Eric Waldo | Career Point Network

May 28 2025

How to Make the Most of Free Online Courses

Free online courses have revolutionized the way we learn, making education accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Whether you’re looking to pick up a new skill, explore a hobby, or advance your career, there’s a wealth of knowledge just waiting for you. However, diving into these courses can be overwhelming. With so many options available and varying levels of quality, it’s easy to feel lost before you’ve even started. But fear not. There are simple strategies that can help you make the most out of your free online learning experience. Let’s explore how to choose wisely and engage fully with the material while connecting with others on this educational journey. Your quest for knowledge is about to get exciting,

Choose the Right Course

Choosing the right course is crucial to your learning experience. Start by identifying your goals. What skills do you want to acquire? Are you looking to advance in your career or simply learn something new for fun? Next, research different platforms and their offerings. Websites like Coursera, edX, and Udemy provide various subjects from reputable institutions. Read reviews and ratings to gauge the quality of each course. Consider the teaching style as well.

Engage Actively With the Material

Engaging actively with the material transforms passive learning into an enriching experience. Don’t just watch videos or read texts—interact with them. Take notes as you go along. Jot down key points, questions, and insights that come to mind. This keeps your brain engaged and helps reinforce what you’re learning. Try discussing concepts with friends or peers in online forums. Conversations can deepen your understanding and uncover new perspectives. Additionally, apply what you learn through practical exercises or projects.

Utilize Additional Resources

When diving into free online courses, don’t stop at just the course materials. Explore additional resources that can enhance your learning experience. Look for supplementary readings, videos, and podcasts related to your subject matter. These can provide different perspectives and deepen your understanding. Join forums or social media groups focused on the course topic. Engaging with these communities allows you to ask questions and share insights with others who are passionate about the same subjects. Consider tools like flashcard apps or note-taking software to organize information effectively. They can help reinforce what you learn and make studying more interactive.

Network With Other Learners

Connecting with fellow learners can enhance your online course experience significantly. Engaging in discussions opens up new perspectives and insights. Join forums or social media groups related to your course. These platforms create opportunities for meaningful interactions. You’ll find people who share similar goals and interests. Don’t hesitate to reach out. Start conversations about assignments or concepts you find challenging. This collaboration can lead to a deeper understanding of the material.

Making the most of free online courses requires a proactive approach. By choosing the right course, you set a solid foundation for your learning journey. Engaging actively with the material ensures that you’re not just passively absorbing information but truly understanding it. Utilizing additional resources can enhance your knowledge and keep you motivated. Embrace this opportunity to expand your skills and connect with others who share your interests. With dedication and enthusiasm, these free courses can lead to significant personal growth and career advancement. So dive in, stay curious, and enjoy the adventure of learning!

Eric Waldo 0 Comments

Apr 30 2024

The Advantages of Homeschooling: Why It Might Be Right for Your Family

Are you considering homeschooling for your family but need to know if it’s the right choice? This blog post explores the advantages of homeschooling and explains why it could be the perfect fit for your unique family dynamic. From customized learning to stronger family bonds, homeschooling offers a world of possibilities beyond traditional education. Let’s uncover why your family might need this alternative approach.

Customized Learning

In the world of homeschooling, one major advantage is the ability to tailor education to fit your child’s individual needs. Customized learning means you can adapt curriculum and teaching methods to suit their unique learning style, interests, and pace. Whether your child excels in certain subjects or needs extra support in others, homeschooling allows you to focus on areas where they thrive and provide additional help where it’s needed.

This personalized approach fosters a deeper understanding of concepts and promotes a love for learning that goes beyond rote memorization. By customizing lessons, you can also incorporate real-life experiences into your child’s education, making learning more engaging and relevant. Whether it’s field trips, hands-on projects, or discussions tailored to their interests, customized learning opens up possibilities for sparking curiosity and creativity in your child.

