4-10 Week 4 Wrap Up

As we learned in this final week, new neurons are being born every day in the hippocampus, the critical area of your brain for learning and memory. But new learning is needed to provide a trellis that allows these new neurons to survive, thrive, and grow. Learning can help keep you physically as well as mentally healthy both in your youth and your maturity. Without new learning, especially in ways that can take you outside your comfort zone, you can become inflexible and set in your ways. That’s never a good idea. Of course, one of the best ways to keep learning is to use MOOCs. We even walked behind the scenes in MOOC making so you could be a better judge of how good online learning is created. Metaphors, humor, and great video editing go a long way to create optimal learning experiences, whether you’re studying subjects as different as calculus or bonsai. And mentors, whether the type that pumps you up or the type that tolerates no excuses, can take your learning to an even higher level. Persistence is a virtue. Don’t let setbacks keep you back. Sporadically check your internal compass by asking yourself what is your mission. We learned how important it is to use a good online class search engine like Class Central that allows you to compare ratings. We also learned about techniques like fast-MOOCing and balancing how many MOOCs you take. Well-done online learning can actually be better than in-class learning. The online combination of academia with Silicon Valley and a little bit of Hollywood can keep you interested and engaged in ways that regular face-to-face courses have trouble with. With online, you have more choice to find the best teachers and approaches. Of course, there are other great ways to keep up with the learning lifestyle. One of the best ways is to read a book. 20 minutes a day of reading can help you to be the smartest person in the room. Surviving in the new information economy isn’t necessarily easy. Much disruption lies ahead in virtually every industry, but with disruption comes plenty of opportunity. This week, we’ve given you some powerful tools to help take advantage of those opportunities.