Learning in cyberspace
Today’s generation is facing challenges that the generation before them was free of. These challenges come in different ways, for instance, today our social life is way more engaging than in the past; at school, there is always an air of competition for a number of things like presenting ideas better than the rest of the class, being up-to-date with current affairs and also polishing additional skills such as singing, dancing, sports, computers, etc. Thus, life for today’s kids is pretty hectic and requires multitasking.
And when there is an assignment or test in the school, these kids spend hours engrossed on the internet searching for the best resource to get the maximum result. However, with unlimited websites and apps available on internet, chances are you will be left confused about choosing the right tool or site for your task.
And after spending hours, when you finally find what you want, your mum tells you to shut down the computer as you have been on it for a very long time. That leaves you utterly frustrated. Therefore, to help you avoid such a situation, we have carefully selected some of the finest websites that will not only help you in your academics but will also guide you in developing various skills.
Writing
A GOOD headline, story or article has a lot of impact. So if you are looking for places to pick up tips on how to write well, the basic techniques of writing and how to practice it, check out these website that we looked up for you.
Writing with writers: It’s a website where you will have the chance of practicing writing with authors and editors in order to develop your skills. And all this is for free!
You can learn the art of writing book reviews with the famous American author Rodman Philbrick in his workshop; you’ll find writing tips, strategies and challenges to help you in this. Once you’ve completed the challenges at this workshop, you can write your own book review and publish it online.
The site also has the ‘Myth writing’ section. Kids who love to read myths and are also eager to become myth writer can avail the chance of taking the ‘myth writing’ workshop with Award Winning myth writer Jane Yolen. She will show you how to write a myth, give writing strategies, some warm-up activities and then you’ll be ready to write a myth story of your own.
And if you have passion to become a journalist and want to develop your skills in the field, then the ‘News Writing’ section will be of great help. Here you will read a news article and a feature story article. Then you’ll get suggestions from the experienced team of writers of Scholastic’s Magazine Group on how to write your very own news article. When you’re done with the workshop, you can publish your own news story online on the website.
There are many memorable moments in our lives and we may feel the urge to write about them. For example, you’ve had a new sibling, celebrated your birthday with a dream party, or spent a memorable day out with your friends; such moments provide great opportunities for descriptive writing and this is where ‘Descriptive writing’ section of the website comes to your aid.
And let me tell you one thing; for this kind of writing you need to pay close attention to your surroundings and use all your five senses. Other sections include biography, folktale, mystery, poetry and speech writing.
Explore more at: http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/index.htm
The Young Writers Society: It is a similar site where you can learn writing, share your work and get reviews. This site aims to promote creative writing as a pastime and prepares aspiring authors for future publication.
You can contribute literary work, reviews and forum posts, while the community will give you constructive feedback necessary to push creators to the next level.
Explore more at: (www.youngwriterssociety.com).
www.writing.com: At this website, young writers are offered hundreds of unique writing tools and opportunities for creation and inspiration. You can display your masterpieces or become a reader willing to offer feedback for the other writers there and their work.
WritersDigest.com is the one-stop shop that advance writers can use for information, resources and writing community. Writers can connect with other writers on this forum, visit their blogs and sign up for the free weekly e-newsletter.
FOR presentations and assignments that you often have to brainstorm and to create mind maps, you may have been doing it in your way or spending a lot of time with poor result. There are some amazing websites that will help you create amazing mind maps and in a fraction of the time that you had earlier spent.
www.exploratree.org: This site offers you the access to a library of ready-made interactive thinking guides, you can print them, edit or make your own. You can share them and work on them in groups too.
These ‘frameworks’ support students in projects and in their research assignments by helping to shape, define and focus an idea and also support the planning required to investigate the topic further. The guides are completely customisable and shareable.
www.bubbl.us: This is another site where you can create your mind map, print it or save it as jpeg. or in png. format but after registering on the site.
www.Grapholite.com, www.diagram.ly: Both the site serve the same purpose, however, it totally depends which one best suits your idea; Grapholite has a generous amount of shapes, text boxes, arrows, flow chart icons, blocks, colours, fonts and sizes which can easily be changed. While Diagram.ly has drag and drop interface, intuitive tool bar, decent amount of shapes, lines and clip art.
You have the ability to right-click on any shapes for editing options. Working on Diagram.ly and Grapholite is very easy as both have a very Microsoft feel to them.
Reading
OXFORD Owl: An award-winning website designed to help children with their reading. With loads of tips, free expert advice and sections on language play, phonic games, memory, listening games, games that use the senses, and reading together and guide children to learn and have fun at the same time.
There are 250 free ebooks to read and download. The site is aimed at three to 11 years but it actually has something for kids of all ages. Moreover the beautiful design of the site makes kids learn math through fun activities which bring learning to life.
