Self-Directed Learning and the Internet - No Limits to What You Can Achieve

Have you ever wondered what the world will look like after 20 more years of having free access to personally targeted education in the comfort of your home?

More than 500 years ago, Johannes Gutenberg invented a machine that marked a turning point in history. The printing press provided access to books that had never been available before and sparked a new era in the history of humankind: the Renaissance.

We probably cannot fathom yet what will happen with the invention of the personalized computer. Most of us have not realized the implication of having to our free disposal a tool in which you can type a word in a box and get immediate, relevant and up-to-date information about any subject under the sun. It's called the World Wide Web.

Just think about it: How effective can education become when you have the exact relevant information you are looking for literally at the tips of your fingers? The Internet has made it possible.

Nowadays we are able to access in a few seconds any specific information we are looking for, therefore we can digest it much better, apply it immediately and learn much faster.

Opposed to traditional education, self-directed learning with the Internet allows for each individual to navigate his or her own path.

This fact alone is mind-boggling. I am not knocking traditional education, which has the benefit of providing a structure and a well rounded education, but I do want to point out its limitations.

The flip side about structured education is that it does not provide the huge variety of options that can be accessed through the Internet. And the fact remains that we all are different. And different people need different options.

I think all of us can remember at least one or two immensely boring subjects we were forced to learn at school. Most of you would probably agree that you hardly remember what you learned in them. But imagine what would have happened had you invested that time in learning a subject you had tons of interest in with self-directed learning!

The truth is, if you love what you do and have the freedom to develop your unique God-given talents and gifts, you can be great at anything.

And maybe the world would be much more productive if it were a world of people that were incredibly good at their craft instead of one where people are well rounded and don't do their jobs as well.

The world with the Internet is still a fairly new concept, but I think the change in the way many of us will educate our children and ourselves is going to be enormous.