Khan Academy

[Kai]

I don't know if this has been posted previously.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

In all truth the best platform for learning mathematics that exists, starting from the most basic thing, simple addition, and culminating in calculus and linear algebra. /I'm/ using it, if that's endorsement enough. The videos are basically a disembodied voice talking over an electronic chalkboard written on in colored chalk.

If taken in sequence and mastered (as the site team intends with the exercises), every lesson builds on the ones before, and nothing is left out. I've searched around for other lecture series online that do this, and haven't found any.

Two possible objections: I haven't checked out the finance and humanities vids, so they could be bogus. The other is a complaint that this is like rote memorization without any questioning. But really, it isn't. The expectation is mastery, and in mastery you can take a problem apart, turn it any direction, and find the solution via multiple routes. Before I can properly question something like differential equations I have to understand the general concepts intended in solving them the standard way. Schools don't teach mastery these days, they teach to the test, and this is a real problem because people end up getting through school, maybe even taking higher level math clases (*raises hand*) and never really understands them, thereafter loosing everything they "learned". Education is learning for understanding and self benefit beyond the education process itself. So obviously, very few people these days could be said to be educated.

[Cain]

It's been posted a couple of times, but a reminder is always good.  When I last looked, they weren't doing humanity vids over there, for example.

And I need to brush up on my mathematical skills (or lack thereof) so this is a good opportunity to leave another reminder for myself.

[Freeky]

Schools don't teach mastery these days, they teach to the test,

A REALLY GOOD teacher, who knows the subject and is passionate about it to boot, will teach for mastery, if possible.

My intermediate algebra teacher also teaches calculus at Pima, and goes over things in my class in more detail, because of what you're expected to know in higher level classes.  However, this course was barely a month long, so moot point I guess.

[The Wizard Joseph]

If I recall these folks got a pretty big grant from Google a while back that put them briefly on my radar.
Looks like the site has benefited tremendously!
I am self educated (read: eclectic but thorough when interested), and I just love free knowledge.
The business and finance sections seem pretty good, though I'm not expert and have not (yet) gone through them all.
Actually enjoying the history section's Haitian Revolution lesson.

I'm fortunate to have learned how to learn quickly. 
It is a mildly ironic by-product of a rigorous Christian School curriculum from grades 4-6.
When I was put back in the public system I was pretty much burnt out, got crappy grades, and haunted the libraries and computer labs learning whatever I wanted.

This didn't get me far financially and academically, but at the time the knowledge was enough for me.
Now that I'm older I'm really more interested in the application of knowledge, but I never stopped learnin'!

[Kai]

It's been posted a couple of times, but a reminder is always good.  When I last looked, they weren't doing humanity vids over there, for example.

And I need to brush up on my mathematical skills (or lack thereof) so this is a good opportunity to leave another reminder for myself.

I am starting from the beginning, because while I understand some math quite well I had forgotten how to do arithmetic by hand. Which is handy, because if I can do it by hand then I can do it in my head. Long division? I forgot that back in grade school, when they had everyone purchase TI calculators.

[Cain]

Teaching kids is a great way to re-learn basic maths, as I discovered (though you feel really retarded for about 10 minutes, until you recall exactly how to do it).

What worries me is, that from my own school days, I can only ever recall doing "compound interest".  For two entire years.  The final two years.  Oh, and some stats stuff in biology.

[Triple Zero]

I heard lots of good things about Khan Academy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_academy