Edumax - Learn New Skills for Free!

• Link to Edumax
• Other related posts: - ALISON (Free Interactive Workplace Skills Courseware)
  - Wikivid (Free Software Tutorials)

WHAT?
Edumax is an online learning website that provides free lessons on topics from personal development to computer programming.

MASTERMIND?
Spark Publishing (From Canada)

JUICE?
In short, here are all the free lessons (or 'virtual classrooms') currently found on Edumax:

• Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Visio
• Programming - Programming Basics, Java, Perl, C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET
• Computer Basics - Building Your PC, Computer Hardware, Programming Basics, MS Word, MS Excel, Photoshop
• Database Basics- Database Basics, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Microsoft Access
• Web Development - Web Development, ASP.NET, Java, XML, Perl, Linux
• Internet Business - Openning an Online Store, Ebay Basics
• Personal Development - Success, Debt Management

Interestingly, Edumax has carefully screened and selected all the contributing experts (or teachers) to ensure that the lessons are accurate. Basically, the online courses or lessons (of what I have explored) seem to be mostly chunked nicely (instructionally sound?), and follow the click-based (or hyperlink style) HTML type of courseware, which is mostly text-oriented with a few graphics here and there to illustrate and simplify. Actually, some might prefer a more fancy Flash-based type of courseware with a lot of animation and interactivity, but overall this type of learning resources can be very useful for hungry learners (especially, if you are struggling with a poor Internet connection!).

Though, I don't like the fact that you cannot download the lessons on your computer. Since the lessons are mostly text-based (with simple graphics), it would be nice (and useful) to be able to download them in PDF format (Flexibility!). However, Edumax like so many other free resource sites need to generate some revenue to survive, and until online advertising can be done offline (a new great invention is needed!), it is very unlikely the resources will be downloadable. Coming to think of it, why not make it downloadable (it will give this site an edge over others that don't!)? It will probably generate more traffic, too (leading to more advertising revenue). Finally, Edumax facilitates an online forum to support their learners who want to discuss the topics and even ask questions. Currently, there are no questions or topics in the forum, so I believe Edumax is a brand new site and hot out of the oven. Right?

MORE JUICE?
In general, if you are also looking for other alternatives to free tutorials to enhance your career skills (especially in IT), here are six super sites (in addition to Edumax!), which are great starting points:

• W3Schools (Web-building tutorials)
• Wikivid (Free Software Tutorials)
• ALISON (Free Interactive Workplace Skills Courseware)
• Florida Gulf Coast University (Technology Skills Orientation)
• Sofia Courses (e.g. Introduction to Java Programming)
• Internet4Classrooms (Technology Tutorials found on the Web. Index style!)

Now that online advertising is really kicking-off, we can expect many more wonderful free learning resource sites to pop-up in the near future. Great! We learners will be spoiled for choice, and being free will not be good enough (or a competitive advantage!). In addition to being free, you must add value to the learner's learning experience (if you want the learner to come back for more!). Now, what that value is, you need to ask each individual learner in a creative way (using all your senses). Yeah, you will also need some viral and disruptive marketing strategy.

What about Edumax? Edumax adds value to my learning experience :)