In This Guide
Elementary, Middle and High School Student Resources
Teacher Resources: Lesson Plans, Support and More
Parent Resources: Special Needs, Homeschooling and Tutoring
E-Learning Tools: Education-Enhancing Web Applications and Podcasts
Continuing Education: GED, Career Advancement, Free Online Courses and Technical Schools
Community Links in Education
Education: School on the Web
From its start, the Internet has helped scientists and academics share their work, so it’s no wonder that people now are able to use the Web as an educational resource and research library. If you’d like to take a class without leaving your home, find the right college, locate teaching resources or learn about almost anything, we’ve found Web sites that help you do it.
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Expand All Guide SectionsElementary, Middle and High School Student Resources
Students will find a wealth of resources on the Web and, so long as they sort the good from the bad, can benefit greatly from the amount of information available to them online. Here we’ve selected a few educational resources for students of all ages.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Many reference sites (for example, libraries, search engines and Web directories) have sections devoted to student resources: Ask for Kids, Yahoo Kids, and Quintura for Kids, for example. Even news magazines like Time For Kids and the Newsweek Education Program provide information to help kids keep up with the news.
- Ask your teacher for suggestions about Web sites that might be of help. Many school districts provide teachers with lists of homework help sites and other educational sites.
- Check the Web site of the company that publishes your textbook for help with lessons from your text. Often these sites have extra games, study tools and practice problems to help you get a grasp of the subject at hand.
Dulcinea's Picks
For students in elementary school …
The American Library Association (ALA)
has a list of sites that can be a great help for any homework assignment in history, math, social sciences, art, literature, science and many more subjects. Click the big “Search” button to search the sites chosen by the ALA.
Kids.gov
is a portal to government and kids’ sites and has links to homework helpers and other reference sites.
BJ Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper
has links to more than 700 homework helping sites. Resources are categorized by subject, such as Art/Music, English, Science and Foreign Languages. BJ also has a particularly useful section on Search Engines so you can eventually do your own searches.
For students in middle and high school …
Quizlet
is an online flashcard site. Become a member for free and then enter vocabulary words or other flashcard material into the site; Quizlet then makes flashcards and generates tests to help you learn new material.
Jiskha.com
is the place to go for fast answers. More than 200 experts volunteer to assist students with their homework every day. Simply post your question and one or more Jiskha.com certified teachers will respond, sometimes as soon as within an hour. There’s also a Search feature for finding a specific topic and an extensive reference section with helpful links.
High School Ace
features subject guides, reference tools, daily news, puzzles and quizzes. Subject guides include English, Foreign Languages, Math, Science, and both U.S. and World History.
SparkNotes
offers free, short, and very specific study guides on a wide variety of topics in subjects including history, film, literature, math, language, and more. If you want an overview of the history of the Roman Empire or the plot summary of “Casablanca,” this is the place to go. SparkNotes also has a variety of printable charts and reference materials as well as test prep materials and college application tools. Access content online for free, or pay a small fee per document to download and print for offline reference.
Applying to college …
The College Board
is the official Web site of the SAT and has an entire section devoted to helping you choose the right college. Depending on your needs, use either College MatchMaker, which searches for colleges based on your interests, or College QuickFinder, a tool for finding and researching a particular college.
U.S. News & World Report
publishes an annual ranking of the best colleges for undergraduate and graduate study. Browse the list and see how all the schools measure up based on U.S. News’s rigorous criteria. The Education homepage also offers advice on paying for college, academic programs and college news.
Teacher Resources: Lesson Plans, Support and More
The Internet can be a good source of teaching resources and support. In this section you’ll find a few sites to help you with lesson plans and classroom activities, as well as online communities just for educators where you can share ideas and resources with other teachers.
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- Each state has its own Department of Education, and your state’s DOE Web site is perhaps the most valuable resource a teacher can use: most have state standards as well as online tools and lists of useful Web sites for teachers. The National Center for Education Statistics has a list of state education agencies for each U.S. state.
- If you use a search engine to look for facts or data to present in a lesson, use one that searches only credible sites or databases. Generic search engines give you millions of results of varying credibility and relevance. Instead try Google Scholar, Infoplease, HighWire Press from the Stanford University Libraries or Galaxy of Knowledge from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
- For even more tips and sites for teachers, take a look at the findingDulcinea Teaching Web Guide.
