Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with classes

Recomendations for class podcasts

loryjade — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:48:42 -0800

Looking for recommendations of learning podcasts similar to "Physics for future presidents" I just finished listening to the podcasts of the class "Physics for Future Presidents" taught by Richard Muller at UC Berkley and it left me thirsty for more knowledge. For those not familiar with it, the class explains many physics concepts in a way that non-physics students can understand, including many of their day to day applications. I graduated with a biology degree more than 10 years ago and would like to broaden my knowledge of various fields for personal enrichment. The podcast format works great for me because I can listen to them while at work in the lab. Does anyone know of any other podcasts that would give you an overview/refresher of a field like chemistry, psychology, ecology, etc? I would like to be able to have intelligent conversations about other things besides genetics and photography.

Free Online Classes?

MrningLight — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:25:29 -0800

Hi. I'm looking to take some free online classes during my free time. Are there websites that have teachers, forums and others taking classes as well? I'm completely new to this and am just asking out loud. I'm unemployed and am trying to find a way to "get ahead" by taking free classes during the evening. I've looked at some sites that have class materials but there's no "community" involved. I recently checked out Free-ed.net and SecondLife. Does anyone know anything about that?

I look forward to any advice you have about this.

Thanks!

Dawn

Can I get a location?

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:36:36 -0800

Improvisers: I'm an actor with some professional improv background. I'd like to brush up on my improv skills and get back in the game. Where should I go to train? I spent time as a second string improviser for a well known improv theater. Did touring, corporate shows, understudying, and stuff like that. I'm also a well trained actor with some screenwriting experience.

I used to be a reasonably good improviser, but I had a depressive phase that coincided with joining an established group that was out of my league. Early on I had a bad night, and my usual resilience was lowered, so it became a spiral down. I always felt like everyone was waiting for me to do poorly. This was not entirely in my head as they were known to be tough on newcomers. I consistently underperformed, just kind of froze up and got boring and safe. I was not proud of my work. Since then improv has made me tense. Now I want to get back in the game.

I guess I'd be high intermediate level at this point. I want tough teachers and detailed professional level feedback in an environment where I'd be onstage a lot so I have no time to psych myself out or dwell on bad scenes. Ideally it would be an intensive program with improv all day long, for many days in a row. Anywhere in the States or Canada would be fine.

I was considering Upright Citizens Brigade or Groundlings, but to be honest I'd rather get really good somewhere else and then go audition for them and maybe make a good impression as a polished newcomer, rather than have them meet me as the broken old horse I am right now.

Anyone know of any really good intensive programs where a guy can get back on the improv bus?
Thx.

Teach Me, Montreal!

Laura in Canada — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:44:54 -0800

What can I learn? (On a semi-flexible schedule). I'm in Montreal & would like to take a class in something. My problem is this: I feel like learning something new, but whenever I see a local/ community class that interests me, the date/time is usually inconvenient. I would love to have a list of instuctors (teaching either small groups or one-on-one would be ideal) of a wide range of topics who I could just call & set up a series of lessons. I would love to find a small class or even one-on-one where I could be a little more flexible (i.e. if I had to miss a class, I could reschedule with enough notice & not lose any lessons). For example, my boyfriend recently started taking guitar lessons & several time both he & the instuctor have rescheduled, but he will still have 14 lessons.

I also, like most people, have varied interests. I would like to take a class now, & when it finishes in a few months, maybe take a class in something else (not wait 6 months for the new community guide with a limited range & pre-selected dates).

I've thought about taking classes in: stained glass, French, photography, lampwork, pottery, vegetarian cooking, jewelry making... but please, I'd love recommendations for everything I can learn in Montreal; a website would be ideal, but a name & phone number would be good too (preferably with a price range).

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I live on the island & do not have a car, so unless it's a workshop, nothing off-lsland, thanks.

Collaborative Learning Environments for Dummies?

soma lkzx — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:40:27 -0800

I'm trying to organize a series of classes based on a collaborative learning environment, but I need some information about how a non-hierarchical classroom could actually work. Backstory: I want to learn things, other people want to learn things, but none of us are really experts. So let's all do this together! Think recurring book club on steroids.

There's some stuff on Wikipedia about collaborative learning, but most of it is business or task-oriented. We'd be working through a book on bookbinding together, not trying to build a spaceship. It seems pretty easy when you're making things, but the further you get into the intellectual realm the more difficult this seems to get.