Individualized Attention

One of the significant advantages of homeschooling is the individualized attention students receive. In a homeschool setting, parents can tailor their teaching methods to meet each child’s specific needs and learning styles. This personalized approach allows for a deeper understanding of concepts and fosters a love for learning. Unlike traditional classrooms where teachers have to divide their attention among many students, homeschooling enables one-on-one interaction between parent and child. This focused attention helps identify areas where a student may be struggling and provides the opportunity for immediate support and guidance. Additionally, it allows children to progress at their own pace without feeling rushed or left behind.

Stronger Family Bonds

A significant advantage of homeschooling is its opportunity to build stronger family bonds. When children learn at home, parents or guardians play a central role in their education, fostering a deep connection and understanding between family members. Spending more time together allows families to engage in meaningful conversations, share experiences, and create lasting memories. Whether it’s exploring new topics together or working through challenges as a team, homeschooling can strengthen the emotional ties within the family unit. Moreover, homeschooling offers flexibility in scheduling, enabling families to align their routines and activities more closely. This shared lifestyle can lead to increased harmony and unity among family members as they navigate learning journeys side by side.

Safe Learning Environment

When it comes to homeschooling, one of the often-overlooked advantages is the creation of a safe learning environment for children. In a home setting, parents have more control over what their kids are exposed to, ensuring that they learn in a space free from bullying or negative influences. Being away from the distractions and potential dangers of traditional school settings can provide peace of mind for both parents and students alike.

Children can focus on their studies and personal growth without worrying about issues like peer pressure or unsafe school environments without unnecessary stress. Additionally, homeschooling allows for flexibility in scheduling and activities, further enhancing the feeling of safety and security within the learning environment. Homeschooling offers a range of advantages that can cater to each family’s unique needs and preferences. From customized learning and individualized attention to stronger family bonds and a safe learning environment, homeschooling provides a flexible and personalized approach to education. Whether it’s accommodating different learning styles or fostering closer connections within the family unit, homeschooling can be a fulfilling option for many families. The decision to homeschool is deeply personal and should be based on what works best for your family’s values, goals, and circumstances.

Eric Waldo 0 Comments

Jun 29 2023

Navigating the Complexity: Grasping the Potential Challenges of Fostering Critical Thinking in Children

As parents, educators, and mentors, we all want our children to develop strong critical thinking skills. After all, the ability to analyze, evaluate, and form reasoned judgments is crucial for their cognitive development and future success. However, like any aspect of child development, it’s essential to understand that there can be challenges and risks associated with promoting critical thinking in children. In this friendly and informative guide, we’ll explore these potential pitfalls and how we can navigate them effectively.

The Risk of Overthinking

One of the potential risks of encouraging critical thinking at a young age is the possibility of overthinking. When children are taught to analyze every situation critically, they may end up over-analyzing even simple situations, leading to unnecessary stress and anxiety. It’s important to strike a balance and teach children when critical thinking is beneficial and when it’s more appropriate to relax and go with the flow.

The Challenge of Skepticism

Critical thinking involves questioning assumptions and challenging established beliefs. While this is generally a positive skill, it can sometimes lead to excessive skepticism or cynicism. We don’t want our children to become so questioning that they doubt everything they’re told or struggle to accept facts. Again, balance is key. We should encourage our children to question things constructively while also understanding the value of trust and acceptance.

The Potential for Isolation

Children who are very analytical may sometimes feel isolated from their peers who think and learn differently. They may struggle to understand why others don’t see things the same way they do, leading to feelings of loneliness or frustration. It’s crucial to teach children that everyone thinks differently and that diversity in thought is something to celebrate, not something that divides us.

Navigating the Risks

Now that we’ve discussed the potential risks of promoting critical thinking in children let’s look at some strategies for navigating these challenges:

Promote Balance: Teach children that while critical thinking is important, it’s not always necessary to analyze every situation. Sometimes, it’s okay to simply enjoy an experience without dissecting it.
Encourage Constructive Questioning: Foster an environment where questioning is encouraged, but also stress the importance of trust and acceptance. Help children understand that while it’s good to question things, it’s also okay to accept facts and trust reliable sources.
Celebrate Diversity in Thought: Help your child appreciate the value of different perspectives. Encourage them to share their thoughts and listen to others, fostering a sense of understanding and empathy.
Provide Emotional Support: If your child is feeling stressed, anxious, or isolated due to their critical thinking skills, ensure they have the emotional support they need. This could involve reassuring conversations, professional counseling, or peer support groups.

