Upping Your Game

What is your take on advances in telecommunications? Are you an absolutist, someone who feels no interest or need to use a computer or smart phone? Are you a savvy Linux user, capable of operating across all platforms, a wide range of software applications? I have acquaintances in both categories, some of whom are my elders. Increasingly, I believe the people who are least telecommunications savvy are at a tremendous disadvantage in the day-to-day business of life. 
     Ironically, for so many, a computer is not so much a vital tool as it is a sophisticated toy or occasional helper. For others a computer and the Internet are access to resources, education, employment and community. It is the same with social media; Facebook, for example, can be a time drain, or can be used to connect, inform, and contribute to the greater good. I prefer to see computers and the Internet as the gateways to a universe of possibility.
     The good news is that books and courses in computer literacy, the use of the Internet and software applications abound. Many are free of charge or cost little. The better news for elders, however, is free online education. No-one is too old, accomplished or successful for continuing education. Whether you would like a refresher course or two, a certificate program, or a degree, this is a good time to start something new.
      I include here a few links to interesting online programs, beginning with MIT's OpenCourseWare and the BBC Language Courses. I particularly like these two sites, because they provide opportunities to support online education and because they are communities. 
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. -William Butler Yeats

     A number of prestigious institutions have open education programs, but the true revolution is in what are described as "elite" MBA programs, accessible in the form of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses.) Here is a link to a list of these courses of study and providers who offer them. Although there is already controversy regarding the trend, whether and how MOOCs should (or should not) be limited, the trend is here now.
http://www.mooc-list.com  
     Personally, I have begun a degree program on Alison, which, I believe, will serve a number of purposes. It is a review of materials I have learned through experience and self-teaching, rather than in my formal education. I hope to utilize what I learn, to serve disadvantaged women, who would become entrepreneurs or enter management careers. I also hope to restart a small business of my own in legal document processing. If all I manage to do is use study against the doldrums of a long, cold Winter, I'll have achieved a critical goal. Have a look at the courses and programs available on Alison, or read about Alison at http://alison.com
     What will you do in 2014 to up your game? Will you join a book club, learn a foreign language, attend a lecture series, travel, help plan a co-community? These are the stuff of dreams, and everyone of every age should dream!