Explore more at: www.oxfordowl.co.uk
WE Give Books: It enables children to read a book online and after doing so, a physical book will be donated to a child in need through literacy programmes around the world. Isn’t it amazing that all you need to do is read a book and a good deed gets done on your behalf!
Created by the Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation, it combines the promotion of literacy, both to the child reading online and the giving of books, and the concept of giving.
Explore more at: www.wegivebooks.org
FOR some kids Math is a nightmare while for others it’s just a piece of cake. We think math should be a treat for both and this is where so let’s check up sites that make math easy for you.
Get the Math: The site combines video and web interactivity to help middle and high school students develop algebraic thinking skills for solving real-world problems.
Viewers are encouraged to try the challenges themselves using interactive tools on the website before returning to the video to see the teams’ given solutions.
Can you solve algebraic problem with music? Yes, you can! This challenge prompts students to calculate the tempo (beats per minute) of an instrumental sample, so they can adjust the tempo of an electronic drum track to match it. (Algebra I concept: Proportional reasoning).
Fashion clothing can also teach you about algebra; students are asked to use both algebra and their sense of style to modify a design in order to get the retail price below a target of $35. And don’t forget video games; you are given a challenge to use math around a simplified “Asteroids”-type game that introduces basic concepts behind programming. Students use algebraic thinking to plot the path of a spaceship and avoid collision with an oncoming asteroid.
And then you are left with restaurants where you are challenged to keep the prices on the menu affordable. You can learn through ‘Basketball’, through ‘Special Effect’ — yes, you read it right through special effects. The teams are challenged to figure out the mathematical relationship between two important variables that affect the look of a shot — light intensity and distance from the light source. The website is really outstanding!
At http://www.studygeek.org/ and www.glencoe.com/apps/eGlossary612/index.php: And for those who seem to have problem on understanding the terms used in the math they can check out these math glossary websites.
Worksheets
YOU can make worksheets easily from the Discovery site of worksheets which are created by teachers. Worksheets are organised by category and listed by title and grade level. You can find all arts, math, business, english, science, social studies, technology, health and language at http://school.discoveryeducation.com/teachingtools/worksheetgenerator/wtg/index.html
Infographics
IF you really need to make your presentation in infographics which grab more attention than any other format, then you should check Easel.ly.
You will have a great variety to choose from ranging from beautiful colour schemes and designs to simplest colours and themes. It just makes your ideas or presentation visually amazing!
STEM
WEBSITES focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects have lots of great stuff to offer; previously, we covered a few great website such as, Kids ahead, offering
STEM subject material, resources, activities, etc.
And separately, Engineer girl, which caters to girls and wants to create awareness in girls of opting for various fields in engineering, should be checked out too.
We also reviewed Kids Think Design — an awesome website which caters design industries including graphic, interior, fashion, animation, film/theatre, etc,. on just one site… the material provided, tips and activities are worth mentioning here again!
Engineering, Go For It (eGFI) is created by the American Society for Engineering Education.
The site aims to foster educational and pre-professional interest in engineering and other STEM subjects from Kindergarten through high school.
In addition, you will also find fields from biomedical to computer to mechanical and beyond — the site features descriptions of professional paths for each, including profiles of real people at work in the field.
The graphics of the site are just amazing. You choose your field of interest from a number of fields such as civil, chemical, nuclear, mining, agriculture, mechanical, ocean, architecture, aerospace and many more (in picture format) are all scattered across the homepage; once you click a field, you will see a brilliant animation, facts and all the details related to it.
ON general subjects, cyberspace is cramming with great websites. But sorting the kid-friendly site is really a big task so we have made the task easier for you!
MakeMeGenius.com: This site guarantees to make you a genius as it is filled with videos that cover a variety of subjects, such as physics, photosynthesis, the nervous system, Solar System and electricity. All the videos are kid-friendly and will keep even the youngest children interested from start to finish.
So if you want to know why the sky is blue, how a tornado forms or any number of other questions you can come up with on a daily basis, all will be answered here. The articles break down subjects like autos, culture, entertainment, science, money, technology and mores. You don’t need registration here, the content is free.
Khan Academy: This a free website comprising thousands of educational videos aimed at self-paced instruction. It offers tutorials on a wide range of subjects but you will find ample videos and focus on math. Kids can use the site as part of a school assignment or as a way to practice math concepts for test prep.
For math concepts — from upper-elementary through college-level — the site offers almost unlimited number of practice exercises, organised by topic, with instant feedback and progress data. Once logged in, kids can monitor their math progress on a personal dashboard.
The videos are short and are presented in a casual and unrehearsed yet engaging style. Many of the math videos cover basic skills and are about mastering procedures rather than conceptual understanding. www.khanacademy.org