Friday, October 22, 2010

Time to Learn... 15 Minutes

I never thought I would say this but I actually miss school. Not the tests and daily humiliations but the chance to learn something new. I was always a fan of science, industrial arts, and home economics. It was the hands on aspects of those classes that really helped make the theories and lectures more than just ideas but practical life applications. In school the amount of time spent on the lectures seemed like such a waste. I would love to have eight hours to devote to learning now. Being out of school, working full time, and preparing for a baby, my time to focus on learning new things has gone from 8 hours a day to around something closer to 15 minutes.

So what is a guy who likes to learn supposed to do? Find ways to compress lectures and studies. The best ways I have found are books on CD, online videos, or podcasts.

I love CD’s and audio podcasts. Load them up on your mp3 player or phone and you are ready to go. Listen on your commute to work, at the gym, or while doing work that doesn’t take much concentration like… data entry (disclaimer: do not attempt to multitask while performing open heart surgery or other life sustaining work). I get most of my CD’s from the library. Its a great source of free learning material. With libraries on-line now just put a reserve in and pick up the material when its in. Its like Netflix for learning.

What the library lacks is the ability to stay current on topics like technology and pop culture. To do this online video and podcast are the best option. My favorite podcast networks are Revision3 and the TWiT network. These two networks create both audio and video content. Most of the subjects are technology related and they go over the week’s top tech news. I’m a geek. I learn geeky things.

My newest favorite learning site is a YouTube channel called iGNiTe. This site focuses on giving 5 minute lectures over seemingly random topics. They way they do it is the presenter creates 20 slides that auto advance every 15 seconds. It is both an entertaining and educational site.

Finally, I have a list of links to the right side of my blog where I can learn tips and tricks as well. LifeHacker.com is by far my favorite. That’s where I learned I can put a mason jar on my blender and make smoothies. It’s quick easy and a lot less clean up.

I was never really good at English or creative writing in school… Hence the awkward ending… Time to learn how to properly compose a blog post. Later.

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