Educational Resources

It's amazing how one computer in a household is not enough anymore! Although parents would love to be able to say their children are studiously using the Internet for research, the truth is games, online chats and e-mail are the culprits.

But the Internet is loaded with quality information and sites even your children will enjoy. Parents can also get guidelines and study tips to encourage learning and good study habits. Yet, it's still important to remember that the Internet is not a replacement for the library … it's a tool designed to be used in conjunction with our books.

It is possible to learn and have fun together when using the Internet. Talk with your family and decide how the computer will be used to avoid arguments and debate. Think about how you will be using your computer first (finances, school assignments, sending e-mail, and browsing the Web). Then set the rules for usage and create a schedule for each family member.

There are lots of learning tools:
" Finding educational resources, including up-to-the minute news.
" Getting help with homework through online encyclopedias and study sites.
" Increasing reading skills through website (that include suggestions for additional reading).

For instance, there are a host of encyclopedias and dictionaries. Although these resources do not provide extensive amounts of detail they are a great overview of your subject. Our old time favorite - Merriam-Webster can be found at www.m-w.com. Along with its dictionary and thesaurus, I'm fond of it's word-of-the-day' and vocabulary builder.

You might want to try www.britannica.com also. It's not the full version of their encyclopedia, but it will get you started. If you're new to the Internet a simple and less confusing dictionary is www.dictionary.com it too boosts of a word of the day and even has an email version!

On the Homework front there are some great spots. Both www.bigchalk.com and www.homeworkspot.com are wonderful study sites. They offer subject-by-subject resources and lots of variety. It's targeted for elementary and high school students, but even adults will find the subject information fascinating. More and more you will see website offering quizzes, games and interactive pages to encourage learning.

Additional educational sites are limitless. Discovery.com and www.NationalGeographic.com are wonderful collection of articles, scientific games and information. Its photography is incredible and the interactive games are fun even for adults. But, be patient if you're using a modem dial-up connection, it will load slowly do to all the graphics.

And one more favorite site that was recommended by a favorite friend - www.howstuffworks.com. It's great for insights on just about anything and comes in handy when it's time for projects at school.