School Is In Session At YouTube

You already know that YouTube is a great place to find some of the most entertaining videos around, but did you know it's fast becoming the go to place for some of the best educational content on the Web, too? Last week YouTube unveiled a new channel they're calling, aptly enough, YouTube Edu.

According to the official YouTube blog (see: Higher Education for All), there are currently over 20,000 videos on the channel, including over 200 free courses from some of the top universities in the country.

Are these great times for lifelong learners or what?

How To Improve Your Typing Skills With A Little Help From The Web

Surfing the Web requires a lot more than just the ability to click a mouse-it helps to be proficient at typing too. But before you go out and pay for special software to improve your typing skills, why not try a little help from the Web first?

On the Web, you'll find several sites where you can hone your typing skills and in many cases for free. A good example of such a site is Peter's Online Typing Course, created by Web developer and teacher, Peter Hudson.

This Web based course offers plenty of interactive typing lessons and exercises that just might make you a master of your keyboard yet!

Download A World Of Learning

If you've been putting off downloading iTunes software because you don't have an iPod or you're not interested in downloading music over the Web, you might be missing out on one of the best deals going-free educational content called iTunes U.

When you download iTunes, you'll also have access to iTunes U which allows you to listen to free lectures, learn a new language and much more-and you don't need to be anywhere near a college lecture hall to take advantage of it. Oh, and don't worry if you don't have an iPod. You can listen to all this great educational content right on your computer too!

According to the site, they currently have "over 50,000 educational audio and video files from top universities, museums and public organizations from around the world."

Is your curiosity piqued a little bit? Check out the iTunes U Overview featuring a video introduction where you'll learn more!

Online Home Improvement Workshops For DIYs

If you're the type that gets excited about do-it-yourself projects around the house, you'll love the Home Depot Online Workshop Series. These feature-rich video workshops are free to view online and will show you how to tackle a variety of home improvement projects.

Here are just a few of the video workshops you'll find there:

• Green Your Home Inside and Out
• Create the Ultimate Garage
• Creating a Home Theater I

And several others. A library of do-it-yourself videos available to you on the Web and viewable at your convenience!

Where To Find Free Painting Lessons Online

Remember all those promises you made to yourself about starting a new hobby or getting back into an old one? What happened to those dreams? Fortunately, the Web can help give those dreams a much needed boost. Take painting, for instance. Did you know that there are Web sites that offer free painting lessons? Simply Painting, the official Web site of Frank Clarke (of the "Simply Painting" television series fame), is a good example of such a site.

At Simply Painting you can take free painting lessons in three different mediums: watercolor, acrylic and oil. Offering detailed instructions and pictures of how the paintings should look at every step of the process, these lessons are sure to please. If you like the lessons you can even upgrade to a paid membership for even more features (see the site for details).

Go ahead and let these free lessons stoke your passion for artistic expression. Who knows? You might be the next Rembrandt yet!

Free Online Courseware From Academic Powerhouses

These are great times indeed to be using the Web for learning. Today, many reputable academic institutions are beginning to offer courseware for free online. Generally referred to as "open courseware" it's an initiative on the part of many universities to bring quality educational resources to the masses by way of the Internet.

And while free courseware typically won't get you an accredited degree from one of these top universities, it will expose you to much of the same learning materials online that previously you could only get in their classrooms.

Some prominent examples of this open courseware initiative on the Web include:

• MIT OpenCourseWare - The Massachusets Institute of Technology currently offers 1800 courses online.

• Open Yale Courses - Yale University recently joined the open courseware initiative by offering seven free online courses with plans to offer more in the future.

To learn more about this growing online learning initiative and for a list of additional participating colleges and universities, visit the OpenCourseWare Consortium.

Enroll In A Free Course From iVillage.com

Did you know that iVillage.com, the popular Web portal that covers health, beauty, entertainment and more, offers a variety of online courses too? Known as iLearn courses, they include topics like personal finance and small business.

Here are some of the course titles currently offered:

• Building a Budget and Sticking to It
• Get a Grip on Your Family's Finances
• Improving Communication: Saying What You Mean
• Start-Up Basics for the First-Time Entrepreneur

These iLearn courses are taught by experts and include interactive elements like message boards. Best of all, they're absolutely free!

Enjoy Free Online Learning Resources At Fathom.com

Looking for free online courses from a respected institution of higher learning? Look no further than the free seminars at Fathom.com, a project of Columbia University. The learning resources you'll find there represent a wide range of topics-everything from Arts and Humanities to Technology.


Here are just a few of the seminars you might find interesting at Fathom:

• The Basics of Screenwriting
• The First Fifty Years of Cinema
• Music from the Renaissance and Baroque
• Biodiversity: Threats and Protective Measures
• Beyond The Internet: Predicting the Future of Computing Technology
  

As you can see from the variety of the seminar titles above, Fathom.com is quite an eclectic resource for the curious mind-you'll likely find plenty to satisfy your hunger for knowledge.

