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Free High School Courses from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has been highlighted here on FreelyEducate.com before, for their 1,900 (!) courses available for free (!) at the college level.

Well, now they're focusing on high schoolers.  Check out the MIT OpenCourseware: Highlights for High School website for the course listings.

Here is a direct link to the Teachers page, a great place to start.  You can watch a 3-minute video tour of the site here, which outlines all the site has to offer teachers of high school students.

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MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has been highlighted here on FreelyEducate.com before, for their 1,900 (!) courses available for free (!) at the college level.

Well, now they're focusing on high schoolers.  Check out the MIT OpenCourseware: Highlights for High School website for the course listings.

Here is a direct link to the Teachers page, a great place to start.  You can watch a 3-minute video tour of the site here, which outlines all the site has to offer teachers of high school students.

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Subscribe to FreelyEducate here  or keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Free Novel Writing Organizational Software for Students and Writers

I imagine it's a confusing business trying to keep track of character's traits while writing a novel or piece of fiction.  Your students, and the writers among you educators, may find Storybook to be the organizational answer you've been searching for.  Best of all:  Storybook is 100% free.

Below is a little about the program from the creators:

Storybook is a free (open source) novel-writing tool for creative writers, novelists and authors which will help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines while writing books, novels or other written works.

Storybook assists you in structuring your book

Store all information about your characters and locations in one place. Then, use the included Storybook features for managing chapters, scenes, characters and locations. A simple interface is provided to enable you to assign your defined characters and locations to each scene and to keep an overview of your work with user-friendly chart tools.

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here 

Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

I imagine it's a confusing business trying to keep track of character's traits while writing a novel or piece of fiction.  Your students, and the writers among you educators, may find Storybook to be the organizational answer you've been searching for.  Best of all:  Storybook is 100% free.

Below is a little about the program from the creators:

Storybook is a free (open source) novel-writing tool for creative writers, novelists and authors which will help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines while writing books, novels or other written works.

Storybook assists you in structuring your book

Store all information about your characters and locations in one place. Then, use the included Storybook features for managing chapters, scenes, characters and locations. A simple interface is provided to enable you to assign your defined characters and locations to each scene and to keep an overview of your work with user-friendly chart tools.

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here 

Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

Free College Course: Introduction to Writing Academic Prose

The University of Utah has posted the full curriculum to their course, Introduction to Writing: Academic Prose.  You may access the content at their site or look on the bottom right sidebar to download the entire course. 

The course schedule is for one-hour sessions three times each week for 16 weeks.

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Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at freelyeducate@gmail.com

(Big!) Scholarships for Those with Military Background

Do you have military experience or want to know more about what educational benefits you'd receive by going?  Even if you're just curious about the GI Bill and how you  or your student or child can get more than $49,000 in scholarship money (per year), visit this site:

I don't often highlight sites that you have to join in order to view their information, but since this one is for our military, it's worth it.  The registration form at Military.com is very brief and easy (education goal, military affiliate - including 'none,' email, and zip code).  Over 10 million people are already registered (!). 

After registering, you'll have access to Military.com to view not only the scholarship and educational opportunities, but the many other areas of the site.

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here 

Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

Offer: Free Information About Online College Degrees

There is a new movement in upper education...it's the move from brick-and-mortar colleges and universities to online degree programs.  The quality is high, the classes are convenient, and you can earn your degree while earning a buck at your job.  Nice!

Are you interested in learning more? ITT Technical Institute offers degrees both online and at over 100 locations.  They have free information for you to request!

ITT Technical Institute writes: 

Our curriculum offerings, leading primarily to associate's and bachelor's degrees, are designed to help students begin to prepare for career opportunities in various fields, including:

• Computer and Electronics Engineering Technology
• Criminal Justice
• Business Administration
• Computer Drafting and Design
• Computer Network Systems
• Web Development
• Multimedia
• Software Applications and Programming
• Technical Project Management
• Information Systems Security

(note: when we post these "offer" posts,  you're helping FreelyEducate.com out if you accept them - It's kind of like leaving a tip for us - so if you do this one-- thanks a bunch! )

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Free DVDs (in your mail!) from John Stossel of ABC News

You recognize this face, right?

He says, "Give me a break!" quite a lot and works with ABC News.

Give up?  His name is John Stossel.  He has created several DVDs on educational topics (voting, Katrina, farm subsidies, and private roads are just a few of the subjects on the 2010 DVD). The DVDs are called Stossel in the Classroom and you can get them for .... FREE! ... by filling out a form at the Stossel in the Classroom site (email, name, address, and school or homeschool information are required in the form).

