6 great apps for learning something new
Use your iOS device to improve your mind
Whether you’ve had your fill of refreshing Facebook or helping disgruntled birds right the wrongs in their lives, it’s time to put your iOS devices to work by helping you learn something new. Here are some of the App Store’s best apps for gaining new knowledge and skills.
Whether you’re looking to further your current career, work your way into a new one, or dive into a hobby,
Udemy (Free with IAPs, Universal) has over 32,000 courses for learning everything from programming in various languages to yoga, and photography to business development. There are even courses for personal development and learning languages, and many start at $10. All courses can be downloaded for offline use, and you can even message instructors for help.
If you’re looking for an academic topic to get into, try Khan Academy (Free, Universal). Khan Academy is supported through donations from a variety of philanthropic organizations ranging from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to Google and others. You’ll find over 10,000 videos across math, science, economics, history, and more, including 150,000 interactive, Common-Core-aligned math exercises, and it’s all free.
Of course a language app has to make this list, and Duolingo (Free, Universal) has a unique approach. Through a series of mini-games and tests, you’ll learn any of 10 languages in an engaging environment that practically game-ifies the process. In fact, you earn points as you progress so you can quantify how far you’ve come, and you can compete with friends to keep each other motivated. All classes are free, with some In-App Purchases for minor perks.
iTunes U (Free, Universal) contains a wealth of free knowledge and interactive courses from some of the greatest institutions and organizations around the world. Apple boasts over 1 million downloadable lectures, videos, and other educational content from greats such as Stanford, Oxford, MIT, and Smithsonian Libraries.
No list about resources for learning new skills is complete without YouTube (Free, Universal). Sure, it’s home to cat videos, but it’s also the world’s largest peoplepowered platform for teaching and learning how to do virtually anything. From makeup tutorials to video game walkthroughs, home improvement to tutorial videos about how to make tutorial videos… Of course, YouTube is free, though it recently launched a YouTube Red subscription – for $10 per month you can get rid of ads, easily download videos for offline playback, and play videos in the background on iPhone and iPad. As the name suggests, How to
Draw Everything (Free, Universal) has simple step-by-step tutorials for learning how to draw a variety of things ranging from fruit, to anime characters, to band logos. It isn’t the best-designed app, but the sheer volume of tutorials is at least a great place to start.