Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – MS Publisher Course on Udemy

Tags

Gaining Knowledge, Getting Unstuck, Life-long Learning, moving forward, online courses, Practical Learning, Tutorials

MS Publisher Course @ Udemy.com

I always joke with my Mom and Dad about having all the world’s books on my phone. I also joke about all the world’s music on my phone and how nice it is to be able to access books, music, and movies anywhere I am. Another benefit of the technological advances we enjoy is the ability to take online courses.

I present a discussion each month at our local library about various philosophical and religious topics. The topic I have selected for December is on Dreams. My local leadership has decided to begin postering for these events so that the public is more aware of what we are doing and will have the option to attend. Guess who got assigned to create the poster? (laugh).

I didn’t know what other people in my organization were using to create posters in their areas, so I reached out. They came back with PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator, and MS Publisher. Since MS Publisher is part of my MS Office 365 subscription, this is what I went with. As soon as I opened it up, I realized that I had no idea what I was doing. So, I began looking for a tutorial or course I could take. My search helped me find an MS Publisher course on Udemy!

Since I’m very familiar with the Udemy platform, I paid the $12 for the course. Note: If you get on Udemy and find a course you want that is more than $10-12, wait. They have sales all year long and it will get into this range at some point. If you really need to take a course in a particular topic area, keep looking. You will find a course that meets your price range and will deliver the content you are looking for.

The course is composed of 1-3 minute presentations on each part of the platform and advances all the way to creating a project and finishing it. I like bite-size presentations that I can take each day and then practice on the real application afterwards. The course link is above. You may not have any need for MS Publisher, but you may need to learn something else. Google it. You’ll find what you are looking for on one of the online education platforms or on YouTube.

I wanted to show that regardless of the problem you are facing, you can find a solution. Whenever we embark on doing something that is unfamiliar, you can find a place to learn easily on the Internet. Don’t let a lack of knowledge hold you back from your dream. The knowledge you seek is only a few mice clicks away.

If you are taking an online course that you really enjoy, send a link to me in the comments.

I’m always looking for the next great course to take!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Life-long Learning

Tags

Computers, Curiosity, e-books, Laptops, Life-long Learning, online courses, Programming, smart phones, smart watches, tablets, video tutorials

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Learning.

Most of us “learned” to dislike it because of school. We had to take subjects we didn’t like or maybe we weren’t that great at it. Whatever the reason, take a moment to think about those classes you took that you liked. There must have been a few you enjoyed right? That’s where you start.

The reason I bring this up is that I don’t want any of my friends, family, or my customers/readers to become complacent. The world is moving faster and faster. New technologies are coming to market more quickly. Do not be left behind.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”  – Henry Ford

Each of us can learn new things. Start with the things you enjoyed in school. Maybe you liked shop class. Read books about carpentry, masonry, and metalwork. Maybe you enjoyed writing. Learn about writing. Maybe you always liked Astronomy. Learn about Astronomy.

I think you’ll find that learning brings a sense of accomplishment, joy, and builds confidence. Once you catch the “learning bug”, you may tackle some topics you didn’t like, but want to try again. Go for it! There are so many places to learn, whether it be an online course, a video tutorial, or a book.

 

Set a goal to learn something new each day or complete so many courses in a year. Take a variety of subjects so you can build new skills and knowledge. This variety will build on your current knowledge and help you find new solutions to problems you didn’t know existed. Simply by opening your mind and working through different topic areas.

With a Father who is suffering from Dementia, I am learning and working my brain with the hope I do not fall victim to the same thing my Dad has. It is tough to watch one of the smartest guys I knew, forget how to turn on a television or log on to a computer because he can’t remember how.

I’m also motivated to learn new things because I never want to be obsolete. In this information age, people are falling by the wayside because they can’t keep up. They can’t use a smart phone, smart watch, or tablet. They can barely use a computer. In a few short years, these people will not be able to do what most of us can do today with little effort.

Get out there and learn about your phone, your computer, your tablet. Go get yourself a smart watch and play with it. Get comfortable reading articles online, books in e-readers, sharing what you find on social media. Get a bank account app and use it. Learn all there is to know about the apps on your technical gear. Find new apps to play with and use, even if you don’t keep it or find the app to be a waste of time. The new apps will help you learn more.