The direct link to the DVDs to order is here.

And a direct link to the Teacher Guides is here.

An example of what will be on the DVDs is here, in a video on gas prices.

Oh, good news for homeschoolers!  When I asked if homeschoolers can order the free DVDs, too, Kathleen at Stossel in the Classroom said, "Yes, we have many homeschoolers on our list. Thanks for the plug,  Kathleen."  

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Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Free Flashcards for Learning - K-12 through College

Free World U offers education through online flashcards.  They write, "The purpose of electronic flashcards is to enable students to master a large mass of course content. Flashcards are more than memory tools. They are applicable to problem solving and thought processes of almost every kind."

Here are a few links to certain pages on the Free World U site to get you started:

• The Theory of Using Flashcards in Education
•  Site Tutorial and  Tutorial Videos
• Flashcards by Grade Level (Elementary, Middle, High School and Pre-Med and Medical School) 
• Flashcards by Category

Registration is optional, but if you do so, your flashcards will be saved.

The flashcards are offered on a variety of subjects (math, science, history, geography and more) for elementary grades, middle school, high school, and college level (pre-med and medical students).

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Have a resource to share or a giveaway to donate?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com (no spaces)

OpenUW: Free Courses from the University of Washington

Oh, good, more courses from a university!  This time the free knowledge is courtesy of the University of Washington through their program, OpenUW.  They write, "The OpenUW Courses are designed to spark your interest in lifelong learning and familiarize you with online education. The OpenUW Courses are accessible free-of-charge."

Explore a variety of learning in these free online courses from the University of Washington.

• The American Civil War
• Energy, Diet and Weight
• Greek Mythology
• Gulliver's Travels
• Hamlet
• HTML Basics
• History of Jazz: New Orleans
• The American Revolution
• Shakespeare's Comedies
• Heroic Fantasy: Tolkien
• World War II

Please Note:  The University of Washington wants you to register before accessing the information.  The registration is through a simple name/address form.  They promise to not spam you or share your information.

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here  or keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Oh, good, more courses from a university!  This time the free knowledge is courtesy of the University of Washington through their program, OpenUW.  They write, "The OpenUW Courses are designed to spark your interest in lifelong learning and familiarize you with online education. The OpenUW Courses are accessible free-of-charge."

Explore a variety of learning in these free online courses from the University of Washington.

• The American Civil War
• Energy, Diet and Weight
• Greek Mythology
• Gulliver's Travels
• Hamlet
• HTML Basics
• History of Jazz: New Orleans
• The American Revolution
• Shakespeare's Comedies
• Heroic Fantasy: Tolkien
• World War II

Please Note:  The University of Washington wants you to register before accessing the information.  The registration is through a simple name/address form.  They promise to not spam you or share your information.

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here  or keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

College-Level Biology from Carnegie Mellon University

Another free course offering from Carnegie Mellon University. This course is called Modern Biology...

A description from Carnegie Mellon:

This introductory course in"Modern Biology" covers topics found in the fields of celluar biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics. It does not cover organismal biology or taxonomy. This course is a requirement for biology majors at Carnegie Mellon University. The course is carefully planned to provide the backgound biology students will need for advanced biology classes. Non-biology majors will also find this course useful as it explains many of the concepts and techniques currently discussed in the popular press.ans for a complete on-line Biology course are under development.

This Modern Biology course is built around six Key Concepts that provide unifying explanations for how and why structures are formed and processes occur throughout your study of biology. Because it is not possible to cover the breadth of modern molecular biology in one semester, an understanding of these Key Concepts will provide a basis for extension of your knowledge to biological systems beyond the specifics covered in this course. One of the major goals of the course therefore is for you to not only learn the definitions of the concepts but also learn to recognize when they are operating the process being studied.

The Key Concepts:

• Bioselectivity
• Energy
• Equilibrium
• Ionic State
• Rate Control
• Solubility

Unit 1: Modern Biology

Unit 2: Biological Chemistry
- Atoms, Functional Groups, and Water
- Equilibrium and pH
- Carbohydrates and Polysaccharides
- Amino Acids and Proteins
- Enzymes and Regulation

Unit 3: Cell BiologyModule
- Lipids and Membranes
- Transport and Signalling

Unit 4: Basis of Molecular Biology
- DNA and RNA
- DNA Replication
- DNA Transcription
- RNA Translation-Protein Synthesis

Appendix: Glossaries
- Instructions for Activities
- Tutorial Animations
- Functional Groups
- Structure and Function of the Cell Membrane
- Images of Living Cells

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here  or keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Another free course offering from Carnegie Mellon University. This course is called Modern Biology...