HP Offers Free Classes Online

When you hear the name Hewlett-Packard what comes to mind? Computers, printers, cameras and more, right? But, did you know that this technology leader also offers a variety of classes on everything from learning more about digital photography to improving your business skills? What's more, you can take the classes online in the comfort of your own home-and they're absolutely free!

Here are just some of the classes offered by HP:

• Professional Digital Photography Made Simple
• Security boot camp
• Building your first web page
• Run your own direct mail campaign

Since class schedules vary, be sure to check with the site to see what's currently available. You can also find out more about the classes and how they work at their Frequently Asked Questions Page.

Take A Free Online Genealogy Class At About.com

Sometimes the easiest way to get involved in a new activity or hobby is to take a class. If you've always thought about getting into genealogy but are not sure how to start, you should consider taking About.com's free online genealogy class created especially for beginners. This 4 lesson course is self paced and taught by Kimberly Powell, About.com's guide to genealogy.

Here are just some of the genealogy topics covered in the course:

• An overview of the basics of Genealogy Research
• How to record names, places and events in genealogical charts
• What questions to ask when conducting your research
• How to get your hands on birth, marriage and other vital records

And a whole lot more. There's even a quiz at the end of every lesson. Your first step on the road to tracing your family tree could be this free class!

Take A Business Course Online At SCORE.org

Are you a senior who's thinking about starting your own business? You'll find few resources on the Web more beneficial to you than SCORE.org. In addition to the numerous business counseling services that SCORE offers, their web site features a Virtual Learning Center where you can take one of 26 free online courses on a variety of small business topics.

Here are just a few of the courses offered:

• Developing a Business Plan
• Conducting a Marketing Analysis
• Analyze your Competition
• Determining Your Business Legal Structure
• Running a Profitable Company

To begin one of these courses, simply go to SCORE.org and click on Learn Online (located in the upper left-hand column). On the resulting page, under Virtual Learning Center, click on register and follow the instructions. After registering you'll be able to take any course you like. They're self-paced and you can access them 24/7!

How To Learn A Foreign Language With A Little Help From The Web

Have you ever wanted to learn a new language but didn't have the time or the money to take a course? Now, thanks to the power of the Web you have another choice-you can take a free course online when it's convenient for you. That's right, there are several sites that offer free web-based courses and other online tools to help you learn a foreign language.


Here are a few of the free sites worth noting:

• Language courses at UniLang.org - Beginner's courses in Italian, French, Spanish, Russian and more are among the offerings here-and they're all free.


• BBC - Languages - learn Spanish, French, even Mandarin Chinese at This BBC-run site that features audio and video tools as instructional aids.


• Internet Polyglot - Use online language games to help you learn foreign languages at this site, and be sure to check out the audio pronunciation features they offer as well.

These online tools are not intended to replace real world language instruction that's taught by a teacher, but as supplements or starting points to learning foreign languages, they can be valuable resources.

SeniorNet.org: Computer Help And A Whole Lot More

If you're relatively new to the web and not already familiar with SeniorNet.org, do yourself a big favor and visit the site as soon as you can. It's a "senior friendly" resource for learning about computer and Internet related information-and that's not all!

Some of the other features you'll find there that are worth noting include:

• Online Book Clubs
• Chat & Discussion Forums on a variety of topics
• Online Courses covering many diverse subjects-not just technology
• SeniorNet articles & guides on important health related issues

And much more! A true community on the web for the 50+ crowd SeniorNet.org is likely to be one of your favorite stops on the information superhighway!

Take A How-To Online Course At CNET.com

You know all those things about computers and technology you say you'd want to learn some day but just don't have the time or money - or you think it's just not easy enough to understand yet? Well, you can set all those excuses aside now because CNET.com, a leader in technology information, offers free how-to classes you can take online and they're intended for a broad audience - novices included!

The classes are moderated by experts in their fields and include message forums where you can post questions and participate in class discussions. Here's just a small sampling of the subjects currently covered by CNET online courses:

• Windows Vista Basics
• Wireless Basics
• Fix Your Digital Photos
• Plan Your Home Entertainment Center
• PC Troubleshooting

Don't worry if you see that a class has ended, by the way. You can sign up to receive an e-mail notification for future course dates and in most cases you can still read all the lessons from the course. Also, keep in mind that course offerings may vary so check with CNET to see which ones will be repeated.

Enjoy your new learning experience!

Sign Up For Free Courses At Sony 101

In recent years, the number of web sites that offer free online courses has increased substantially. Though not accredited, these courses nonetheless offer a tremendous opportunity to learn new skills. Take Sony 101 for example. This great site brought to you by the Sony corporation offers a variety of free online courses that you can sign up for including:

• Hands-On Digital Scrapbooking Design
• Building Your First Web Site
• Digital Photography Made Simple
• Converting Videotapes to DVD

And many others! The courses are self-paced and include message boards where you can interact with other students and even pose questions to your online instructors.