Have you ever taken an online course? There are some that are free and they are really good. Have you ever read a digital book? Downloaded a digital book from your local library? Get on Coursera, Udemy, Study.com, or Skill Share. Take a course, complete it, do the exercises. Download a book to your Amazon Kindle App. Get yourself a music app and download the music. Get on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video or Vudu.com and stream a movie or television show. Show your parents and grandparents how to use this stuff. They are the generation that is falling behind currently and it is hurting them.

 

Before I came home, my parents did not know what Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Vudu was? They didn’t know what Spotify or Apple Music was. My Mom had a flip phone. My Mom and Dad still have a landline and don’t use it anymore. They pay 50 dollars a month for a phone that takes messages from robocalls. You see what I’m talking about? Don’t let your friends and relatives fall to the wayside. Take the time to show them how to use this stuff and keep them up-to-date.

To those of us that are caught up and know how to use these things—GREAT! Think about 20-30 years from now when your are older. Will you still be in the loop or will you fall to the wayside using the technologies you are comfortable with now, that, will be outdated.

 

Take the time each day to learn something new. Take the time to teach someone else that may not know what you know. Don’t be complacent. Continue to grow, to learn, to improve. It makes life exciting and worth living. I hope all of you are having a great week!

 

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday

Tags

Anton Chekhov, Application, Blogs, Books, Learning, online courses, Practice

Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright and the author of numerous short stories (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Chekhov). Today’s Wisdom Wednesday addresses the importance of applying what we learn.

With the huge amount of information available to us in books, the web, radio, and television, it is easy to become overwhelmed. When you take a look at the number of available, free online courses that information overload becomes even greater. When you begin looking for something to learn, your search could be motivated by a need to know something or to learn how to do something.

How do we internalize new bits of knowledge? We read about it, we take notes, we study the material. If we have enough information to use, we stop gathering information. If we do not have enough information or have other questions, we continue our quest.

It is easy to be sucked into “useless” learning. It can be entertaining to learn about a really obtuse topic that you will never apply but it should not be habitual. Who has that kind of time? Instead, we should focus on learning something that we can use. Perhaps you want to learn how to market your skills. Perhaps you want to learn how to write non-fiction or fiction. Perhaps you’d like to be a better public speaker.

Chekhov’s point is to apply what you learn. I like Merriam Webster’s word of the day. I want to grow my vocabulary and this is a great way to do it. I listen to the word’s pronunciation, I learn about the word’s origins, and I listen to the announcer’s use of the word in a sentence. Then I use that word for the day. This is a simple example of applying what we learn.

There is some learning that cannot be applied directly. I am currently reading Aristotle’s ethics. I cannot apply this information directly but I can use it when I am thinking or tackling an issue that I am struggling with. Learning about history is another example of this kind of learning. We read history to learn about what our predecessors did. How did they handle the problems of the day? How did they deal with reality? How did they tackle the challenges that faced them?

Next month I begin my year-long adventure into character building. I’m going to use the same model that Benjamin Franklin used to work on his character. He simply listed out the characteristics he wanted to achieve as a person and then he worked on one of these each month. After the first month, he would begin working on the first and the second characteristic. As he moved into the third month, he would be working on character trait one, two, and three. This continued until he had built all of the character traits he wanted to. This is an example of using previous knowledge and applying it to one’s own life.

Take a few moments today and figure out what you would like to learn. Begin researching all of the sources of information that apply to your topic of interest. Once you have isolated a few sources (online course, book, etc.) you can begin learning this new skill. Once you have tackled some of the content, try applying what you know to your day-to-day life. You’ll be amazed by the results and how quickly you assimilate this information.

I hope each of you is having a terrific week so far. As always, feel free to comment and pass along my blog to others in your network.

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursdays – Wellness

Tags

Book reviews, Learning, Non-fiction reading, online courses, Thinking

Hey all!

I decided to change my book review Thursday to Thinking Thursdays. I’ll continue to provide book reviews on Thursday, but only after I’ve finished the book :)!

Instead, since I am a huge advocate of life-long learning, I’ll be discussing what I’m learning on various online courses I’m taking. I’ll also provide you with some content surrounding any areas of interest or articles I find that are intriguing (at least to me).

I don’t have any content in this category today, but will have a lot by next Thursday!

If there is anyone that would be interested in specific content, reply here and I’ll get that to you.

Until next time…

Dave