Dulcinea's Picks
For lesson plans and classroom activities …
Discovery Education
has lesson plans and educational tools. Try the Puzzlemaker, the Worksheet Generator, or the Quiz Center. Create and store your own lesson plans and link them to the puzzles or worksheets you’ve generated for easy access. Also check out the link to Cosmeo, Discovery Channel’s multimedia homework-help service for students.
Education World
is divided into color-coded channels for lesson planning, technology integration, administrators, school issues and professional development. Check out the “Sites to See” or the lesson plan ideas.
The Educator’s Reference Desk
is a directory of everything education. From the Information Institute of Syracuse, this site provides educators with thousands of lesson plans and links to online resources along with a useful question archive.
For online teacher communities …
TeachAde
is a social networking and resource site in one. Access is free for educators, and when you sign up you can join groups of educators who teach the same subject and/or grade level that you do. TeachAde will also e-mail you regular updates of resources that might be appropriate for your class. Search the database of resources or add some of your own to share with others.
For government information …
The U.S. Department of Education
offers current news about education reform as well as resources for students, teachers, parents and administrators. If you have questions about government policy, search by topic in the site’s “Answers” section.
Parent Resources: Special Needs, Homeschooling and Tutoring
There’s no reason that your child’s education should stop at the classroom door, and the sites in this section make it easy for parents to find at-home activities to supplement (or replace) what your child is learning in school.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Blogs are a great way to get ideas about how to add to your child’s education at home. Try a blog search engine like Technorati or BlogPulse to find the topic of your choice. Parent Hacks, for example, is a great blog for parenting tips, and it has plenty of entries under the “learning” tag to enhance your child’s education (or just make it easier for you to organize your child’s schooling).
- See our findingDulcinea Parenting Web Guide to find creative ways to engage your child and encourage learning in the home, or to find inspiration for nonacademic activities and games.
- You’ll find a couple of homeschooling resources below, but we recommend a more extensive selection of Web sites for homeschooling in the findingDulcinea Homeschooling Web Guide.
- We have a more extensive selection of picks for homeschooling in our findingDulcinea Homeschooling Web Guide.
- Our findingDulcinea Learning Disabilities Web Guide has information to help you better understand your child’s learning disability, prepare your student for life in college and in the workforce, and connect with other parents of students with learning disabilities.
Dulcinea's Picks
Resources for homeschooling …
Homeschool World
is the official Web site of “Practical Homeschooling” magazine. Order the magazine, see what’s in the current issue or get a free e-mail newsletter. There’s an online catalog for homeschooling products and links to homeschool education organizations in every state. The site also lists some homeschooling events, such as lectures, conferences and even the Home School Prom.
A to Z Home’s Cool
has a lot of useful information on the SAT and other college entrance exams including test schedules and test prep software. The section on “Homeschool Community Networking” offers tips for building support group Web sites, provides links to homeschool chatrooms and blogs, and suggests other “community building resources.” Find the information you want on this busy site by using the search box on the upper right or by scrolling through the navigation topics on the left.
Homeschool.com
is distinguished from other homeschooling sites by its useful Resource Guide. Browse the guide to find links to sites and programs that aid in teaching a particular subject.
To find a tutor …
TutorLinker.com
is a quick way to find a tutor in your area. Just enter your home address to get a Google map with icons for your home and for tutors nearby. Hover your mouse over a tutor’s icon to see the area she serves; click to get a detailed profile (with hourly rate and area of expertise) along with contact information.
For special needs information, technology and support …
Special Education News
posts daily news about special education–related matters. Use the menu on the left to search archived articles on a variety of related subjects or search by specific disability.
Parents, Let’s Unite for Kids
(PLUK) provides a guide to assistive technologies for families of children with special needs. The site is text-heavy but is written in simple English with lots of valuable information. Look for definitions of all the available technology, articles with purchasing advice and information about government policy and funding.
Special Education Law Blog
is written by Charles Fox, a lawyer who is the parent of a special needs child, and includes contributions from other guest authors. Fox posts updates about the U.S. Department of Education and discusses advancements in regulations from a legal perspective. He also offers advice and describes his own experiences in a well-written, informative way.
