Revive your algebra skills at Khan Academy

American educator Salman Khan, a graduate of MIT and Harvard, started the Khan Academy in 2006 for the purpose of making “a free, world-class education available for anyone, anywhere.” Khan, a mathematician by training, features videos of an electronic blackboard on which he works out math problems while explaining them in voice-over. His site has expanded its offerings until now it not only hosts lessons in math, but also computer programming, economics and even art history. Site registration is free, and those who complete courses can earn “badges” for their accomplishments. The lessons are aimed at a college preparatory level. Still, if I had to brush up my algebra, I would click right in to Khan Academy. Khan Academy lessons are available through free apps, too.

Khan Academy
http://www.khanacademy.org

Brad’s Deals compiles the savings for teachers

Teachers have it tough, working long hours alone in front of masses of children with little support. They often have to purchase school supplies out of their own pocket. Brad’s Deals is here to help with a list of 80 merchants who offer discounts to the brave men and women that we entrust to mold our nation’s future. (You might want to ignore that one from Border’s though.)

http://www.bradsdeals.com/blog/2010/08/10/71-stores-offering-discounts-to-teachers/

Use the app Access My Library to search Gale databases on the go

Gale, part of Cengage Learning, offers three apps for mobile search of its databases. Two of them, for K-12 and college students, are restricted to subscribers. But the public client offers free access to much of Gale’s content. Users enter a zip code; the app lists public libraries with Gale subscriptions within a ten-mile radius. Users choose a library to access the Gale databases to which that library subscribes. They do not have to hold a card.

Tip: Larger libraries can afford many fine Gale databases! Access My Library is a terrific way to explore their content. The apps work on Android and Apple platforms.

http://www.gale.cengage.com/apps/

Use AR BookFinder to discover a book’s “points”

Many schools use the Accelerated Reader program to judge the reading level of children’s books and to test students on what they have read. Find the “AR points” of most children’s books here.

http://www.arbookfind.com/default.aspx

Assess your strengths with SWOT analysis

What are your strengths? What do you need to work on to achieve your goals? What are the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a major or a career? Sometimes, writing it out makes the situation clearer. Try the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) technique, described here, to help you decide what path to follow.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05_1.htm

HyperHistory Online lets you jump back in time.

HyperHistory covers 3,000 years of world history with an interactive combination of timelines, lifelines, and maps. Print copies of the timeline can be purchased through the site … or you can press Shift/Print Screen to copy and then paste the image into a document.
Very cool.

http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html

A+ Research and Writing for High School and College Students

Kathryn L. Schwartz wrote this guide while a student of the Information and Library Studies program at the University of Michigan. It not only teaches writing skills but also how to research a paper using both print and online sources.
http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/

Blinded by science: How Everything Works!

Louis A. Bloomfield, professor of physics at the University of Virginia, has been answering readers’ questions regarding the physics of everyday things since 1997. Students can search Bloomfield’s archive of revealed wisdom by keyword or topic. Find out why coffee seems warmer after you stir in cream, even though the cream is cold (transfer of energy). Discover the reason that paper towels absorb water (cellulose binds to water easily). And finally, uncover ways to make your coffee so hot in the microwave that the cup explodes. Science is fun!

http://www.howeverythingworks.org/

Learn interesting facts from the Library of Congress

Ask a simple question: “What is the strongest muscle in the body?” Get a page full of answers in return (it depends on how you measure strength) along with links to authoritative resources about human musculature. And that’s just in the “Everyday Mysteries” aka science section. Learn about history, geography, and music and dance from this page. There’s bound to be something here to help finish that school assignment.

http://www.loc.gov/families/

Generate a flawless bibliography with Son of Citation Machine.

Your paper is due but you can’t remember how to format Web article entries in your bibliography. What do you do? Turn to the online application Son of Citation Machine. Simply enter the author, title, publication date, and other relevant information for Web or print sources, and the site generates a perfectly formatted bibliographic entry. Or, if your source is a book, just enter its ISBN. You can then copy and paste the results into your end notes.

http://citationmachine.net