Gone are the days of heading to the local library and spending hours seeking out the right reference book for your topic of choice. Now, you can just bellow at your device and it will magically bring up a wealth of information dedicated to your subject from the depths of the vast online world. Opinions are shared in seconds, references can be compared in an instant, possibilities seem endless and limitations are released.
Thanks to the platform that Sir Tim Berners Lee created, we are now spoilt for choice when it comes to expanding our knowledge base and have therefore found ways to utilise the internet to learn, connect and broaden our minds. Forget about classrooms and conference rooms, if the world’s lockdown has taught us anything it’s that we can keep going, stay connected and carry on working and learning with the use of a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone, and an Internet connection.
Remote working isn’t a new thing, neither is online learning, but there are more ways each day that individuals can utilise technology to learn and improve skills in order to better themselves, whether for their personal growth or to complete training for their job.
Learning at work for you and your company
Businesses are certainly making the most of online videos and courses in order to train staff to create a better-quality workforce, with training in this format being cost-effective too. No more paying out for workers to travel and stay in hotels with a couple of days out of the office to boot. Now, training can be achieved from the comfort of the workplace with online assistance widely available.
Many reputable companies already using the SAP software to manage their business processes will be looking to the same provider for their internal training requirements. According to published SAP Litmos reviews this user-focused learning management system boasts a simple to use system for employees and reports for employers to see.
Learning to gain an education
Outside of the employer/employee relationship, online learning for personal achievement has grown impressively over time with the likes of the Open University expanding its teaching and research across 158 countries over the last 50 years. Many students have thrived on this type of flexible learning, two million in fact, going on to achieve university degrees in sectors ranging from law to psychology to business and the arts. Achieving this level of education from the comfort of their homes and with expert advice at hand from course leaders, this is certainly one way in which technology has been used to improve a person’s ability in order to achieve ongoing success.
Personal learning
And what about those who require some everyday tips, advice, lessons in life, simply learning from the best out there in order to better themselves, whether in the kitchen, office or for their personal wellbeing?
A relatively new addition to the world of e-learning, and offering a less standardised take on what the user might want, is MasterClass, the online education platform bringing together a huge list of well-known names who share their top tips across tutorials and lectures in short videos. These pre-recorded shorts offer a glimpse into their worlds, giving you the opportunity to learn from the best in their fields. Be it an acting lesson from an Oscar-winning actress, a cookery tutorial from a Michelin-starred chef or writing tips from a best-selling author, this certainly covers a range of life skills for any subscriber.
This article would be incomplete if we overlooked the everyday style of learning that we take for granted, those online tutorials and how to videos that show us the basics of life from our peers. Whether you’re looking to learn how to create that perfect makeup look, achieve the hairdo of a Hollywood A-lister or learn how to play instrument, draw, paint, fix a household appliance, this has been all the more possible with the likes of prominent video sharing platforms such as YouTube.
The Internet and the technology surrounding it has certainly made the world a smaller place, but continuing to utilise this in order to learn, communicate and better ourselves will always be achievable, from the everyday to the previously thought impossible.
