or go solar? Whether you
are an industrial tycoon or treehugging hippie, join the exclusive
EnerCities beta program now. Your citizens need you!
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TranslationZilla
Compare your language skills with your friends with this online
language game.
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Personal Finance
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Money 101 – Financial Advice & Lessons Made Easy by CNNMoney.com
23 lessons that provide a “step by step guide to gaining control of
your financial life.”
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Odds & Ends
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Sewingprofits.com
Visit SewingProfits.com for the Sewing tutorial or learn sewing
from home and get free advice to make sewing a more pleasurable
experience for you. Turn your hobby into a profit churning business
with the help of our experts. Visit Sewing Profits now.
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The Wood Whisperer Woodworking Video Podcast, Blog, and Forum
Woodworking education and entertainment for the modern woodworker.
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3 Great Online Resources To Learn How To Cook Well
The new year is an excellent time to start something new. Rather
than making resolutions that won’t last beyond January, why not try
something different? Set yourself up to learn a new skill,
something that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
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6. Contact Information
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I truly welcome your thoughts on how I can make this into a
newsletter that fits your needs in the best possible way. Always
feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] or call me at
919.201.7460 with any comments you have about the content provided
in the newsletter and suggestions for future editions. In
particular, I welcome news of new free learning content and events.
I also encourage you to visit and comment on the Mission to Learn
blog at http://www.missiontolearn.com.
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7. Subscription Management
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