ON THE INTERNET
"The doors of wisdom are never shut."
Little did Benjamin Franklin know, when he uttered those words some 250 years ago, how prophetic they would be. Today, wisdom is indeed available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Franklin's open door is the Internet, the Information Super Highway.
And what a highway it is! Where else can you learn any time of the day or night? Where else can you learn, independent of distance, time and place? Where else can you learn anything you want? Thanks to the incredible growth of the Internet, anything and everything we want to know can be found with the clck of a mouse or the tap of a finger. Everyone, no matter what their age, is getting involved.
Statistics bear this usage out. Acording to IDC's Digital Marketplace Model and Forecast (1), nearly a quarter of the world's population (some 1.4 billion people) will use the Internet on a regular basis in 2008, and that number is expected to surpass 1.9 billion or 30% of the world's population in 2012. They go on to say that the most popular activities today are searching the web, finding information for personal use, using Internet email, getting the latest news and sports information and accessing financial or credit informaiton. Online learning is a big part of that usage.
In fact, online learning is growing by leaps and bounds. Type "online learning" into Google and you'll get millions and millions of hits. According to Lewis(2), over 75% of colleges and universities in the U.S. offer online degree programs, with online degrees as respected as "on the ground" degrees.
As valuable as online learning is for earning college credits, the Internet's real value, however, may be in how it will enable people long out of school to continue learning for the sheer fun of learning. Think of the Internet as a giant public library.
For instance, one night my husband and I watched the movie, "A Beautiful Mind." We had never heard of John Nash, the protagonist portrayed by the actor Russell Crowe. How interesting and informative it was to go online after the movie and read all about Nash, an extraordinary man, and his heroic struggles to find his place in life. Talk about instant knowledge at your fingertips. Now, whenever we see a "true" move we immediately go to the computer to learn more. It's a fun and easy way to keep our brains stimulated.
Benefits of Learning on the Internet
- Learning keeps your brain challenged. Thanks to a computer and a hookup to the Internet, you have all the tools you really need to help ensure this happens.
- Learning is not weather dependent.
- Learning is available even if you have difficulty getting around.
- Learning is available any time of the day or night.
- Learning is available from the comfort of home, at your own pace, and in your own time.
Getting Started
- Computer School for Seniors - CS4Seniors offers older adults a wide variety of stimulating topics. Not only do they have a Computer Learning Center on their virtual campus, they also offer learning opportunities in such subjects as Government, Fitnesss, Photography, Travel, Finances, Photo Restoration, Lifelong Learning, and even a Campus Kitchen. And, more subjects are being planned.
- SeniorNet - SeniorNet is a national organization made up of adults age 50 and older who are interested in either learning about computers or in teaching other older adults how to use them. SeniorNet is dedicated to enhancing the lives of older adults everywhere through technology.
- Type "online learning" into your favorite search engine and prepare to be amazed at all the opportunities that come up. Have fun!
Some Final Thoughts
Whether you want to learn for college credit, or to upgrade job skills, or to learn for the sheer joy of learning, the Internet gives you that opportunity. You are exposed to a wealth of knowledge, centralized in one place and available after a short online search. Using the Internet expands our intellectual, social and spiritual horizons. It can even help us physically if we find and use health information that inspires us to act.
So think of lifelong learning through Internet use as a proactive approach for overall personal development and growth. Thanks to the Internet the process of maintaining an active and alert mind, body and spirit as we age is now easier than it has ever been.
Notes:
(1) Marketing Vox: More people using Internet in new ways and embracing Web 2.0 (2008). www.marketingvox.com/more-people-using-internet-in-new-ways-and-embracing-web20-5257/
(2) Lewis, Regina: Earning a degree online.(2003). http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/26/earlyshow/contributors/reginalewis/main570268.shtml
