Connections Matter! Kids, Computers, and Curriculum

There are many free and low cost resources on the Internet for teachers. We've collected some sites that will let you set up your virtual classroom for free and some other sites you might find of interest. We did not include any lesson plan sites - a good search engine will help you find those.

myschoolonline.com - free calendar and gradebook that allows students and parents to stay current about grades and due dates. This site also has resources for PTA groups.

schoolnotes.com - this site allows you to post homework and information about your class to their website for free. You need no HTML training.

Quia - this site has many different uses, but one of the things you can do here is get a free teacher homepage. It also has thousands of online games and quizzes in over 40 subject areas, templates for creating flashcards, concentration cards, word search, and more, an online quiz creator, and administration and reporting tools.

Blackboard.com - Blackboard.com is in the business of facilitating distance learning. Educators can set up courses and classroom sites for free, and use the many components of Blackboard.com like the Resource Center. You are limited to 5 mgs of space, and you must access your site at least once a month. For online classes, they offer a professional package for $100 that gives you 10 mgs, technical support, unlimited use for one year, and the ability to charge students for the classes.

Lightspan.com - you get a customizable Home Page, a Class Announcements area, a Class Bookmarks area to post links to web sites for your lessons, a calendar to post homework, upcoming events, and email. These services are free.

bigchalk.com - Bigchalk features a free website template and hosting service, along with lots of links of interest to teachers. Online communities where you can talk to other teachers, professional development opportunities, lesson plan collections, and resource collections are all available here.