After running across it on Seth Godin's blog, I started reading DIY U. It should really be required reading for high school students...if not the whole book, at least a couple chapters. There are a lot of misconceptions about higher education being passed around.
The main reason I I ordered it is that I've spent the last nine years or so pretty deeply immersed in the world of self-directed education. I started with a class on interior decorating on www.universalclass.com. I'd finished my bachelors degree and was working full time. I'd always been interested in interior design and figured it was a good time to learn about it. The class was a great introduction to the history of textiles and furniture, color theory and room design. It also kicked off my appreciation and respect for non-traditional education.
My MBA was partially online, I finished a distance certification in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin and I've been teaching myself Mandarin. The book mentions MIT's OpenCourseWare, which I've known about since it was released in 2001, but honestly had forgotten about. I started the Mandarin program about a year ago, and it's great...and not just because it's free. It's got a really solid mix of language instruction, cultural and historical notes. I need some structure to clean up some holes and this should go nicely along with the weekly discussion group through Meetup.
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