You know how you really get into something and it becomes a habit over the years but you never once think someone else might be interested? Yeah, that. I was over at Open Culture today looking for a couple of free ebooks to download, as I do.
So when Governor Cuomo asked what we're doing during quarantine, I mentioned Open Culture . . . and it
still didn't freakin' register that you all might be interested, too, till now. So, to remedy that brain fart . . .
. . . lemme show you what's available over at
Open Culture in case you aren't regulars, too:
Open Culture bills itself as "best free cultural & educational media on the web". (Now, I wouldn't know about that, so if you know of a better site, won't you please let us know?)
Open Culture offers:
1,300 free online courses, many by universities such as Stanford and Harvard. They're introductory, non-college-credit courses on subjects such as Art & Art History (a personal fav), Archaeology, Architecture, Computer Science, Engineering, Writing and Literature, History, and the list goes on. Want to dip your toes in Medieval studies? It's there, too.
MOOCs: "Most offer "certificates" or "statements of completion," though typically not university credit.
1,150 free movies: From the site: "Comedy & Drama; Film Noir, Horror & Hitchcock; Westerns (many with John Wayne); Martial Arts Movies; Silent Films; Documentaries, and Animation. We also have special collections of Oscar-Winning Movies and Films by Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin."
700 Free Audio Books (MP3, iTunes, other devices): Fiction & Nonfiction—From Aesop's Fables to Aristophanes to Asimov, Austen, Bronte, Vonnegut for chrissakes, and beyond.
800 free eBooks (Kindle, iPad, iPhone, other formats): (Same authors and quality as the audiobooks.) This is where I've been getting my fix for years.
200 free Textbooks (Kindle, ePub, Plain Text, other formats): Art History, Biology, Business & Management, Chemistry, Computer Science & IS, Earth Science, Economics & Finance, Education, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, History, Languages, Law, Linguistics (another fav
), Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and System Theory.
300 free Language Lessons (MP3 or download to your computer, some with textbooks): French, Spanish, Farsi/Persian, Amharic, etc. (You want Ancient Greek? It's there, too.)
150 Free Online Business Courses: This one runs the gamut from Advanced Business Strategy to Real Estate to Women in Leadership. From the site: "Note: This section includes a lot of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). If you want to enroll in a free version of a MOOC, please select the "Full Course, No Certificate" (edX) or "Audit" (Coursera) option. If you opt to take the course for a certificate/credential, you will be charged."
200 Free Kids Educational Resources: Video Lessons, Apps, Books, Websites & More: Links to resources.