iTunes U and OCW courses

I'm one of those people that has a hard time learning solely from a book.  I hate actually being in class, but I almost always learn better in class than when I try to learn just by reading a book.  I was homeschooled for most of my life, so I learned a great deal of things via reading alone; but I've noticed that whenever I take a class, I nearly always remember more and understand better.

I'm also one of those people who would rather be watching videos on my iPod than doing schoolwork.  Sad but true - I prefer watching a good movie to reading a deeply complicated math book.  And I love math!

I knew about iTunes U for a while (I've had my iPod for a while, after all) and I knew about OCW courses (you can take a full MIT class online for free, for example, including videos or audio, handouts, and homework/exams with answers - all available for free download online).

I only just tried it out for the first time.  I'm going through Single Variable Calculus via MIT's course.  My school only goes up to second semester Calculus, and since I'm now in my fourth semester (I took Calculus my first semester here) I'm getting kind of rusty, which could be bad when I go on to my next school and try to take Calculus III.  I've tried going back through the book again, sequentially, but it's just not the same as a regular class.  It's just reading - a class is engaging, because it's less formal.

So now that I've discovered the MIT courses (and other courses, from other universities, all on iTunes U and for free) I'm planning to go through this stuff.  It's a bit more useful than watching movies on my iPod, but it still manages to satisfy the urge to spend hours of my day staring at a little tiny electronic screen.

Simply superb.