Sites and Apps for Free Online Classes

Want to pick up a new skill for work or for pleasure?

You Gon’ Learn Today - Want to pick up a new skill for work or for pleasure? These days, you can skip the classroom and go virtual. These websites and apps make it easy! By Kenrya Rankin Naasel  (Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

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You Gon’ Learn Today - Want to pick up a new skill for work or for pleasure? These days, you can skip the classroom and go virtual. These websites and apps make it easy! By Kenrya Rankin Naasel  (Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

ITunes U - There truly is an app for everything — use this one to access more than 750,000 free lectures, videos, books and more from universities (such as MIT and Harvard) and cultural institutions worldwide (like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Poynter Institute).  (Photo: iTunes)

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ITunes U - There truly is an app for everything — use this one to access more than 750,000 free lectures, videos, books and more from universities (such as MIT and Harvard) and cultural institutions worldwide (like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Poynter Institute).  (Photo: iTunes)

SkillAcademy.com - Boost your career with a new skill set via this site, which aggregates 10,000+ Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) from universities and organizations around the world. There are courses in business, computer science, engineering, the humanities and science.  (Photo: Skill Academy)

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SkillAcademy.com - Boost your career with a new skill set via this site, which aggregates 10,000+ Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) from universities and organizations around the world. There are courses in business, computer science, engineering, the humanities and science.  (Photo: Skill Academy)

TED-ED Videos - From the folks behind the TED Talks, these short video lessons can be combined to provide an in-depth look at subjects you want to explore.   (Photo: TED)

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TED-ED Videos - From the folks behind the TED Talks, these short video lessons can be combined to provide an in-depth look at subjects you want to explore.   (Photo: TED)

Udemy - Whether you want to learn to play the guitar or how to start a business, head here to access free and paid on-demand, video-driven courses.  (Photo: Udemy)

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Udemy - Whether you want to learn to play the guitar or how to start a business, head here to access free and paid on-demand, video-driven courses.  (Photo: Udemy)

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Open Education Consortium - This site is set up like an online university, with thousands of free courses from dozens of domestic and international partner schools. Courses come with a schedule, syllabus, textbook assignments and even suggested supplemental readings.  (Photo: Open Education Consortium)

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Open Education Consortium - This site is set up like an online university, with thousands of free courses from dozens of domestic and international partner schools. Courses come with a schedule, syllabus, textbook assignments and even suggested supplemental readings.  (Photo: Open Education Consortium)

Duolingo - This site and accompanying app use games to teach you Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish or Swedish. Muy bien! (Photo: Duolingo, inc via iTunes)

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Duolingo - This site and accompanying app use games to teach you Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish or Swedish. Muy bien! (Photo: Duolingo, inc via iTunes)

Academic Earth - This site offers a curated selection of video courses from professors at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and other top-tier universities. (Photo: Academic Earth)

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Academic Earth - This site offers a curated selection of video courses from professors at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and other top-tier universities. (Photo: Academic Earth)