A description from Carnegie Mellon:

This introductory course in"Modern Biology" covers topics found in the fields of celluar biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics. It does not cover organismal biology or taxonomy. This course is a requirement for biology majors at Carnegie Mellon University. The course is carefully planned to provide the backgound biology students will need for advanced biology classes. Non-biology majors will also find this course useful as it explains many of the concepts and techniques currently discussed in the popular press.ans for a complete on-line Biology course are under development.

This Modern Biology course is built around six Key Concepts that provide unifying explanations for how and why structures are formed and processes occur throughout your study of biology. Because it is not possible to cover the breadth of modern molecular biology in one semester, an understanding of these Key Concepts will provide a basis for extension of your knowledge to biological systems beyond the specifics covered in this course. One of the major goals of the course therefore is for you to not only learn the definitions of the concepts but also learn to recognize when they are operating the process being studied.

The Key Concepts:

• Bioselectivity
• Energy
• Equilibrium
• Ionic State
• Rate Control
• Solubility

Unit 1: Modern Biology

Unit 2: Biological Chemistry
- Atoms, Functional Groups, and Water
- Equilibrium and pH
- Carbohydrates and Polysaccharides
- Amino Acids and Proteins
- Enzymes and Regulation

Unit 3: Cell BiologyModule
- Lipids and Membranes
- Transport and Signalling

Unit 4: Basis of Molecular Biology
- DNA and RNA
- DNA Replication
- DNA Transcription
- RNA Translation-Protein Synthesis

Appendix: Glossaries
- Instructions for Activities
- Tutorial Animations
- Functional Groups
- Structure and Function of the Cell Membrane
- Images of Living Cells

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here  or keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

HippoCampus: Free Multimedia Courses for High School & College

     

HippoCampus offers free multimedia courses in several subjects for high school and college students to use as a homework aid or study help.  I'm personally impressed with the quality of the materials at the HippoCampus site, which was created by the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE). They write, "The goal of HippoCampus is to provide high-quality, multimedia content on general education subjects to high school and college students free of charge."

The available subjects are:

Algebra

Algebra (Spanish)

American Government

Biology

Calculus

Calculus (Spanish)

Environmental Science

Physics

Psychology

Religion

Statistics

US History

You may also create a custom HippoCampus page for your students to access by first filling out this form.

Thank you, Natalee, for sharing this high quality, 100% free educational find with FreelyEducate.com!

Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Have a resource to share or a giveaway to donate?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com (no spaces)

Khan Academy: Over 700 Free Math Instruction Videos

Khan Academy has "over 700 videos covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, and finance," including many videos on the current economic crisis. 

About the professor (the following text is taken from the Khan Academy website) :

Salman Khan (Sal) founded the Khan Academy with the hope of using technology to foster new learning models. He is currently an investment professional in Palo Alto, CA and has held positions in venture capital, product management, and engineering. Sal received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He also holds a Masters in electrical engineering and computer science, a BS in electrical engineering and computer science, and a BS in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Testimonials:

Many testimonials are posted on the Khan Academy site, including these:

"I am a high school Math/Physics Teacher working in Toronto Ontario. I have been referring students to your videos for the past year and have referenced many of them on my website. Those that have used it find it very useful, and have commented that you explain content better than I do..."

"...Your videos have become very popular in my school, and my grades have sky-rocketed ever since I became accustomed to your methods of teaching..."

"I've never been very successful with algebra, I know this is pretty basic, but I have almost no comprehension of mathematics. I was honestly going to be kicked out of school for being non-productive, I was ready to be thrown out, but now I get this. Thank you so much..."

Linda Barger, who emailed me about Khan Academy said her son "loves the site."  Thank you, Linda, for this high quality, 100% free, educational find!

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p.s. Want to enter a giveaway for the skip count and addition facts songbook and CD from Math U See?  My friend, Renee, is giving away one.  Go to her site to enter.

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Subscribe to FreelyEducate here

Keep up with FreelyEducate tweets (Twitter) here: @freelyeducate

Have a resource or giveaway to share?  Email me at loriseaborg @ gmail.com

Alice: Computer Programming for Middle to High Schoolers

Alice, a computer programming software from Carnegie Mellon University, is an exciting educational find for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college age students.  

