Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Online education may one day make it, but for now, we have excellent online learning. You must, however, prove you learned something. Enter the portfolio.

A parchment is another name for a diploma. We get a diploma from some education organization that says we spent time and money at that organization. Everyone assumes that we learned something while in the education organization, but, well, you know. Sometimes that doesn’t happen.

There are many online education organizations now. The MOOC is here or about to be here or something like that. I tired an online education outfit this year with bad results. I learned  a few things, mostly that the outfit was far more interested in money than educating.

There is another way. That other way is not new. It is called Google. Actually, Google is the doorway. Search a topic on Google (or any equivalent), read everything, and practice.

The practice is the key. Otherwise, you can’t show anyone that you learned anything.

Learn a new technology or technique? Learn a new programming language? Learn how to use an application? Do something, and put the result in an online portfolio.

The online portfolio demonstrates to persons that you have learned something and can practice it. The online portfolio can replace the parchment.