The growth of the growth of education resources available via the internet has mirrored the growth of the internet. Sites are available for student practice, research, teacher lessons plans and professional development. Some of the sites have a subscription cost, while others are free, though supported by advertisements. In my home school, many teachers have come to rely upon these many resources.
The internet provides students immediate access to world and local news. Students can find out what is happening now, not having to wait for the evening news or reading the morning’s paper. Google news searches numerous world news sources for current stories. Postings for July 4, 2009 included “Biden in Iraq…” from 8 minutes ago (Reuters) and “Calm urged after N Korea launches missiles” (BBC News, 45 minutes ago.) As events occur, the rapidly become available on the internet.
Other sites offer information and opportunities that can bring social studies and science to life. The National Archives web site, www.archives.gov, offers photos of the most important documents of American history for study by students. The NASA web site, www.nasa.gov, provides students with current information about the planets, dwarf planets and other space related subjects.
Some teachers still feel the need for additional student “drill” to practice math facts. Sites such as Funbrain, www.funbrain.com, provide this type of drill, in a game setting, in which students practice facts, but play a game while completing the skill practice. The Math Forum, mathforum.org, offers math support for all grade levels, including high school and college. PBS Kids, pbskids.org, now focuses on activities for children from pre-K to Grade 3. The site provides activities, stories and printable pages based on many of their popular shows, including Arthur and Barney.
Blogs and wikis provide students with the opportunity to collaborate between rooms in a building and between schools. With Wikispaces, wikispaces.com, providing ad free wikis for education, the technology budget can be stretched that much further. Elluminate, elluminate.com, allows a few students to communicate in real time throuogh its white board and audio feeds. Skype, skype.com, lets a limited number of individuals communicate face-to-face at no cost. Many of the above mentioned sources are valuable for students and teachers.
There are also many sites that provide support for teachers. Recipes4Success, recipes4success.com, and Atomic Learning, http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/home, provide tutorials for teachers, some free, others at a subscription cost. Diigo, diigo.com, and delicious, delicious.com, provide a web based bookmark site. This lets teachers use their bookmarks in school. These sites and resources have become valuable tools for students and teachers.
The question becomes where do students access these resources? In the U.S. 67% of homes have internet access, but in some states, like North Carolina and Mississippi, this per cent drops to below 55%. School becomes THE place to access these resources.
Internet resources even have monetary value saving school districts money over the costs of encyclopedias, atlases and copies of Bartlett’s Book of Quotes. Yes the initial costs of accessing the internet are high, but over the long run schools may, indeed, save money.