What I've got so far: One person is designated the instructor and acts as a mediator, reading ahead and keeping everyone on task, but beyond that I'm pretty lost. The more structured it is and the more power we give the instructor the easier it should be, but the whole point is acknowledging that the person in charge doesn't know much more than any given person in the class, and everyone's input is valuable. We'll also be charging participants to trick them into valuing the class and keeping things a little more serious (although we'll probably refund most of their money at the end of the series).

I'm looking for info on organizations that foster a similar type of environment, anecdotes about how to successfully manage people in this type of situation, or pointers about systems that we could learn from or emulate!

and if you live in NYC and are interested in being a guinea pig, memail me and we'll see what we can do!

What crazy short term classes can I take?

greenlikeme — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:43:38 -0800

I have vacation time adding up and I'm looking for any interesting and/or wild 1 to 3 week school/training programs I can do, anywhere in the world. Suggestions?

DC Filter: Obedience class recommendation to improve recall/ "come" command for my bird hunting-obsessed English Setter?

picapica — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:35:37 -0800

DC Filter: Obedience class recommendation to improve recall/ "come" command for my bird hunting-obsessed English Setter? I need a recommendation for a good dog obedience class, and other training classes, near the Capitol Hill area in Washington, DC. I am willing to go into other areas of DC, but I would prefer to avoid going to MD or VA if I can.

My main issue is a recall issue. I have an English Setter bred with very strong hunting instincts, and she will not come when I call her if we are outside. Inside the house, she is well-trained, comes, performs tricks, etc. Even on leash I can get her to behave most of the time, but she requires WAY too much exercise to leave her on-leash all the time. I take her to a fenced-in park, but it takes forever for me to get her back when I want to leave-- she runs so fast! Any help would be very appreciated. Please note: she does not care about treats, even if I were holding a 1/2 lb block of cheese or meat in my hand. Birds are more interesting than anything else in the world to her, so I think this will have to be an obedience thing. Thanks!!

Continuing educational opportunities in humanitarian law

Nothing — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:17:44 -0800

Looking for continuing educational opportunities related to my field (international humanitarian law) to best take advantage of a few months off work. I will have a few months off this summer / fall, from mid August to mid November, and I would like to spend them in the U.S. (DC area or Boston area are what I am looking at now, but I am flexible) taking a course, attending a seminar, or doing a training. It is too late for most summer courses and too early for fall, so I am looking for additional options.

I am most interested in international relations and refugee / idp protection, but related things like monitoring and evaluation, project management, and security are good too. Or even an intensive Arabic course.

Because I don't want to spend my entire holiday trapped in the house

machine — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:26:24 -0800

Cooking Classes? Craftyness? I'm looking for recommendations for things to do in Toronto in the last couple weeks of August. I've been travelling for work a lot this year and for my time off I'm thinking about just staying in Toronto. I have three weeks off at the end of August and some of that time will be spent lazing about but I wanted some structured activities.

Do you have any recommendations for classes or other things to do? I'm not super sporty so I'm thinking more along the lines of cooking or crafty type things.

Maybe I do really want to direct.

miss lynnster — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:57:51 -0800

I want to teach myself to be more professional at digital video production. Are there any classes/seminars (online or in L.A.) that you'd recommend? If I could live in my dream world, I'd get to take the Travel Channel video course but without spending $2000 I don't have and having to drive to Santa Barbara for it. Thoughts? Yes, my questions have had a theme lately, but you guys have been helping me so much with making my new web site better that now I'm just goin' to ya for everything! :)

Can anyone recommend a good weekend photography class in Los Angeles?

loudguitars — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:31:57 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good weekend photography class in Los Angeles? I'm looking to improve my photography skills - I've been able to improve on my own simply through practice, but I feel like I'm at the point where some instruction would be really helpful. I already have a DSLR, but I think I'm probably looking for a good basic class since I feel like I need a refresher on things like how the f-stop affects depth of field and the like.

I need a class that's on weekends - When I work, I work during the week and my hours are completely insane, so night classes during the week are unfortunately out. Anybody have a class they can recommend, particularly on the Westside? Thanks!

Where can I help a friend find a screen printing class or workshop in Minneapolis/St.Paul?

deinemutti — Sun, 17 May 2009 11:37:07 -0800

Where can I help a friend find a screen printing class or workshop in Minneapolis/St.Paul? Where can I help a friend find a screen printing class or workshop in Minneapolis/St.Paul? I've tried looking in google, community ed sites, local schools, websites for NE studio buildlings and more well-known screen printing studios (i.e. Aesthetic Apparatus, Burlesque, etc), but no dice. Anything I might have overlooked?

