Go to the Head of the Class!

Core Curriculum: This wasn't the first time that Warnke had tried to learn Perl. Before he turned to the Web, he had read a book on the language, and he had also taken a training seminar offered by Motorola. "But trying to learn something by picking up a book has never worked very well for me," he says. "And unless you're looking at a very narrow technical subject, you can't learn much in a weeklong seminar. Could I learn Perl in three to five days? Not likely."

Then Warnke received an email from Motorola's training organization. The email outlined several courses that were available to employees. Among them was one called "Intro to Perl," offered by DigitalThink Inc. (www.digitalthink.com), a Web-based outfit in San Francisco. Warnke signed up, ordered the course's two recommended books, and began learning Perl.

While he was working his way through the class's assignments and quizzes -- and trading emails frequently with his online tutor -- he was also working on the utilities that he needed to reprogram in order to do his job. "The only way that I can learn a new language is by writing a lot of programs and feeling my way through how the language works," Warnke says. "So I worked on the programs that I would need on the job while I completed the last part of the course."

Making the Grade: Warnke's experience with the online Perl class was so positive that he's now taking Advanced Perl for the Web. He learned a lot during the first course that he's applying to the current one. Most important, says Warnke, you need to pair online learning with real-world work.

And, advises Warnke, unless you're working on a tight deadline, don't be afraid to take your time. For example, Warnke didn't have to finish learning the Perl utilities by a certain date -- but with the help of his online coursework, he was able to learn those utilities in about three weeks. The key was to find a speed that worked for him. "If you jam in too much material too fast, nothing sticks," he says. "But if you take it too slow, the learning gets diluted."

Finally, don't be afraid to ask a few questions. Many online courses feature tutors who lead real-time class sessions or -- as with the courses that Warnke took -- respond to questions and grade quizzes via email. Warnke says that his tutor usually replied to his emails within 24 hours. DigitalThink also provides a message board where students and tutors can gather to discuss the online-learning experience, to seek help with challenges, and to socialize. "Use all of the resources that the program offers," Warnke says. "If there are instructors, ask them questions."

Coordinates: Wally Warnke, rebv30@email.sps.mot.com

Learning for Life

Roll Call: For more than 25 years, Ronni Bennett worked for New York-based TV programs and media outlets, including the Barbara Walters specials, "20/20," and Lifetime Television. Today she works for CBS Worldwide Inc. in its new-media division. As managing editor for CBS.com, the network's Web site, Bennett spends much of her time exploring how the Web works -- and how she can use it to tell stories. But Bennett also uses the Web to blend her personal and professional lives. "For me, learning is not a function that's separate from living," she says. "Learning is just part of being alive. It goes on all the time."

Core Curriculum: Bennett finds that she learns the most when her search for lessons is most focused. The first time she went to the Web to learn something specific, she had dropped a strawberry on a 100-year-old quilt made by her grandmother. She fired up her browser and searched the Net using AltaVista (www.altavista.com). Using tips that she gleaned from Learn2.com (www.learn2.com), Bennett was able to remove the strawberry juice before it stained -- and without wrecking the quilt. "The Web helps with day-to-day things that you don't know how to do," she says. "That was when I first thought, 'Maybe everything is on the Web.'"

Last winter, Bennett got bitten by the stock-market bug. But because she'd never invested before, she wanted to learn a few basics before she called a broker. Without even knowing what standard investing terms meant, she checked out the Motley Fool (www.fool.com), downloaded the site's 13-step guide to investing, and began looking at online brokers. "I've started a notebook in which I keep my notes and a list of questions to ask," Bennett says. "As soon as I'm smart enough to ask the right questions, I'll move on to talking with friends -- and friends of friends -- who have been investing for a long time."