subject: Enroll In Free Online Courses To Boost Your Education [print this page] Students interested in acquiring new writing skills or brushing up on or expanding existing talents have several free online courses from which they can choose. In one particular course from a Massachusetts technology institute, past students have composed essays entitled "Facebook: Friend or Foe?" and "OMG! Drama Llama." Welcome to the institution's Writing on Contemporary Issues: Culture Shock!
The writing course specifically might help even experienced writers compose, edit and publish pieces that can engage readers in cyberspace. Many people have used articles about free college information to help them succeed. The Facebook article, published in the institution's online magazine, addresses such issues as Facebook addicts, the implications of making private lives public and opportunities to keep in contact with friends and family members. "OMG! Drama Llama," a piece about what happens when people blow things out of proportion, in part speaks of the influence of television shows such as "Gossip Girl" and "Zoey 101" can have on young girls.
Writing in this digital age is more important than it has been in the past, according to a recent using technology for writing report from the College Board, the National Writing Project and Phi Delta Kappa International. The difference isn't in writing basics but that words are more often linked with images and video, the report suggests. Writing is also important in terms of the workplace: In 2004, the National Commission on Writing surveyed major American businesses and reported that writing skills can affect whether or not salaried professionals get hired or promoted.
When it comes to offering overall online courses for free, the Massachusetts institution has been a leader. Guides about free college information state that it offers free online writing courses among other courses. Those who participate in a Kaplan University course on Academic Strategies for the IT Professional might learn in part about effective writing.
Online writing courses are offered at different levels, from beginner to professional, and cover creative areas such as poetry and playwriting as well. Students can participate in free online courses in their spare time and from wherever they have Internet access. While students don't earn credits as part of free online course studies, they might find that what they learn helps them to achieve personal and professional goals.
Colleges, universities and technical schools aren't the only entities to offer free online courses. Some writing courses for free are provided for-profit and non-profit organizations. One of these organizations, a journalism school and resource, typically charges for courses. Journalists can, however, find some institute classes offered for free. One of these free courses is provided by a Colorado university's environmental journalism professor, and it provides insight into covering climate change.
Instruction for online writing courses might be provided in part or in full via YouTube video and podcasts, multimedia elements that educators have said can keep students interested in studies and make them more likely to complete classes. Writers might also find certain websites and apps helpful when taking free online writing courses. Reference offerings such as the free dictionary.com, thesaurus.com and Science Glossary for iPad are a few websites and apps that might help students with online writing studies.
These days, students as early as elementary school work with software programs and web applications such as Apple's Garage Band, Windows Movie Maker, Google Docs, and Comic Life in the classroom, the digital age writing report from the College Board, the National Writing Project and Phi Delta Kappa International notes. Teachers are helping students to garner the ability to convey compelling stories in a different world, high school English instructor Joel Malley was quoted in the report as saying. Compelling stories these days, Malley suggested, extend beyond the print variety.
