1. Khan Academy
Have you ever wanted to pick up a subject you’re not well-versed in, but you didn’t have the money to invest in a college course? Khan Academy aims to provide education at the collegiate level for anyone who wants it. They provide resources for learning pretty much every subject out there, including math, science, history and more. As you learn, the platform will even assess your progress and help you gauge what you’ve learned.
2. Duolingo
This isn’t the first time I’ve recommended this language-teaching website (and app), and it certainly won’t be the last. Duolingo is a free version of Rosetta-Stone that delivers the same results: teaching you another language. Regular use of the site can have you speaking and writing Spanish, English, German, French, Portuguese and Italian in a matter of months depending on the diligence you put into it. Hopefully, even more languages will become available soon.
3. School of Life
From philosophy to literature, psychology to the visual arts – ideas that will exercise, stimulate and expand your mind. The School of Life is devoted to developing emotional intelligence through the help of culture. They address such issues as how to find fulfilling work, how to master the art of relationships, how to understand one’s past, how to achieve calm and how better to understand, and where necessary change, the world. Visit their Youtube for a whole host of interactive video content.
4. MIT Open Courseware
As much as I would love an education at MIT, that isn’t really in the cards. Thankfully, the educators at the Massachusetts Institue of Technology decided to give out information for tons of courses online through Open Courseware. Hundreds of millions of people have benefitted from the information that they can learn from these courses, starting a trend for other sites to offer free courses as well.
5. Quora
Have you ever wanted to ask someone famous a question, but you suffer from never having the chance? Thanks to Quora, you can read the opinions and answers of fascinating (and varied) questions from the leading experts in pretty much everything. You can answer questions too and get feedback from numerous others who share your love for a given topic.
6. Spreeder
According to Spreeder, a lot of us have trouble reading quickly because we can only read as fast as our “inner voice” can. Spreeder’s solution is to teach you to read without an inner voice, boosting reading speed and comprehension immensely. The best part? It’s totally free.
7. Project Gutenberg
Site looks old school but trust me it’s an invaluable resource to lovers of literature. Imagine a library with tons of free books that you can keep for the rest of your life. Actually, you don’t have to imagine that because Project Gutenberg gives you the ability to download tens of thousands of classic e-books, and it’s completely free & legal.
8. HeadSpace
We have the ability to alter our perceptions and train our minds to improve health, performance, and at the same time reduce daily stress. The practice is with Mindful meditation, a scientifically proven ancient technique geared towards helping you to find peace and achieve more. Headspace makes the process simple, intuitive and fun. You can get started online or on the app for free too.
9. Lumosity
Using games to learn is something I’ve treasured since Kindergarten, making Lumosity a trusted resource for me and countless others. Using a daily schedule of games, Lumosity is literally designed to make you more clever. As you progress, the software figures out what your strengths and weaknesses (such as memory or math skills) and assigns you games accordingly. The best part is that the games are actually addicting and fun to look forward to!
10. TED
For years, people have been benefiting from TED talks that provide free insights from the world’s smartest people. TED provides the value and learning growth of a seminar, but without the exorbitant costs and travel expenses, by providing visitors with tons of free video lectures helping them to become a genius. The app is also great for catching up on the latest talks, and you can even download some on iTunes.
11. Codecademy
If you haven’t noticed by now, the Internet has pretty much taken over everything, which means the skill of coding and developing websites is in higher demand than ever, and that’s not likely to change. With Codecademy, you can use free tutorials that teach you the basics of coding with interactive and handy tools for helping you become an expert.
Sources:
Cerious Productions
