Find your interests and opportunities for continued learning online
Just because we age or retire, it certainly doesn’t mean we lose our interests. Some of the seniors we know are on Boards of local committees, are taking up new hobbies, and are finding new ways to keep connected to the subject matter of their former careers or travel pursuits.
Here are some online channels, websites and apps that might interest you for ongoing learning.
Keep your digital skills fresh with Be Connected
Funded by the Australian Government, this is a great resource for anyone beginning or continuing to build knowledge and confidence online. Offering a variety of digital topics, Be Connected offers basic information for those just starting out on their digital journey through to more in depth detailed education around safety online, connecting to others, data and wifi etc. Learning is offered through straightforward tutorials and bite size learning activities with safe practice environments too so that you can explore online banking without setting up your own account first. Find out more about Be Connected on their website at this link: www.beconnected.esafety.gov.au
Inspired videos from expert speakers in 100+ languages with TED Talks
Enjoy learning from others? If so, a TED talk could be just the thing for you. TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas in the form of short, powerful videos (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. There are over 3700 talks to stir your curiosity delivered by some of the world’s most inspired thinkers. Their agenda is to make great ideas accessible and spark conversation. It’s lots of fun too. You can download the TED app or visit their website at this link: www.ted.com/talks
Build skills through online learning from top institutions with Coursera
Day courses to degrees, Coursera is an online open course provider that works with universities and other organisations to offer online courses, certifications, and degrees in a variety of subjects. There are over 4000 courses from some 150 universities to choose from. Coursera courses last approximately four to twelve weeks, with one to two hours of video lectures a week. They also provide on-demand content, in which case you can take your time in completing the course with all of the material available at once. Join a day course for a quick fix, or try your hand at an MBA to further your knowledge in an area you know already. Did we mention that over 1000 of the courses available are free? You can find out more by downloading the Coursera app or visit their website at this link: www.coursera.org
Learn a language, meet the world through Memrise
Dreaming of the day when you can venture to foreign lands once more? Memrise will help prepare by helping you learn a new language through videos of native speakers in real life situations. Offering over 50,000 native speaker videos, the learning courses are written by language specialists so you learn the phrases that locals actually use. You can watch videos of how locals use the phrases and learn the real accents too. The Memrise learning algorithm will also test you at the right timings to train your memory muscles effectively. There are currently 24 different languages available to learn: www.memrise.com
Have the content of over 2000 museums delivered to you with Google Arts and Culture
Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world of culture to you digitally. Explore art and artists from around the world from the comfort of your own living room. Explore the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam or perhaps the African Heritage House in Nairobi is more your thing. With plenty of interactive opportunities, Google Arts and Culture is a dynamic platform showcasing enough arts and culture to keep even the avid culture seeker satisfied. There are great daily finds and explorations available, a multitude of themes, masterpieces and hidden details to explore. Looking for a cultural rabbit hole to fall into...this is it! You can download the app to explore or visit their website at this link: www.artsandculture.google.com
Learn more about Australian history and culture through Trove
Search Trove to explore amazing collections from Australian libraries, universities, museums, galleries and archives. It’s free and available online all day, every day. Everything you would find on a visit to a library or museum can be found in Trove. It brings together billions of pieces of information. You can search for digital copies of newspapers, Government Gazettes, maps, magazines and newsletters. Or books, pictures, photographs, archived websites, music and interviews. Even information about famous Australians, including copies of letters, diaries and personal archives. You can also search Trove to locate books and other physical items held in libraries and organisations around Australia. Depending on what you’re trying to locate, there’ll be various options for viewing the item, including organising a library loan. Explore what Trove has to offer here: www.trove.nla.gov.au
With so many options available, the old adage of you’re never too old to learn, really applies here. Your library might also be a great source of inspiration. Take a look at our article about free digital resources from libraries. The wonderful thing about the digital world is that so many things are now available to you that sometimes the problem is too much choice. These are some of our top ideas for where to learn something new, we’d love to hear about others.
If you have others to suggest please let us know in the comments below.