In Conclusion

While there are potential risks associated with promoting critical thinking in children, these can be effectively managed with balance, understanding, and emotional support. By doing so, we can help our children develop these vital skills in a healthy, positive way, preparing them for a future where they can think critically, act responsibly, and empathize with others.

Eric Waldo 0 Comments

May 8 2022

How to Choose Your Career Path

When it comes time to choose a career, many people feel overwhelmed. There are so many options out there, and it can be difficult to know which path is the right one for you. In this article, we will discuss some tips that can help you make the best decision for your future. So, if you are feeling lost and don’t know where to start, read on. We have got you covered.

Know Your Strengths

One of the most important things to do when choosing a career is to know your strengths. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? Once you better understand your own skills and interests, you can start to narrow down your options. For example, if you love working with numbers and have a strong interest in business, a career in finance might be a good fit for you. This is how you can rule out certain paths that might not be right for you.

Consider Your Passion

Another important factor to consider when choosing a career is your passion. What are you passionate about? Do you want to help others? Make a difference in the world? Once you know what drives you, you can start to look for careers that align with your values. For example, if you are passionate about environmental issues, a career in sustainability or green energy might be good.

Try Different Jobs

If you are still having trouble deciding on a career, it might be helpful to try out different jobs. You can do this by interning, volunteering, or even just shadowing someone in a field that interests you. This can give you a better idea of what the day-to-day work is like and whether or not it is something you could see yourself doing long-term. You can identify what you like and don’t like about different jobs, which can help you narrow down your options.

So, how do you choose your career path? It’s not easy, but it is possible. Consider your passions, and think about what you like to do and what makes you happy. What are your skills? Are there any careers that interest you that use those skills? Talk to people in those careers and find out what they love (and don’t love) about their work. The most important thing is to stay true to yourself – if a career doesn’t make you happy, it won’t be successful in the long run, no matter how good you are. Take your time and weigh all of your options before deciding; the right career for you is out there waiting.

Eric Waldo 0 Comments

Career

Aug 27 2019

Reasons to Change Your Career

A career change can be scary. However, it is possible to change your career and start on a new path. Various factors may lead to a career change. Moving from one career to another might be easy or difficult depending on the circumstance.

For instance, if you are moving from finance to marketing, the change might not be difficult because both of them are business fields. However, moving from marketing to medicine might be difficult because you need to go back to college and take a different course altogether.

Get More Time

Changing your career is necessary if you need more time. In case you need more time with your family or to explore other things, a career change might be the way to go. Some careers are very involving, and you might not get time with your kids.

If you feel your career is taking away your family life, a career change might help. Changing your career will give you more time because you can work for few years and allocate the time to your family or other activities that you are passionate about.

Get More Money

Money is always motivation when it comes to a career change. Changing your career so that you can earn more money is worth it.

If you have high financial goals, the best thing is to get a more rewarding career. Let’s face it, some careers are more satisfying than others, and there is no shame in going for a more rewarding career. Rewarding careers might be more competitive, but it is worth it.

Follow your Passion

There is nothing as fulfilling as doing what you love. If you feel that your current career is not fulfilling, a change can help you make a more fulfilling career.

For instance, if you are in finance and you feel that teaching is your passion, you can move from being a financial analyst to teaching people about finance. There is always a way to move from one career to another to fulfill your passion.

At your Career Peak

If you have reached your career peak, making a change is always a fun thing today. Reaching a career peak means that you have become the best that you can become.

When you reach a career peak, there is no more motivation to grow. Changing your career at this point might help you get new motivation by exploring new challenges.

