Task 4 - Five unofficial websites that offer free online lessons or courses just for fun
1. How to ... line dance
http://www.howcast.com/guides/688-How-to-Line-Dance
Just how easy would it be to learn to line dance online? When I came across country dance champion Robert Royston's series of 37 instructional videos I thought I would give it a try.
First up I was disappointed that the videos wouldn't play on my iPad, but when I transferred to my PC I had no problems. Trying again I have found that they will play if I load them via YouTube, for some reason. These videos are part of the Howcast series, and yes, there is a Howcast app, but as I cannot locate these videos (or any others for that matter), via its search tool I'm not sure how useful it will be.
Back to viewing via my PC, I like that you can tick a box to call up the next video automatically when the previous one finishes, as that saved me time and led to a continuity with the lessons. Robert obviously knows his dancing well and presents his lessons in an easy-to-follow way, commencing with some theory of music and line dancing before moving on to the practical side. Robert is an American so there is an American bias to the teaching and some of the terminology. There are ads at the start of some videos but not all, and they may be skipped after an intro interval so I didn't find them too annoying.
My ratings:
Website layout - lessons easy to find and progress through - 4 stars
Engaging and interesting lessons - 4 stars
Coverage of the topic - 4 stars
Level - Beginner to easy intermediate
Recommend to friend or colleague - 4 stars
2. How to ... write macros in visual basic for applications
http://www.wiseowl.co.uk/blog/s161/online-excel-vba-training.htm
It's probably a bit sad to want to learn more about visual basic programming in your spare time isn't it?! Nevertheless I thought I would spend a little time doing exactly that and stumbled across the WiseOwl website.
This website is very well laid out, with clear main headings above boxes naming each tutorial on the left with the corresponding skill taught on the right. Once you choose a tutorial the new page which opens contains all the tutorials in a list allowing you to drop down to the next tutorial easily as you progress. The lessons themselves are well-structured and relatively easy to follow, and even include a sample spreadsheet to enable you to practice as you go. With the tutorials displayed in a blog format there is also the opportunity to post comments or ask for assistance from the author or the community.
My ratings:
Website layout - lessons easy to find and progress through - 5 stars
Engaging and interesting lessons - 4 stars
Coverage of the topic - 4 1/2 stars
Level - Intermediate
Recommend to friend or colleague - 4 1/2 stars
3. How to ... research your family history
https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/home.html
Being an amateur genealogist I thought I would look for lessons to extend my research skills and came across this site which is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. The Learning Center home page is very simple with a box of search choices on the left and some suggested courses in the main body of the page.
The lessons on this site are drawn from many organisations, as well as the LDS. The few that I watched were very comprehensive, clear and easy to understand, whether in a video format, a video format with slides, or audio format. Some lessons include a course handout in the form of a PDF, which I think is a nice touch.
My ratings:
Website layout - lessons easy to find and progress through - 4 1/2 stars
Engaging and interesting lessons - 4 1/2 stars
Coverage of the topic - 4 1/2 stars
Level - Beginner through to Advanced
Recommend to friend or colleague - 4 1/2 stars
4. How to ... speak italian
http://www.italianpod101.com/
It took me some time to identify a learn to speak Italian website that seemed to be free and easy to use but Italian101 almost meets those requirements. A 7 day free trial provides access to all the features of the site initially but when it expires you will need at least a basic subscription at a cost of $4 per month to access any furthur lessons at a particular level, although the site publishes several new lessons each week and these are still accessible for free, along with the word of the day.
Some lessons are provided in video format, others in audio as an MP3; both are downloadable. There are a variety of supporting materials also provided depending on your level of subscription. I found all the different presenters easy to listen to and understand, and I liked that I could choose whether I wanted to learn some conversational Italian or choose a certain category of words, for example, fruit. I have had fun exploring the website and picking up some Italian words along the way. Ciao!
My ratings:
Website layout - lessons easy to find and progress through - 4 stars
Engaging and interesting lessons - 4 stars
Coverage of the topic - 4 1/2 stars
Level - Absolute beginner through to Advanced
Recommend to friend or colleague - 3 1/2 stars because to gain the most from the site probably requires a subscription
5. How to ... make a quilt
http://www.howcast.com/videos/507534-How-to-Design-a-Quilt-Quilting-for-Beginners
I was inspired to find out how to begin quilting after a work colleague brought in the beautiful quilt she had just completed for her baby grandson a couple of days ago. After looking at numerous websites, some of which had reams of written instructions, I ended up back at Howcast working my way through a series of 33 videos on quilting basics by Cathy Izzo.
Cathy's videos are very thorough, almost labouring the point a little at times, but she makes the whole process of creating a quilt from scratch seem very manageable. Although this is a beginner's guide she introduces some techniques designed to give your quilt a professional look, and tossing in a few handy tips along the way. For practical applications I think video demonstrations are far superior to trying to interpret written instructions so I would definitely recommend this series to any aspiring quilters. Shame about the ads at the start of each video though.
My ratings:
Website layout - lessons easy to find and progress through - 4 1/2 stars
Engaging and interesting lessons - 4 stars
Coverage of the topic - 4 stars
Level - Beginner
Recommend to friend or colleague - 4 1/2 stars- just ignore those ads
This has been a fun task and has left me wishing I had more free time to follow my new-found interests. Roll on retirement!
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