RTC's Fall 2017 Communicator

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6 FALL 2017
Handy Tools for Teens
Online classes can offer educational
opportunities beyond what teens get
at school. These online tools can help
them get the most out of what they
learn and save time doing research:
Google Scholar
You can use this Google search engine
specifically to find articles for research.
This site provides a collection of
online encyclopedias and free access
to nearly 200,000 reference entries.
Infoplease
A great place to start for any research
project, this site has information and
resources for a variety of topics.
Library of Congress
loc.gov
This rich source of information can
help you find the right sources
for projects in history, science, art,
politics, and much more.
Find definitions, pronunciations,
games, translations, and articles.
Questia
Users can read over 5,000 public do-
main books— from authors like Mark
Twain, Charles Dickens, and Charlotte
Brontë— for free!
Online learning sites are great for high school students who need some
additional help with tough courses, or who want to learn more about
subjects not taught in their local school. The sites below can help in either
case, and some can additionally give teens a taste of college coursework.
Diverse Learning Sources Take
Teens Beyond the Classroom
Open Culture •
Open Culture features extensive lists of free cultural and educational media online.
Sections include audio books, online courses, certificate courses/massive open online
courses (MOOCs), movies, languages, textbooks, and ebooks. You can find online
courses in topics as diverse as architecture, history, economics, and literature.
Udacity •
The mission of Udacity is to bring accessible, affordable, engaging, and highly effective
higher education to the world. The site focuses on skills that are currently in demand by
employers, and many courses are designed by major technology firms. Free courses are
available in programming, machine learning, and front-end web development.
WatchKnowLearn •
This site curates the best online educational videos and makes them available for
students, teachers, and parents. Videos are chosen based on suggestions from educators
and cover a wide range of topics including language arts, math, science, history, hobbies,
and life skills.
TEDEd •
You’ve heard about TED Talks. Well, what about TED Ed? Education, that is. TED’s
education site has mini-lessons in many areas including business and economics; design,
engineering, and technology; psychology; and teaching and education. The lessons are
brief so you can learn a lot without devoting too much time.