E-Learning Tools: Education-Enhancing Web Applications and Podcasts
Knowledge is power—and you can get quite a bit of it if you know how to use the Internet to your advantage. With just a few clicks, you can access a variety of educational materials such as free online course material, educational podcasts and Web applications to enrich your online activity.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Several universities post course information online that anyone can view. The material ranges in depth and provides a taste of a college course for free.
Dulcinea's Picks
For Web applications for note-taking and organization …
HipCal
is a free online calendar and to-do list with some added features: it’ll send you e-mail or cell phone alerts about important events, and you’ll be able to create group calendars to coordinate for school, work or other projects.
Backpack
helps you create what it calls “pages” where you can keep to-do lists, and attach files and images for yourself or others to download. Backpack also has a calendar feature and gives you the ability to share pages or calendar events with others for collaboration. Sign up for a free account with limited features or one of a few different paid plans that range from $7 to $12 per month.
MynoteIT
is more than just a free online note-taking application. Sure, you can create an account, add your classes and use the note-taking feature to take and save notes on the site. But you can also upload notes you’ve taken in offline documents (such as Word or Notepad), keep track of upcoming assignments, access your notes via mobile phone, search the text of your notes and ask questions of the mynoteIT community through message boards.
For educational podcasts …
Podcast Alley
is a user-friendly directory of podcasts organized by genre. The “Education” section contains hundreds of podcasts that can be used as educational resources. Find a wide variety of fun podcasts to choose from.
LearnOutLoud.com
lists free audio and video learning materials, articles and podcasts available for download. Do your own search for a particular book or speech, or browse by subject.
The Education Podcast Network
is geared toward teachers looking for content but provides podcasts that will be of interest to students, too. Browse podcasts on a number of subjects such as math, social studies, theater arts, current events and career development.
Continuing Education: GED, Career Advancement, Free Online Courses and Technical Schools
Whether you want to get your high school equivalency diploma, take the initiative to further your career or enroll in a technical school to learn a trade, find the information you need online.
Dulcinea's Insight
- If you’re considering advanced certification but aren’t sure you’re ready to take the step, check out CertMag. CertMag is devoted to delivering up-to-date information about certification programs, the technical industry and the job market possibilities for certified individuals.
- If you’d like to do more than just sample a few free online courses, see our findingDulcinea College Courses Online Web Guide to get familiar with the necessary accreditation, available online programs and degrees, and for more online study tools.
- For more information on career changes and advancement, visit the findingDulcinea Choosing a Career Web Guide or the findingDulcinea Career Transitions Guide.
Dulcinea's Picks
For the GED …
The American Council on Education
has a page devoted to information about the GED (General Educational Development) exam. The site offers information on getting in touch with your local testing programs, finding a GED test center and understanding your GED scores.
Thirteen Ed Online
has an education section that provides information on how to register for the GED exam, lets you download an application form, and also provides information about the “GED Connection,” Thirteen’s study guide and TV program.
To peek in on a college course …
The University of Texas at Austin
sponsors the “World Lecture Hall,” a free comprehensive directory of all university classes that can be accessed online. Some are complete online classes, whereas others are syllabi with some class materials online (such as audio or video links, or lecture notes).
MIT OpenCourseWare
is an online publication of MIT course materials. Browse by department on the left or view a full course list, see what grabs you, and start your class. Most of the courses list assignments and syllabi, so you can follow the program yourself. Some even include reading material online. OpenCourseWare is a free and easy way to expand your horizons.
For career advancement …
Kaplan’s Career Advancement
page provides links to Kaplan’s education and training programs for career advancement. Choose from a variety of specializations such as accounting, real estate, architecture, law enforcement and computing; you’ll also find test preparation help for certifications. If you’re thinking of a career change, visit the site and see what options are available.
Mind Tools
provides resources for developing your career skills. The site offers free advice on essential skills such as stress management, leadership skills, memory improvement and decision-making.
To find a trade or technical school …
Trade-schools.net
is a complete online directory of trade schools, colleges and universities all over the United States and Canada. Browse the comprehensive program directory, or search by location or the type of school that interests you. Find schools in your area or schools that offer online courses and distance learning.
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