Learning is empowering! Learning is useful! Learning is cool! Moreover, the process of learning is non-stop and ubiquitous.  Living in the 21 century makes things much easier. In the course of human development, we have gone all the way through from transferring the information on how to start the fire to discovering Higgs boson. 

               Reflecting on my life experience I can say that non-formal settings and tools have evolved together with me. It goes without saying that the majority of the school program knowledge I got is “gathering dust” on the back shelves of my memory with a “ boring not relevant stuff” label on it.  I still remember the times of my high school when I used to carry two solid hardcover dictionaries for my classes or staying not focused during the 7th class in the row. But what I also remember is how my dad had presented me with 2 CDs with dictionaries on them. That made my life easier literally and figuratively.

 I remember the time when in order to get access to the Internet you were supposed to convince your parents to prioritize your interest over the telephone line and listen “Dialing symphony” for a minute and a half first. We have it all with the speed of one-click nowadays. The enormous database is following you on your phone, tablet or laptop.  And it is not only the formal learning we are talking about. As we learn something new nonstop by just absorbing it from the environment the spheres of our interest increase making the process of learning diverse and exceptional. 

Other examples are the forums (chats) where I would ask the old hand to consult me on the issues of traveling and multiculturalism. If I need the answer about the type of visa needed or the currency of the country I would just enter the forum and ask those peers.

           The impact of Youtube channels on my knowledge in different spheres (from cooking and revising the history of Dutch colonialism to reviewing cognitive linguistic articles) is huge and invaluable.  Being the visual learner I perceive the world through the pictures and videos rather than reading. That is why I just enjoy getting the newsletters about the latest uploaded video at any of my favorite Youtube channels.

           Speaking of the more thorough online curriculum I have been actively using COURSERA to gain additional knowledge. I personally find it very useful in terms of professional and self-development. Even though it needs a lot of motivation and self-regulation not to drop off the course. I treasure the flexibility, relevance, peer-grading, and student-focused principles of MOOCs in comparison to the traditional model of the formal setting. 

The other essential part of my self-learning process is various language learning applications, online schools, and websites. I found those to be useful in terms of regularity and diversity of tools and activities.  Lingoda, Memrise, Lingvista, and SkyEng are my favorite.

The list of apps, online sources, and websites, which can be used to enhance your learning experience, is huge. Moreover, they meet the needs of different learners. All you need to do is to find what interests and keeps you going.  It will not take long to enjoy the results.

PS: I deliberately skip the question about the mishaps and moments of sorrow as I do not perceive them as another part of a learning process but not something one should be sad about.