Learn Something New Using Technology and Other Untraditional Learning Methods

What comes to your mind when you think of learning? Stuffy classrooms? Books piled sky high? Bun wearing, scowling teachers? Not anymore! Learning has evolved beyond the traditional classroom. You too, can find a way to learn anything you want.

Learning is Just a Click Away
Boot-up your home computer, log-on to the internet, and you instantly have access to thousands of online professional or personal growth classes. You can obtain your Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree from one of many online schools. If you interested in brushing up on your German for that summer vacation, learning how to invest for your retirement or gaining skills to start your own business, you'll find a class online to suit you. All that is required is a computer, access to the internet and a lot of motivation!

Learning is Not Just for Kids Anymore
Most community colleges offer a Continuing Education division, also known as Adult Education, Lifelong Learning or non-credit. This arm of the college offers short-term certification training programs, personal and professional growth classes, workshops and seminars. Classes are often held in the evening to accommodate the busy adult and are usually only a few sessions. For those requiring training for their employees, there are a limited selection of courses held during the day time.

Keith Kirkland, Co-Chair of the Association of New Jersey Community College Continuing Education Administrators and Assistant Dean of Continuing Education and Community Services at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey, believes that taking continuing education courses are a benefit.

"Taking these classes gives you new information and skills that are bound to improve the quality of your life," says Kirkland. "We have average citizens of all ages taking our classes. Depending on their interests they can learn how to buy their first home, plan for retirement and put a will together, become experts on how to operate a child care center and more," he continues. "Our main goal is to provide a place of growth and development for our students."

Here are just a few other classes that can be taken through a non-credit division:

Dance
Pottery
Art
Yoga
Photography
Aerobics
Cooking
Motorcycle Safety
Golf
Tennis
Horseback riding
Floral Arranging
Foreign Languages
Home Improvement
Computer Graphics
Computer Programming
Massage Therapy
Medical Billing and Coding Certification
Substitute Teaching Training
Pharmacy Technician Certification
Management
Marketing

Sign up for a continuing education course today and you will earn a certification to help you on the job, learn a new hobby or get business tips in no time.

Attend Workshops or Conferences
Rachel Wettstein, Continuing Education Program Developer at Atlantic Cape Community College, feels that continuing education exposes you to new ideas and activities. "It broadens our experiences and expands our understanding of different people, cultures and political views," she says. "Education enables us to be better citizens."

To expand our horizons, Wettstein recommends taking workshops for personal or professional development. These sessions vary in length and range from one class meeting to eight to 12 sessions. Typically, students take the course one time and move on to a more advanced section of the course, if offered. While enrolled, participants become involved in a wide variety of learning strategies including lectures, class activities and discussions and are provided with textbooks, handouts and other learning materials.

Conferences are another valuable way of learning. According to the Learning Resources Network (LERN), an international association that offers information and resources to lifelong learning programs, a conference is a recurring event that is held on a different topic each time you attend. They can be held over a long weekend requiring you to spend a few nights away from home, or they can be held locally over the course of a few hours. There can be one speaker or many speakers who are experts in their field and are glad to share their knowledge with you. For reinforcement, the presenter will often provide literature for you to keep and may engage participants in interactive activities.

Learn on Your Own
If you have a difficult time getting to class or are at home raising kids, why not take a correspondence course and study at home at your convenience? Many colleges and professional organizations and associations offer these courses and will provide all the books and materials once you sign up. After reading all the coursework, the education provider will supply a test and provided you pass, you will be sent a certification or certificate of completion.

Visit Your Local Retailer
As a way to generate business, many retailers now hold classes, workshops, and seminars. Potential customers come to the retail operation, receive an education on how to build a patio, or how to grow a garden, and then more often than not, purchase the items needed to complete the project at home from the retail establishment that they learned from. Check your local stores for many exciting classes.

Read, Read, Read
Reading keeps the mind active and healthy. Go to a local retail bookstore and you will find thousands of books on just about anything you want to learn. With the explosion of magazines filled with "how-to" articles geared toward your personal interests, you may want to consider purchasing a subscription.

Videos Can Be Educational
For the visual type learner, educational videos can be useful. Learning sign language from a book can be tough, but popping a disc into the DVD player or viewing videos online is easy. Additionally, many colleges offer telecourses on video to help you achieve your degree if a course is being held at an inconvenient time.

Listen and Learn
Rent an audio tape from the library free of charge and learn a new language or the storyline of a new book or down load an audio book off the internet. This learning method works great while stuck in rush hour traffic.

With so many ways to learn something new there is no excuse not to educate yourself on a topic. Get started today!