• The Internet can be a big scary place - the HVA is here to help

    Sometimes you just need a little more information, right?

    You've listened to the instructor, you've taken the enotes, but you still need a little more.  Well, you're in luck; the internet is filled with many educational websites.

    Hooray! You're saved, right? Ummm maybe not.  Lots of websites which claim to be educational are little more than ads for companies or even worse loaded with misleading propaganda.  

    I have taken the time to vet some websites for content and quality.  I hope you find them useful.

    ~Mr. Cressler

    I apologize for the terrible puns I could not help myself.

  • Looking for "sum" help with a Math course?

    • Khan Academy - This is one of the premiere educational websites on the Internet.  I have listed it in the Math section only because Khan Academy started with Mathematics but, it offers so much more now. 
    • Math Planet - I included this one as it has sections for Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry.  It also includes practice resources for SAT and ACT.  Fun fact this website is also available in Danish and Swedish
    • S.O.S. Mathematics - From fractions to differential equations this website has it all.  The website is a little dated in appearance but the information is good.
    • Math and Money Fun For Students @ Couponfollow - contains great links to games for basic math skills (addition, subtraction, skip counting...) all the way up to financial skills (calculating compound interest, the stock market game...) and more. (Special thanks to E. Price for this recommendation)

    Maybe these English Language Arts links will be "write" for you.

    • Quill - Create a free user account and get ready to learn some grammar.  The practice exercises allow for multiple answers and will display how many users created an answer similar to yours
    • Perdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) - Maintained and supported by Perdue University contains an expansive collection writing resources.  Notably it has an excellent section on citations and writing bibliographies.
    • Grammarly - It's not a website! What is it? It's a browser add on that corrects grammar (250 common errors) and spelling (create an account to customize your personal spelling dictionary.)  This great for students answering questions online say for example in Schoology or Edgenuity.
    • Guide to Grammar and Writing - This site is a little on the quirky side and not totally mobile friendly.  However, it has some excellent exercises for helping you improve your writing and even overcome writer's block.  Find these helpful articles under the topic heading "Essay & Research Paper Level."

    It might be "a small world after all" but, there's still a lot of Geography and History to learn.

    • The Smithsonian Institution - Access to the whole of the Smithonsian's digital resources, some of this stuff is a little technical be warned.  There is an education site specifically for students known as the Smithsonian Learning Lab.
    • Digital History - Good News! This website has an awesome interactive timeline.  Bad News! It's flash based and will not load on most mobile devices.  The topic summaries are concise and accurate this a great site to brush up on your U.S. History.
    • The CIA World Factbook - Maintained by the Central Intelligence Agency, this website is an excellent means to quickly gain a basic overview of regions and countries around the world. 

    Experiment with some Science links?

    • Why Bees and Pollination Are So Important.  There's a lot of buzz about this one.  If you're interested in the basics of pollenation and how bees use pollen, this site is for you. (Special thanks to James for my first ever student submission!)
    • Inner Body - A perfect resource for students taking an Anatomy class.  This website includes most major body systems with clickable diagrams and a 3D tilt and zoom view (works with most browsers.)
    • Ology - This website is a little cartoony but it is supported and maintained by the American Museum of Natural History and contains plenty of quality information explained in . 
    • Science Kids - This website is definitely aimed at a younger audience.  That being said it does has a rather extensive section on Science Fair project ideas many of which could be used by learners of any age.

    These aren't Math, Social Studies, English, or Science.

    • Span!shD!ct - This website offers instant translations into Spanish, commonly used English/Spanish, verb conjugations, and general Spanish language lessons.  Also available as an app for Android, Apple, and Windows Mobile, the site and app are add supported but it is pretty unobtrusive.
    • Google Scholar - This specialized version of Google also users to search academic journals, research papers and other scholar resources that once upon a time were only available at the college level.
    • Duo Lingo - Having Trouble with your HVA Spanish or German?  Want to learn Welsh? Dutch? Swahili? Duo Lingo provides quality language instruction.  The website and apps are add supported which keeps the site free for users.
    • Art History Resources - This website contains a large number of links to high level academic information about Art and Art History.

     

    The Highlands School District nor its employees bare any responsibility for the content or the links on web pages that are not hosted and/or maintained by the Highlands School District.
     
    Site updated 2/1/2024