I believe the smartphone is the most important tool ever developed in the history of learning. If I could use a common Symbian phone to learn and build a business, I believe we can do a lot more with the Smartphone we have today. Imagine what it was like before now. Back then, if you wanted to learn anything of importance, you needed to go to school or training institute, go to the library, find someone willing to teach you, or learn the hard way through trial and error. If you take the time to really think about this, then you will appreciate the privilege and opportunity that a small device in your pocket avails you. If you take your personal and professional development seriously – and I believe you do – you should have at least one of each of these seven types of apps. These apps will help you learn almost anything. And they have the android and iOS versions. Before we get to it, be sure to subscribe to After School Africa for more insightful videos like this. Please note that we are not paid to mention any of these apps. All mentions are purely based on user experience as well as research.
- On-demand Open Online Courses App
The first Massive Open Online Course to be very successful was the course “Artificial Intelligence” by the founders of Udacity in 2011. More than 160,000 people around the world signed up to learn jointly. This was the first time in history that a course met so many students. This ushered in the era of massive open online learning. Today anyone, from anywhere in the world, at any time can take a course on the go at their own pace.
We could easily fill this video with a list of online course platforms because you can learn almost anything from this type of apps. You get an organized and personalized systematic method of learning. For example, Udemy offers a vast array of courses on everything from web development to personal development. You can learn how to play piano as a beginner or as a pro. Courses on the platform are taught by experts rather than university professors.
Coursera and Edx are also great online learning platforms with courses created mostly by professors from leading universities. You can learn typical school courses like mathematics, sciences, arts, and humanities. Not all courses on these platforms are free. You’ll either have to pay for some courses or pay a subscription fee to access all the courses. However, Khan Academy, another online course platform, offers all its courses 100% free. You can take as many of Khan Academy’s professionally taught courses at zero cost to you. Most of the organization’s classes focus on more “academic” subjects, such as math, science, and the humanities.
- Coding Tutorial App
Many of the online course apps offer lessons on coding. But there are apps that are exclusively focused on learning to code. If your major goal is to develop your coding skill, then you want to use apps that focus on that.
SoloLearn boast to have the largest collection of free code learning content, from beginner to pro. You can choose from thousands of programming knowledge, or stay aligned with the latest coding trends. Learn, share and connect with coders from around the world.
Another option is Programming Hub. This app won Google Play’s ‘Best of the Best’ app award back in 2017! Programming Hub boasts over 5 million users around the globe and is backed by Google Experts too! There are more options out there, but you don’t want to belabor yourself with too many options. You can start with any of this two and see how it works.
- Language Learning App
Want apps that help you learn a foreign language? Whether you wish to learn Spanish, French, or one of 20 other available languages from around the world, Duolingo’s mobile app is a great tool to get started. The app provides a user-friendly, system that allows you to learn at your own pace. It works well for both beginning and advanced speakers. It uses pictures and phrases spoken by native speakers, to help you develop your language skills fast. The lessons come in sequence; allowing you to work through the lessons in order. If learning a new language is important to you, you want to start with this language learning app.
- Video Platform
I have two recommendations under this category. First is YouTube. That’s right. YouTube is more than just the place to watch prank videos and coke mentos experiments. Type the phrase “how to” into YouTube’s search bar and you’ll find everything from ‘how to start a data science career’ to ‘how to tie a bowtie’. Using YouTube as a learning app requires more discipline to stay focused on videos that are important to your learning. But if you can stay within your subject of interest, you can learn almost anything on YouTube. I mean, almost anything! Just note that anyone can upload a video to YouTube, so be aware that some learning videos will be more reliable than others.
The next is TED. TED is a non-profit organization dedicated to the spread of intriguing or inspirational thoughts, usually in videos of 18 minutes or less. These videos, dubbed “TED Talks” can be on a diverse range of subjects, from art to science to global issues. The TED mobile app gathers the entire TED video library into one place for your education and enjoyment; and all content is free to view.
- Presentation Learning App
If you prefer the slider visual learning style, SlideShare is the app to consider. You can pick your category of interest from technology, business to education, and real estate, and get presentations from experts in the industry. This is a very quick and effective way to get short and fast tips and points on any given topic.
- Book Reading App
Even in today’s digital world, with quick access to information on the go, books are still one of the best ways to learn about almost anything you can think of. And there are great apps to you find and read great books. Most ebook apps have free and paid options. Personally, I prefer the ones that offer the option to pay a one-off fee per month, instead of having to pay for every book you want to read. Apps like Scribd offers 30 days free trial to read any book on the app. After which, you only get select items for free.
Another free app book lovers will find useful is Goodreads. There are millions of different books on thousands of different subjects out there, and some of them are better than others. How can you find the best books to read on any given topic? That’s where Goodreads comes in. With over 40 million members, Goodreads is basically the Facebook of books. Their mission is to get the right book in the right hands at the right time, whether it’s fiction, nonfiction, or self-help. No matter your interests, the free Goodreads app can probably point you toward the perfect book to help you learn whatever it is you want to learn. You can read reviews from other readers, as well as share good reads of your own.
- Quick Knowledge Apps
There once was a time when people actually had multiple volumes of the encyclopedia on their bookshelves. Nowadays, we have Wikipedia. The Wikipedia app is a wellspring of knowledge on virtually every subject from academics to pop culture. Instead of lugging around multiple heavy volumes of the encyclopedia, you can now access millions of articles at your fingertips.
Quora is another quick knowledge app. The app allows you to browse content related to the subject you are interested in learning, as well as post questions. Other users who have experience in your field of interest can provide you with the answers you are looking for. You also have the option to share your knowledge by answering questions posted by others.
There are millions of apps on app stores. If personal and professional development is important to you, then you want to make these types of apps your favorite. I hope you found this helpful. Remember to like and share this video with someone. Until next time, YOUR SUCCESS MATTERS!
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