Informal learning is a concept of ubiquitous learning which is defined as self-directed learning or learning which is not structured.

One of the most widely used tools to aid in informal learning is Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/). A person can learn just about anything through this online platform because any person with an internet connection and video recording device can post there. And these posts can be related to anything as well. People who have not formally taught a day in their life can provide valuable material for those who are interested in their area of expertise. Similarly there are people who are not experts or who provide erroneous information to viewers as well. It is up to the learner to sift through the mass of information on this platform in order to find learning material which moves them forward in their quest for knowledge. Unlike online schools such as udemy, coursera, skillshare, the videos on youtube generally have no logical order and may not be seamlessly connected. Though many students can find the same materials for free on Youtube some students prefer to pay for online school subscription because the teachers have clear credentials and the classes provide more structure.

An example of someone who may prefer the informal learning route would be a self-taught artist. With art school averaging an upwards of $42,000 (https://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/E58F762A/How-Much-Does-Art-School-Cost/#:~:text=With%20the%20cost%20of%20fees,to%20finance%20an%20art%20education.) many people with a passion for the arts and a limited budget can easily find art tutorials and information online. It is simply up to the learner to put forth the effort to seek out the right tutorials and the put forth necessary effort to improve their craft. In essence, through informal learning the student becomes their own teacher in a certain way. They may not be pulling the information from their own minds but they must have the ability to determine which topics they need to learn and must then seek out that information for themselves. The problem with informal learning, in this example, is that there are things that a student may not be aware that they need to learn. If they are not aware of something to learn then they may end up simply not learning it at all which could cause obstacles later on which they do not understand or have no way of overcoming which can cause frustration and may lead to them giving up on their learning endeavor completely. For example, they may understand they need to learn certain painting techniques but they may not understand the business side of a career in art and so without that knowledge they fail at making it their career. Or perhaps they learn techniques but they do not apply that information correctly on canvas and have no one to critique them. Although there are also online communities with members available for this specific purpose ( to give art critiques). The downfall is simply that with informal learning the student may not be aware of these resources or it may not even occur to them to seek those resources out.