Do you want to take an amazing picture but don’t know how? Interested in business, learning new software or creating your own video game?  Go to Lynda.com and watch instructive videos on how to properly and successfully accomplish your goals, courtesy of Gloucester Public Schools.

Lynda.com is an online learning website that offers hundreds of courses in a variety of subjects beyond your core studies. It gives students an opportunity to take advantage of online classes for free.

This learning website has been around since the1990’s, but in 2010 Lynda.com released over 1,000 new content videos in photography, video making, graphic design and CAD among other subjects.

Though Lynda is still new to Gloucester Public Schools, it is already helping a lot of people in GHS.  “I used Lynda last year when I was in digital art and it taught me the basics of Photoshop,” said sophomore Karissa Murray.

Though some may ask what makes Lynda different from other online learning websites, Lynda stands out among other online learning sites like Khan Academy because it has a completely different subject field, mainly focusing on new digital studies, rather than primary educational classes.

“Its a way to self-educate for the modern technological and digital age” says Mrs. Underwood who has been an avid user of Lynda.com. “I think all students as well as faculty should have Lynda at their fingertips”

Lynda would normal cost $300 for a personal account, but since the Gloucester school system pays for the use of Lynda.com, its free to all Gloucester students who register with their school email and password.

According to Underwood, the website has been under used by GHS students, and the district may not renew the subscription next year, if usage does not increase.

“It is a very awesome resource,” said sophomore Brianna Fernandes “I would have used it more if I knew about it sooner.”
The website is informative and gives students access to videos that they can’t get anywhere else. So whether you want to learn how to photograph your favorite tree, or pass your CAD class, Lynda.com is the place to go.