Lesson 4: Homework Help on the Internet
Has this ever happened to you? It is after dinner, and your child is busy with homework. Suddenly, a question arises. Running into a question about homework later in the evening can be a frustrating experience for both child and parent. Don't become discouraged. There is help available! This lesson will give you some great links to homework help sites available on the Internet.
And teachers - if you have an Internet connection at school, you may want to introduce your students to some of the basics of online searching and homework help sites online.
Using the 'Net
The Internet offers a vast array of sites that can be used to help with homework. From basic reference materials to research and report information, the Internet is a great tool to use for homework help - that is, when used carefully!
In this section we'll take a look at a few of the many online help sites, several reference sites, and some general information about using the Internet.
To effectively use the Internet as a homework help tool, you need to understand a few things about searching and keeping safe. There are some great tutorials designed to help you make the most of your online time.
First, some basic terminology:
website: a collection of web pages on a specific subject
URL: the URL, or uniform resource locator, is the "address" or location of the website that you are looking for.
URLs have many parts. Here's a simple breakdown:
type of file (http:// or Hypertext Transfer Protocol or other such as ftp)
domain name (computer the file is on and its location on the Internet)
path or directory
name of file, and its file extension (usually ending in .html or .htm)
Here's an example: http:// home.sprintmail.com/ ~debflanagan/main.html
type: http://
domain: home.sprintmail.com/
path: ~debflanagan/main
file extension: .html
The workings of the Internet are quite complex, but you don't need to know too much jargon to be able to search effectively. To help you locate webpages, you need to use a really good search engine that will do the searching for you and provide you with a list of the most likely links to websites that might be useful.
To help you get started, here are three tutorials on web searches.
How To Search the Web: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/teac...
This great Suite 101 site contains a lot of useful information on getting started with web searches. Tips and tricks such as using eliminators like + and - in searches and refining searches are covered. It is a great starting place.
Basic Tutorial on Searching The Web: http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/bones...
Just as the name says, this is a basic tutorial on web searches. It covers many aspects of web searching, all - presented in clear, easy to understand terms.
Web Search Strategies: http://home.sprintmail.com/~debflanagan/...
This site also presents and easy-to-follow process on using search engines and subject directories for searching the World Wide Web.
Searching
Here are some search engines that are designed specifically for use by children:
Guides to Search Engines for Children: http://www.searchability.com/children.htm
This site ranks the many search engines that are available for children. It gives an overall rating, subject coverage,and who will find it most useful, children, families, specific age groups.
Some others are:
Ivy's Search Engine Resources: http://www.ivyjoy.com/rayne/kidssearch.h...
Kids Search Engines: http://www.searchenginewatch.com/links/a...
Yahooligans: http://www.yahooligans.com/
Safe Surfing
In this day and age of identity theft and child pornography online, parents must be extra vigilant to keep their kids safe while searching. Children must be taught not to give out personal information online, and to avoid questionable websites. If you have a site blocking kind of software, use it!
The Internet is a wonderful place for kids to learn and explore, but there are dangers they need to be aware of. Here are some ways to keep safe that your child should know:
1. Never give out your full name, address, phone number, school name and address or any other personal information without your parent's permission.
2. Do not click on any links that are contained in e-mail from anyone you don't know. Such links could lead to inappropriate web sites.
3. Do not give out your Internet passwords to anyone (even best friends), other than your parents.
4. If someone sends you something abusive or that makes you uncomfortable, let your parents or teacher know. Never respond to it yourself.
Here are a few safe surfing sites to refer to for more information.
Safe Surfing Rules for Kids: http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/computer...
Safe Surfing Guidelines for Parents: http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/computer...
SafeKids.Com: http://www.safekids.com/
Safe Surfing with your Family: http://www.yahooligans.com/parents/
SafeSurf: http://www.safesurf.com/