Hands-on Cooking Classes in NYC

reticulatedspline — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:26:18 -0800

Where can I find hands-on and *cheap* cooking classes in New York? When I left my last job my coworkers, knowing that I'm a pretty avid amateur chef, chipped in to buy me a cooking class at the Astor Cooking Center. It was a hands-on pizza making class taught by professional pizza chef Mark Bello. He took us through every step of the process: prepping the yeast, mixing the dough, making the sauce, shaping the crust, topping it, baking it (and eating it). Each step he showed us exactly what to do, what could go wrong, how to fix it if it did, techniques for doing it even better, etc. Making good pizza from scratch in your home oven is pretty hard, as I know from previous experience. But by the end of the class I could reliably produce perfect thin crust pizza, something which my friends take advantage of repeatedly to this day.

I'd love to take more classes like this, but unfortunately Astor is pretty expensive. Classes start at around $150. Plus most of their classes center around wine tasting, something I've never really gotten into. Their only other class which would appeal to me is a pasta making workshop which is $175, and spots are generally sold out within a few days of it being posted anyway.

I've looked elsewhere for cooking classes, but haven't found anything that appeals to me. Many are much more expensive than I'm looking for (I wouldn't have ever taken the Astor one if it hadn't been a gift), not hands-on (i.e. you sit and listen to someone talk and demonstrate the recipe rather than actually doing it with them), or not something where you actually produce something.

I'm not interested in classes about knife skills, concepts of taste, the stations in a professional kitchen, basics of cooking, Q&A sessions with professional chefs, or classes about wine pairing or drink mixing.

My ideal class focuses on a particular dish or type of dish, and involves me spending a couple of hours working closely with a professional chef, learning everything there is to learn about how to perfectly prepare it, actually producing it in class alongside the chef with their guidance, and leaving with a newly perfected skill.

And I want to not pay more than, say, $100 per class, max.

Anyone have any suggestions for places I could find other classes like this in New York? Do they even exist?

OOP! There it is. OOP! There it is.

bjork24 — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:35:05 -0800

I'd like to sharpen my PHP skills and finally tackle OOP, classes, etc.. There's an overwhelming amount of tutorials online, so I was wondering if you had a favorite one (or ones) that helped you hone your OOP skills. I've tried going straight to the source on PHP.net's reference material, but I'd ideally like something a bit more dumbed down. Once I get a grasp on general concepts, I'll definitely go back and check out the PHP toot, but for now I'm looking for something a bit more accessible. Thanks!

There should be a 4th "R"- The Real World

sixcolors — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:49:56 -0800

Why aren't life skills taught in schools? I guess I'm talking about knowledge and skills that pertain to finances, work life, domestic life, social/dating life, the internet, and the law. And...how the education system works, itself. Pretty much the same categories we have here on AskMe.

Wouldn't life be so much easier for us if we learned those sort of things in school or in college?

I mean when I was in high school there was ONE course that taught such things, but it was really really basic stuff. I am speaking of more comprehensive programs.

I'm trying not to get all philosophical here, I am aiming for more concrete answers...like is it a funding problem or what? Not enough hard science or research behind those areas? Those are my guesses. For those who are familiar with the educational system, what are some more concrete reasons why such programs are rare?

Can you recommend the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland?

medpt — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:56:11 -0800

Can you recommend the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland? Or else can you recommend any other creative writing classes/workshops in the DC area? I actually learned about the Writer's Center from an answer to this old question. It sounds great, but was wondering about the quality of the instructors, what the students are generally like, etc. I'm specifically looking at these two workshops:

* The Writer Toolbox
* Strengthening Your Prose: Getting Started in Fiction and Nonfiction

If you have any other suggestions for writing classes/workshops in DC, please share them!

Here I come to save the day

mpls2 — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:00:12 -0800

I'd like to become more useful in emergencies. What activities will help me reach my goal? I'm not the kind of guy that people turn to in "emergencies" (medical or otherwise), and I feel bad about that. I'd like to make myself more useful. I'm already planning on doing CPR classes, and I'm working out seriously. What are some other classes/activities I can add to my list?

are acting lessons a good idea for me?

krautland — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 07:19:57 -0800

are acting lessons a good idea for me? I must have held a million presentations in the last twelve months and I noticed how much my delivery has changed. I find it much easier to read people now - when to move on to the next page, when to elaborate, when they 'get it,' those sorts of things. I have fallen into a pattern - how to start, how to explain a piece of work I am presenting, how I make people understand it. I used to think I was pretty good at presenting my work before and only now that I've practiced this relentlessly out there I realize how mistaken I was. I was the quintessential nerdy designer, stumbling and mumbling from page to page.

