World Mentoring Academy Review

World Mentoring Academy

World Mentoring Academy(WMA) is a great place for supplemental learning, for the grades k-12, as well as many college curriculum. 

Likes 

• This site is broken down very easily. I mean it; it may have the best and most organized feel to it out of any of the MOOKs that we have explored thus far. It goes by what grade level that you want to learn at, and then is broken down by what category that you would wish to pursue. This makes it very easy to decide what you would like to learn and what may be helpful for you.
• Top of the line instructors. This may be the case for many of the MOOKs, but this site does not drop the ball. It has a very impressive line up, coming from MIT, UC Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and many more. If this lineup does not seem impressive to you, I don't know what will.

Dislikes.

• My first dislike comes in the log in process. This may seem picky, but I just don't like having to give so much information if I do not plan on receiving certification for a course.
• WMA compared to many of the other MOOKs that we have examined seems to have A smaller selection. To be fair though numbers is not always as important as quality, so you need to pick and choose.

I think it would only be fair for you to give WMA a look and decide for yourself, if it can compete with more know sites. 

More and more MOOKs: Open2Study

Open2Study

Here we are, with yet another website to get your daily fill of MOOKs. Today we will be talking about a site that I am new too; Open2Study. It seems to have the same feel as some of the other previous sites that we have explored, but lets take a look.

First off Open2Study seems to have the free to learn setup that so many of our previous MOOKs have upheld. For me this is necessity. With so many other free to learn sites out there, I try my hardest to avoid spending my money when and where I can. This ins't always the case but I try to keep it this way as much as  I can. Usually money may have to leave my pocket if I want the course to actually be for credit. This does not seem to be the case with Open2Study. Just click the accredited portion of the website, and there you have it; a list of all of the courses that you can take for credit. You can even receive hard copy certificates.

But we all know why we look at a MOOK... The classes.

 Open2Study has a wide range of classes. From Chinese Language and Culture, to Concepts in Game Devlopement; Open2Study has a very wide course-load, coming from a range of professors, in top universities across the globe. 

Ted Talks: Educational videos with a kick

TED Talks

Most people have been stuck in a boring lecture at least once in their lives. Teachers or presenters sometimes do not have the most flare in their voice. Other times, you are not interested in the topic; however, what you haven’t listened to yet are TED Talks.

If you visit TED.com, the website’s catch phrase at the top is, “1700+ talks to stir your curiosity.” Curiosity, exactly what each of you innately contain, drives you to further your education. TED, technology, entertainment, and design, is a nonprofit organization that spreads knowledge and thoughts through short, entertaining talks.

There are different mediums for you to participate in TED Talks. Mainly there are talks that are complied on their website. These talks are on topics that range from poetry to ants, to making hard choices, to speaking English properly. The site allows you to choose the topic, event, rating, and language of the TED Talk that you are looking to view. Anyone can find a topic that interests them, but if you don’t want to choose, TED will surprise you with a topic! Just select the option on their site, “Surprise Me,” and they will choose for you.

After browsing TED Talks, you will see that there are even more ways to become engaged. TED has conferences that you may attend, blogs that you may read and engage with, and a newsletter that you may subscribe to for updates and new information. Check out TED Talks and explore a whole new, free educational resource!

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Another Blog to Check Out: Speed of Creativity

Moving at the Speed of creativity

Wesley Fryer's Moving at the speed of creativity is a great source for new on technological learning, as well as other quirky bits of information. He takes the stand point of a teacher through some of the same topics that I have covered. If you are looking to learn through open sourcing or happen to be a teacher who is looking for a way to spice up your classroom, give this man’s blog a look through.

Reasons why I like his writing:

• We both have very similar opinions on education technology; his however is coming more from a teacher's standpoint where mine is a learning standpoint. It gives a nice look at both sides. 

• The man can make a connection out of anything, I mean it anything. After reading a few articles I can honestly say he's a legend at bouncing off tangent rambles back into comfortable on topic conversations as if they were meant to be there.

There are many more reasons, but I won't dredge on, point after point. Mainly because I want to talk about one specific post. This post is titled "Schools are no longer the knowledge gatekeepers". Wow, straight to the point. This article talks about how in today's society schools and teachers need to redefine themselves so that they can keep up with technology. He goes on to talk about Google, and the fundamental restructuring of education. It may seem like an impossible task but somehow it must be done if we want to advance as a society.

Educreations: An App for both Teachers and Students

Educreations

For all you Mac users out there, this app is one that you are missing out on! Most people are unaware of this FREE app for education; in fact, mostly only educators know about it. This app is commonly used by educators in 1:1 technology situations; however, our world is missing out on a huge opportunity for a free education by not downloading Educreations.

The major function of this application is a presentation. Educreations allows the user to create a presentation. Within your presentation you can add graphics and text to prepare the information. Still using just the standard presentation function, Educreations allows the user to begin recording a presentation. This is when the user is sharing the creation with and audience, or presenting it to be shared with an audience. The way Educreations records a presentation is by showing the presentation with mark ups and the overhead voice of the presenter. After the presentation, or flipped classroom presentation, the user is able to share the presentation with the live voice and markup with anyone via email, social media, and more.

