HOWTO get a DIY education and credentials online

Avi sez, "Anya Kamenetz has made her 'Edupunks' Guide to a DIY Credential' available as a free PDF. The guide is 'a comprehensive guide to learning online and charting a personalized path to an affordable credential (or no credential) using the latest innovative tools and organizations.' Take charge of your educational path and save yourself a bunch of money and debt in the process!"

Edupunks' Guide to a DIY Credential (Thanks, Avi!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Rebecca DeLaTorre

I can only visit their website if a cute waitress sings an earworm to me in her pjs and bunny slippers.

In reality, this is fantastic. I love the idea that learning is an action, not a passive activity that someone does to you. Its the reason I homeschool my kids. I wanted them to believe that 1, learning is a life long activity that doesn’t stop at graduation, and 2, that they are welcome to choose their own path and seek things that interest them as long as they master the basics, and 3, that thinking for yourself is GOOD.

Awesome site!
RobDobbs

Here’s a copy available that doesn’t require one to have a facebook – or any – account.

• http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/77938
edthehippie

a do it yourself credential need not involve any such folderol as actual learning , one can just make something up !! many years ago , i created the acronym ” ACSMF ” , in fact this was in the early 1980′s for a cable public access channel , we had one of the first amateur music videos ever , and i am still doing videography with this credit ! it stands for ” Any Camera Suits Me Fine ” , and it looks suitably impressive behind my name on the credits !! copyleft or creative commons or whatever , eh ?? use it , or anything else that you make up at your own risk !
Guest

Thanks for the link Duncan! The main link had a 500 Internal Server Error…and I don’t really care for scribd. I think they’re starting to notice I just keep uploading the same 1992 alarm clock manual.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1551115436 Michael Johnson

Why not create a decentralized institution to accredit people with their certifications. Granted you’ll get degrees like “Master King of Gorilla Keepers”, I think you could easily create a culture that would seriously vet learners based on their application of what they’ve learned. Basically an open-source-wiki-science-journal. Not much different from how universities started in the renaissance and late middle ages.