The internet is an endless source of entertainment for millions of people every day. It’s also a vital business and communications tool. All of this can conceal another aspect of the world wide web – one that is wholly unique to it.
We are, of course, referring to its potential as an educational tool. After all, some might argue that the internet contains the sum total of all human knowledge. That makes it a pretty decent resource for when you’re looking to understand something, or develop a skill.
Unfortunately, it’s not always as simple as googling the answer to the question you have. That’s because not all information online is of the same quality – this is simply a result of the fact that anyone is at liberty to publish information to the internet. In most cases, this isn’t an issue – but if you genuinely need to access high quality information, it can become tricky.
However, there are ways to ensure this. If you’re embarking on learning a language, developing some extracurricular skills, or simply want to know how to play a certain type of game, the internet does have the answers you seek – you just need to know where, and how, to look.
E-Learning Sites
So-called e-learning platforms such as Skillshare and Udemy have lowered the barriers to entry for thousands of people seeking to learn all manner of skills from food photography to music production. These sites have disguised themselves by offering their customers access to accredited experts in a huge number of fields, meaning people can easily jump into a curriculum of learning they can rely upon.
While the aforementioned platforms excel at general interests, there are also many specialised e-learning platforms to be aware of. Codecademy, for example, offers a huge library of courses on all aspects of programming and software engineering.
High Quality Resources
While you may need specialist tools to train or develop certain fields of knowledge, if you’re just looking for helpful information and pointers on something then good old googling can be all you require. It’s just that there is a caveat – you need to make sure that the websites you’re accessing are of a high quality and standard.
This is easier than you may think – all you need to do is identify trusted brands or platforms operating in your field of interest, and access their free resources. For example, if you’ve always wanted to know about how penny slots work, and what their history is – you could do worse than accessing the relevant guides provided by the likes of PokerStars Casino, a reputable industry mainstay.
Similarly, if you’re eager to embark on your gardening journey, simply explore what the American Horticultural Society has to offer on growing seasons and all other aspects of a green-thumbed life.
Again, while you can undoubtedly learn useful things from self-published WikiHow pages and the like, these are not held to the same editorial or reputational standards, and thus there’s less of an onus for them to ensure that the information they’re putting out is accurate and verifiable.
Educational Apps
It’s really quite true that in 2023 there’s likely to be an app to suit every interest or requirement, and the educational app sector in particular has enjoyed a lot of investment and development over the years.
One need only look at the enormous success of Duolingo to see that this is the case. In fact, more people in the USA today are learning a new language on Duolingo than there are language students enrolled in official school classes.
If languages aren’t what you’re after though, fear not as there are many more educational apps to sink your teeth into. A particularly interesting one to check out is Brilliant, which has a STEM focus. Brilliant offers courses on everything from applied mathematics, to basic engineering – perfect for the curious at heart, or those looking to re-train in a technical field in their free time.
