Continuing to Learn

[PonoBill]

I've mentioned many times on the Zone that I greatly enjoy and appreciate Kahn Academy. I've repaired a lot of holes in my math by taking their courses, and this winter I plan to take more. But I've also found two resources that are just as good in their owns ways. Masterclass and Coursera. Masterclass cost a bit, about $190 now for their all-you-can-eat program, meaning you can take as many classes as you like for a year. It's a video plus workbooks program. But the instructors are people at the top of their profession: Thomas Keller and others for cooking, Malcolm Gladwell, James Patterson and others for writing, Ken Burns and others for filmmaking, etc. Classes are a bit lightweight sometimes, but absolutely worthwhile.

The other find is Corsera. It's free, or some relatively cheap fee if you want scoring and a certificate. I'm not sure what the certificate is good for, I only care about the learning, and Coursera is spectacular for that. Their catalog is extensive and everything I've taken so far has been extraordinary. The courses can be taken along with a synched group or on your own time. I've done both, the synched class was good for motivation but got a little hectic. Course materials are the same in either case.

I've become convinced that for most of the things people need to learn, that quality online learning platforms are far better than traditional classrooms. I've done online courses from various colleges (Stanford, MIT, etc.), and they are a pale shadow of what is possible. Coursera's "Learning How to Learn" is a spectacular way to start.

[PonoBill]

Wow, how did this get into classifieds? I meant Random. I guess I wasn't watching. I'm not selling anything, though I probably should be. My shop is ridiculously crowded with crap, especially with Fritz and Peyote inside.

[pdxmike]

Wow, how did this get into classifieds? I meant Random. I guess I wasn't watching. I'm not selling anything, though I probably should be. My shop is ridiculously crowded with crap, especially with Fritz and Peyote inside.

If you qualify for something, you become qualified.  Since you took a class, you became classified, so this got put in the classified section.

[Beasho]

If you can take, and pass, Andrew Ng's Machine Learning course on Coursera it will put you into rarefied space on planet earth.

He is the lead machine learning scientist from Stanford and head of Google Brain.  Yet there he is explaining how to do what he does for a mere $50 per month.  And he says with a mild manored English accent:

"I hope that this will help you better understand machine learning and how it might benefit your company and your career going forward." - REALLY!

[PonoBill]

I'll take a look at that, it's one of my areas of interest.

I get the draw of Ivy-covered walls and social benefits of hanging out with smart kids, but why someone would spend four years and a hundred K they don't have learning at drip-feed rate when there are firehoses running full tilt for free on the web is a little beyond me.

[stoneaxe]

Society's perception of what that piece of paper means.

[stoneaxe]

Just signed up for Coursera....could be a waste with my head....