Eric Waldo 0 Comments

Oct 18 2016

5 Principles of Modern Day Learning

The focus and the methods used by educators in this generation are different from what has been in motion in the last few decades. The biggest change so far that is meant to help combat climate change is the encouragement that various schools around the globe get to digitalize their teaching materials and conduct examinations or homework online. When more educational facilities turn to computers and reduce the usage of books or papers, a greater number of trees will remain to prevent soil erosion, pollution and flooding. In addition to this, the ideologies being taught to children have slightly changed.

Here are the five principles of modern day learning

1. Build cooperation

In elementary and secondary schools, to be precise, there are less schoolwork that require students to perform a task alone, except during monthly or quarterly tests. Instead, group activities where they need to unite and share their opinions to each other are more encouraged so that they can all learn together.

2. Boost active participation

One of the principles of modern day learning aims to make sure that everyone participates in the class every day. If a teacher only commends a few people or asks them to lead a song or recite a poem, the others who get less attention tend to lose their enthusiasm to learn.

3. Open communication

A lot of kids who become victims of bullying are often the ones who stay quiet at the back of the classroom and bow their head down low so as to not attract the teacher’s attention. The top reason why it happens is because they cannot follow the lessons. Therefore, new educators encourage the students to let them know if they do not understand a topic.

4. Teach punctuality

Educational systems ascertains that all of their students know the significance of time by teaching them how to be punctual at an early age. By the beginning of each term, the children are given sets of tasks which should be completed after a certain period. They also explain in detail how to do it so that the students can finish their assignments accordingly.

5. Admire diversity

The young learners are being taught as well to accept and admire individuals for who and what they are, regardless of their religion, race and talents. This can broaden the kids’ mind about the truth that their strengths may be others’ weaknesses, and vice versa, that’s why everyone has to have mutual respect with each other.

The common objective of the new learning principles of modern day is to inspire many students – the future frontrunners – to learn how to help each other and to allow their own voices to be heard. Once these developments bear fruitful outcomes, then the world will indeed become a better place.

Eric Waldo 0 Comments

Jun 18 2016

Games That Promote Critical Thinking In Children

Encouraging children to think critically is incredibly important. Not only does this give them the ability to identify whether specific information is right or wrong, it also provides them with the tools to solve problems, have an open mind, and view issues from alternative perspectives. Games that promote critical thinking in children are integral in today’s schools, from kindergarten classes through to older kids, helping tomorrow’s adults build stronger, more practical connections to the world around them.

Which games promote critical thinking in children?

Role-Play scenarios to solve problems

Role-play is a fantastic way for kids to think about problems critically, explore consequences of actions, and identify the best solutions. For example, create a scenario in which one child pretends to have broken a parent’s treasured possession and has no idea what to do about it.

Your children should then discuss how the parent would feel to learn their favorite item had been ruined, and which solution would be most effective. Should they confess and apologize? Should they hide the evidence and deny all knowledge? Why are someone else’s feelings as important as their own, if not more than?

Guide them to consider the other person’s feelings as well as their own. Kids love to play dress-up and take on different personalities and will embrace this every time.

Spot the lie

Ask your children to write four things about themselves on a sheet of paper. Two of these should be true, and two should be lies; make sure the false statements are believable, to make the activity more difficult.

They should then swap their paper with a partner, and try to identify which facts are true and which are false. This teaches them to extrapolate from points they already know, and eliminate things which can’t be true.

Riddle me this

Introduce your children to riddles. These games that promote critical thinking in children are fun and exciting, encouraging them to think about the word play and double meanings contained in most riddles.

Ask them to work on their own or together to come up with three possible solutions to a riddle. You can then discuss these and work out the right solution, by eliminating the wrong ones through logical thinking.

Guess who or what I am

Place a post-it note on a child’s head, featuring the name of a person or object. Other children or adults should then provide clues to the person or thing’s identity.

The child wearing the post-it should try to work out who or what they are by considering the clues. This helps them to develop skills in extrapolation and drawing connections between words and ideas.

Experiment with these games that promote critical thinking in children – you’ll have fun and equip your kids with the tools they need to make their decisions in the future.

Eric Waldo 0 Comments