Tech Tips Tuesday

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of online degrees . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com

Using Web Resources to Make Learning Fun

When you’re a child, learning becomes more interesting only when it’s fun. So as a teacher who is involved in getting young kids to show an interest in education, you’re responsible for making kids smarter even while they enjoy their lessons and can’t get enough of them. Your skills as a teacher come to the fore only when you make learning fun for your young wards. The Internet is a great tool if you’re looking to make learning interactive and get your students involved, and here’s how you can incorporate it into your lessons:

Teach your students online search skills: There is a ton of information on the Internet, but if you don’t know how to search for what you want, none of this information is useful. So teach kids to search for what they’re looking for, and also instruct them on sorting through the huge amounts of data that is returned. If they’re very young, it’s best to get them to the site yourself and ask them to just read and click buttons on local pages. But if they’re above a certain age, knowing how to search for information is a surefire way to get them more involved in the subject.

Help them work out online math problems: It’s a subject that most people detest, simply because they do not understand the basics. Online math quizzes offer easy ways to remember formulae and are also great when it comes to testing your memory and concentration powers, two skills that come in handy when you’re trying to solve math problems. Children learn how to solve problems without the use of pencil and paper, without making mistakes.

Use the web to improve English: There are a plethora of options to learn English on the web. From online dictionaries and thesauruses to sites that allow you to write articles and contribute poetry, you can pretty much go the whole hog when you’re trying to improve your English. Encourage your students to download e-books that are free to read in their spare time and get them to send in their essays and poetry to online competitions.

Let them play educational games: When I was a child, “Where In The World Is Carmen SanDiego” was one of my favorite computer games. Back then, we had only the DOS operating system, so our choices were limited. This game was fun and interesting because it combined mystery and geography. We basically had to chase a thief who flies across the globe based on country and location specific clues that he would leave behind. Educational games help improve subject-specific knowledge and broaden students’ general knowledge as well.

Above all, if your students are on the web with limited or no supervision, you must teach them to use the Internet safely and wisely so that they are protected from con artists and viruses.