Quote of the Week #1

"A scholar must shape his own shell, secrete it, one might almost say, for secretion is only separation, you know, of certain elements derived from the materials of the world about us. And a scholar's study, with the books lining its walls, is his shell."--Oliver Wendell Holmes

Open Yale Courses

So many resources, so little time. This is one of those weekends when I am just overwhelmed with the sheer quantity and quality of the resources that lifelong learners have available on the Internet.

It's hard to know what to share today. I guess it has to be Yale University. What this site, Open Yale courses, lacks in number of courses, it makes up for in resources for each course. You can take a look a very diverse line-up, from astronomy to poetry.

ENGL 310 - Modern Poetry with Professor Langdon Hammer looks very interesting, as does PLSC 114 - Introduction to Political Philosophy with Professor Steven B. Smith.

You can choose from audio or video lectures and quite a bit of supporting material for each course.

It's getting ever more difficult to be an independent learner. Just choosing what to study can be extremely taxing. What wonderful dilemas we find ourselves facing.

The Independent Scholar's Handbook

Are you a big fan of Ron Gross? His Peak Learning is still my all-time favorite book on lifelong learning. I think the first edition is best, maybe it's the feel of the paper. The revised edition is printed on a much rougher textured paper. There seems to be no accounting for what draws us to certain books.

Did you know that you can now download a pdf of The Independent Scholar's Handbook? It's available on the website for the Canadian Academy of Independent Scholars, based at Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies, Vancouver, B.C. Go to the download page for the Digital re-issue of The Independent Scholar's Handbook.

On this page you'll also find the foreword to the digital edition. Among other things, he says, "They share my hope that the information in these pages may give fresh heart, hope, and help to all who pursue knowledge and understanding in whatever field."

And success to all lifelong learners everywhere!