I wonder how to keep improving my presentations - I wonder if there are speaking tactics that would help me especially when I'm presenting work to people I don't know yet, if there are ways to win over my audience that I am not aware of. you can't work on issues you are not aware of yourself.

so that's where acting classes come in. I wonder if they'd be useful for me of if there is something entirely different I should be considering to work on my presentation and people skills. making strangers like you doesn't come natural to germans.

to those who have taken acting classes: what were your experiences? what would you recommend I look out for?

Those who can't do... teach online.

grumblebee — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:23:30 -0800

I would like to teach one-on-one computer classes from home (over the Internet). What's the state-of-the-art re: live screen casting? Yes, I know nothing beats being in a room with a real teacher, but I'd like to give this a try. I have 20 years of teaching experience. I teach design and programming topics. I've been waiting for the time when I can say, "You live in California and I live in NYC, but I can still teach you Actionscript programming..."

Years ago, when I first wanted to do this, the tech wasn't ready. I have a feeling it is now. Am I right? Is it finally achievable for me to share my screen in close-to-real time with another Broadband user?

How much would this cost? How could I make it easy for the other person to set up, etc.?

I own a Mac, but I'd like to teach both Mac and PC people.

PS. I know I could make video tutorials, but that space is glutted. I'd prefer to offer live training in which my student could ask questions, etc.

Any courses on internet marketing in San Diego?

carofowler — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:09:11 -0800

I am looking for some good basic classes/courses in or near San Diego, California on interactive/internet marketing (metrics, e-commerce, channels, website usability, SEO, etc.). Can anyone recommend anything that ends before August '09?

Help me make a coffee table?

Loto — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:36:36 -0800

Where can I learn to build furniture in or near Montgomery Country, Maryland? So, for a few years now I've had a desire to learn how to make my own furniture and in turn furnish my apartment with pieces I've designed and created myself.

I'm now in the position where I can afford to take classes and invest in learning how to do this. I know I can get access to a shop at the local club for a monthly fee, but unfortunately the classes they run don't fit into my schedule. Does anyone know where a guy can learn the basics of furniture making and joinery around Montgomery County, preferably on the weekends? If they are intensive weekend classes, I'm more than willing to drive a little bit (no more than two hours, ideally) to get to them.

90 per cent of Toronto is dancing salsa

hayvac — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:36:12 -0800

Toronto: What are some classes/regular activities you've done in Toronto that you've loved? (No salsa please.) My partner and I are looking for something awesomely fun to eat up between one and two nights per week (or more if super awesome). We've already done a level of salsa and we're looking for something new. Most listing sites that I've found are choked with thousands of ads for salsa and how to make millions in real estate (go back in time?).

What would you recommend?

P.S. Please don't ask what we're interested in because our goal is to get interested in something we've never thought of!

Need Master Stained Glass Artisan

ok — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:38:35 -0800

Looking for traditional glass painting My daughter has been working with stained glass for a while now, and is currently studying the art and technical history of traditional stained glass painting in Oxford, UK. She really wants to incorporate glass painting into her work when she returns to the States in May, but is having difficulty finding classes in the practical aspects of traditional glass painting. Does anyone know if there is any place that offers classes in this in the midwest or northern Illinois area?

Where can I learn to weld in NYC?

Freen — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:37:43 -0800

I want to learn how to Weld. I live in New York City. The Madagascar Institute, which used to offer regular saturday classes seems to be defunct. Where can I learn how to weld? Ideally both Mig/Tig and acetylene.

interesting classes in san francisco

waylaid — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 11:31:40 -0800

I will be living in San Francisco for seven months from the beginning of February to the beginning of September, and I'm looking for places to take affordable (and accessible art, language and other classes). I will be living in the city off the J-Church and BART lines, but going out to the East Bay would be doable as well. I'm looking for a few good ways to meet people, and while I have other ideas in mind, I'd like to take a class or two for self-edification. I won't have a car. Stuff in San Fran is preferable, but not necessarily a requirement.

I am not a California resident, and won't be for the duration of this assignment, so I think that community college classes are out.

I'd like to find:
- advanced Spanish classes / beginning Portuguese classes
- a basic dance class
- a creative writing class
- a basic art class.

If the classes cost money, I'd prefer that it not be more than $300-350 for the duration. I don't need something super-professional, just something fun and where i could meet new people.