For years I've been encouraging my high school students to proactively pursue participation in "Massive Open Online Courses". Many have taken me up on the challenge and return to say that the experience benefitted them greatly...some even took courses by professors they would later have in university!
WHY?
* you learn something "niche" that you are passionate about
* you can interact with people of multiple ages and learn from them
* you can start building a network of people with similar interests
* you learn from legitimate EXPERTs in the field and in premiere institutions
* you learn how to learn autonomously - how to self-manage your work
* you can learn at a faster (or your own) pace and higher level
* it looks great on that résumé - (in fact, read this: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/nyregion/online-summer-courses-attracting-college-bound-high-schoolers.html)
WHAT'S A MOOC?
A MOOC is an EVENT, rather than just another online course.
WHERE DO MOOCS EXIST?
One of my favorite sites curating lists of MOOCS for the summer is Open Culture:
1,000 + MOOCs starting in June: http://www.openculture.com/2018/06/1000-moocs-massive-open-online-courses-getting-started-june-enroll-today.html
"Class Central" also lets you browse lists of MOOCs: https://www.classcentral.com/
Harvard has created special courses just for high schoolers at: https://www.edx.org/high-school
If you are an ARTIST, consider MOMA's free offerings:
Want to improve your writing? Here's a special list:
Want to learn as very specific SKILL? Try Skillshare ($1 for 2 months)
- find out if the SCHOOL you are interested in is offering MOOCs.
for example, BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC or STANFORD
- most MOOCS have trailers - watch them!
- keep a BLOG or at least a folder for all your MOOC work
- some MOOCS have certification or "digital badges" for free or a nominal fee
THIS I.B. blog offers some good reasons to take MOOCS and some handy links so you can get started: https://blogs.osc-ib.com/2016/03/ib-student-blogs/whats-mooc-moocs-high-school-students-applying-university-college/
What to Watch
If you enjoy TED TALKS - there is a new recommendation service that can offer you specific talks to watch based on your interest.