Post XX. Lynda.com

I decided to do a brief review of Lynda.com in case if there are people in our class who are not familiar with this wonderful learning tool yet.

Lynda.com offers a collection of learning materials related to different topics, from Instructional Design to Photography. Usually, you get access to a set of video-lectures that are often accompanied by exercises to assist you in processing the new information. The quality of lectures is very high; they represent short videos, no more than 10 minutes long. What is important for me as an international student, the lecturers speak clearly and slowly (in a normal way), which helps me follow them with no additional effort involved.

There is a wide range of learning activities available on Lynda.com, and, what is more, this web portal is absolutely free for FSU students. This is great news because the regular monthly price is $20 minimum, depending on the chosen plan. In the Secure Apps folder on my.fsu.edu, there is a direct link to the Lynda.com website that enables you to get your free access. 

Lynda.com also has an iPad application for those people who prefer being mobile.

Watch a short video about Lynda.com below. What courses would you like take (or are taking) on this eLearning portal?

Post III. MentorMob

From my opinion, the MentorMob project exemplifies the Web 2.0 idea at its best. The website represent a collection of courses on different skills and hobbies that can be accessed for free. It should be noted the number of the offered skills’ categories is quite small (only 8, including parenting, photography, entrepreneurship, etc.); however, courses are thoroughly organized and very informative.

It is interesting how the MentorMob team members create the content. They search for quality materials on the Internet and then categorize them under the corresponding skill. Thus, it is some kind of a wiki, but greatly structured. This way of content arrangement allows the user to save enormous amount of time and concentrate on learning. If you are an expert who would like to contribute to the project, the website provides you with such an opportunity. 

I am learning photography now, so I primarily use the MentorMob website as a reference book (e.g., when I need to refresh my knowledge of the Exposure Triangle concept).