This seems like it is still mainly an app for educators and presentations; however, what is commonly unused are the featured presentations pre-stored on this application. Educreations has a nearly innumerable amount of featured presentations available to anyone on this application for free. The teaching demonstrations range in a multitude of subject areas: Computer Technology, Creative Arts, Health and P.E., Language Arts, Mathematics, Professional Development for teachers, Science, Social Students, Special Education, Vocational Studies, World Languages, and for any other presentation that may not fit in those categories, an Other section. The leveling of these classes may be toward a younger crowd, more toward the high school age; yet, this does not mean that they cannot be useful to everyone. The typically eight minute presentations can allow any life-long learner to further their education with as much breadth or depth that they may please. Check out Educreations!

Furthering Education: udemy Style

udemy (https://www.udemy.com/courses/)

Udemy is another example of a MOOC. For those of you who don't follow my blog, a MOOC is a massive open online course. All MOOCs offer a multitude of free courses; however, some MOOCs have a pay to register model as well. Udemy fall into this category. 

Access to these courses have allowed students who cannot afford formal college the opportunity to obtain a higher level of education. The times are changing and with that comes a need to adjust and adapt. These courses have been key advancements in the ability to educate yourself at a cost that is reasonable.

For this I strongly recommend udemy, as well as all other MOOCs I have endorsed previously in my blog.

Enough of my rant... Into the good stuff. 

My Course Picks:

• CalendarBudget's Budgeting Habit Installer.

This course is applicable to everyone. What you're getting from this course is not that of a professional finance class. You aren't learning how to plot large financial decisions of companies, or even how to put your money into stocks. What you are learning is, how to stay organized and plan your financial future so that you can get out of debt and stay out of debt.

• Trigonometry: Trigonometry Functions I

It was hard to choose one specific math course that to include; I mean, they have it all. They even had a course for the GRE, and March madness bracket math. I did choose this class for a reason though. From the website this author has created a level of math classes that build on one another. This is one. Trigonometry may be something you will never have to use in your life, this is true. However, in most upper end jobs a strong grasp of math will come in handy.

• Working with Video in Photoshop CS6

I am including this course because it seems interesting to me. It has less than one hour of course work, and based on comments and my preview, the author seems to explain things very well. (I may even continue to take the whole course after this post.)


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Interactive Educational Games "K-8"

This next source can be great as a teaching tool for all ages K-8. If you are a teacher, or you have kids yourself; this may just be perfect for you.If this has no use for you, click here to take you to something more fitting.

http://interactivesites.weebly.com/

This sight has fun interesting games, and tools to teach a wide variety of subjects. From math to music, this site seems to have it all. I mean it. It really has it all. Don't Believe me? Okay, take a look at this. For the parent who wants to experience the nostalgia of playing Pacman with their child, while also improving math skills; I give you Math Man. Yes, this is simple math but the content does cover all the way up to algebra and geometry.

Another one of my favorite subject matter is English. Many people think that having skills in math will get you ahead in life; however, without properly developing your English and writing abilities it is easy to get left behind. This website can help kids learn to use correct English, before it's too late. My favorite game had me inserting punctuation. More specifically, the game had me inserting semicolon's.

The site doesn't stop there. It also covers music, Spanish, art, social studies, and typing. All of this is in a fun and easy to manage format, that is user friendly. It also has teacher tools, for those thinking about using their programs for educational purposes.

It doesn't matter if you are trying to learn simple math, or teach punctuation this site will have you covered.

Online School Free with MOOCs

If you want to further your education online or play with fun and interesting subject matter, now's the time. With today's technology, education is in the palm of your hands. The trick is knowing where to look for it.

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) 
A MOOC or a Massive open online course, is a great way to learn a course or subject. These courses are offered online by some of the best schools in the world. The best part? They are all free!Here are my top picks for furthering your education, and having some fun.

edX: (https://www.edx.org/)
edX found at the link above is one of my favorite sites to find MOOCs. Having over one hundred courses available edX give you an ability to learn almost anything. Here are some of the courses that you can find on edX.

• The Science of Happiness

Everyone wants to be happy. This course offered by UC Berkeley goes into the science behind what creates happiness, by creating a road map for the pursuit of happiness. Students who enroll in this course are given a chance to not only learn but partake in numerous fun activities, that through positive psychology are sure to improve happiness.

• CS50x: Introduction to Computer Science

This is a one of a kind course that can actually give you the ability to sit in on a Harvard course online live. This course is intended for beginners, so with just some basic computer knowledge, and a willingness to learn, you can trump topics including abstraction algorithms, security software engineering, and web development. Keep in mind you wont be alone. CS50x has a Facebook Community of nearly 35 thousand members (Including me) who will be there to assist with any bumps you may find on your path. 

• Entrepreneurship 101: Who is your customer?

Have you ever thought of running your own business? Are you afraid that you don't know enough to pursue your dream? With Entrepreneurship 101 you gain the ability to join fun and engaging real-life exercises that will guild you to make your idea come to life.

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