Carnegie Mellon can certainly explain the program better than me. The following is from the Alice.org site:

Alice is an innovative 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web. Alice is a freely available teaching tool designed to be a student's first exposure to object-oriented programming. It allows students to learn fundamental programming concepts in the context of creating animated movies and simple video games. In Alice, 3-D objects (e.g., people, animals, and vehicles) populate a virtual world and students create a program to animate the objects.

In Alice's interactive interface, students drag and drop graphic tiles to create a program, where the instructions correspond to standard statements in a production oriented programming language, such as Java, C++, and C#. Alice allows students to immediately see how their animation programs run, enabling them to easily understand the relationship between the programming statements and the behavior of objects in their animation. By manipulating the objects in their virtual world, students gain experience with all the programming constructs typically taught in an introductory programming course.

Alice comes in two different programs:

• The main program, Alice, was created for high schoolers and college age students by Carnegie Mellon University.
• Storytelling Alice was designed for middle schoolers (particularly girls) by a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University.

Ready to get started?  Here are a few quick links to helpful information (go to the main site, Alice.org, for these links and more):

• Promotional Videos on what Alice is and how to use it.
• Teacher Tutorials
• Community Forum where you'll find many answers to your questions
• Alice download (the one for high school to college age)
• Storytelling Alice download (for middle schoolers)

Thank you, Mary, for this high quality, 100% free, educational find! 

College-Level Biology from Carnegie Mellon University

Another free course offering from Carnegie Mellon University. This course is called Modern Biology...

A description from Carnegie Mellon:

This introductory course in"Modern Biology" covers topics found in the fields of celluar biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics. It does not cover organismal biology or taxonomy. This course is a requirement for biology majors at Carnegie Mellon University. The course is carefully planned to provide the backgound biology students will need for advanced biology classes. Non-biology majors will also find this course useful as it explains many of the concepts and techniques currently discussed in the popular press.ans for a complete on-line Biology course are under development.

This Modern Biology course is built around six Key Concepts that provide unifying explanations for how and why structures are formed and processes occur throughout your study of biology. Because it is not possible to cover the breadth of modern molecular biology in one semester, an understanding of these Key Concepts will provide a basis for extension of your knowledge to biological systems beyond the specifics covered in this course. One of the major goals of the course therefore is for you to not only learn the definitions of the concepts but also learn to recognize when they are operating the process being studied.

The Key Concepts:

• Bioselectivity
• Energy
• Equilibrium
• Ionic State
• Rate Control
• Solubility

Unit 1: Modern Biology

Unit 2: Biological Chemistry
- Atoms, Functional Groups, and Water
- Equilibrium and pH
- Carbohydrates and Polysaccharides
- Amino Acids and Proteins
- Enzymes and Regulation

Unit 3: Cell BiologyModule
- Lipids and Membranes
- Transport and Signalling

Unit 4: Basis of Molecular Biology
- DNA and RNA
- DNA Replication
- DNA Transcription
- RNA Translation-Protein Synthesis

Appendix: Glossaries
- Instructions for Activities
- Tutorial Animations
- Functional Groups
- Structure and Function of the Cell Membrane
- Images of Living Cells

~ FreelyEducate.com:  every post is a high quality, 100% free, educational find.

Calculus (and Pre-Calc) from Carnegie Mellon University

The following description about the (free) college-level Calculus course is provided by Carnegie Mellon University:

The material is organized in eleven units, marking major thematic subdivision. Each unit contains several modules of material. These units are:

• Unit 1: Introduction
• Unit 2: Graphs
• Unit 3: The Function: The Most Fundamental Calculus Tool of All
• Unit 4: Important Functions
• Unit 5: Local Behavior and Asymptotic Behavior of Functions:
• Unit 6: Pointwise and Global Properties of Functions
• Unit 7: The Meaning of the Derivative
• Unit 8: Computing the Derivative
• Unit 9: Graphing Using Derivatives
• Unit 10: Anti-derivatives and Proper Integrals: “Un-doing” Differentiation
• Unit 11: Improper Integrals

The first four units are essentially pre-calculus material. Inclusion of the first four units will significantly expand the potential audience for the course, because many institutions include pre-calculus material in their calculus curriculum. The four units could also serve as the basis of a separate pre-calculus course.

Here is the link again:

Calculus Course from Carnegie Mellon University

Thank you, Tina, for this high quality, 100% free, educational find!

p.s. Thank you for your patience while we dealt with Hurricane Gustav.  I should be back to posting regularly, as long as those other hurricanes stay away from our Gulf Coast spot!