The Internet is a vast and often overwhelming place for children and parents. With the sheer volume of material available, finding content on the Internet that is educational, entertaining, and appropriate for children can definitely be a challenging task.

Who was Worthwhile Web Sites for Learning designed for?
What grade levels are supported through Worthwhile Web Sites for Learning?
What curriculum areas are included?
How were the web sites chosen?
What other information is included on Worthwhile Web Sites?
Do any of the web sites included cost money?
Do I need anything special to access the web sites?
Who designed and looks after this site?
How did Worthwhile Web Sites for Learning get started?

Who was Worthwhile Web Sites designed for?
Worthwhile Web Sites for Learning was put together as a resource for parents to use at home with their children to enhance what the child is already learning at school. For example, if a child is reading a novel and wants to learn more about the author or other books written by the same author, there are links to help you find the sites. Maybe your child wants to practise their weekly spelling words a different way and will choose a site that allows them to do this. Or perhaps learning those math basic facts can be given a boost by playing an online math game.
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What grades is Worthwhile Web Sites designed to support?
All web sites listed support the Alberta K-6 curriculum. Each subject area is divided into Division One (Kindergarten to grade three) and Division Two (grade four to grade six).
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What curriculum areas are included?
At this time, Language Arts, Science, and Math are the curriculum areas included in this site. Eventually, Social Studies, Health, Art, and other subject areas will be included as well.
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How were the web sites chosen?
The sites provided through Worthwhile Web Sites enhance learning, not teach. For example, if your child is learning about fractions or basic facts, interactive sites that allow for practice would be included, not lesson plans.

The sites chosen also needed to be available free of charge and not loaded down with a lot of advertising. While some sites included do endorse particular products, they needed to be low-key and not interfere with the educational purpose of the site.
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What other information is included on Worthwhile Web Sites?
Links to parent resources, information about the Internet, resources to use at home to help with homework completion, and quality web sites that are 'just for fun' have also been provided.
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Do any of the web sites included cost money?
One of the criteria for choosing the web sites was that they not cost money. Only one web site involves a cost and that is listed in the site description before you even click to go there.
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Do I need anything special to access the web sites?
Since most of the sites included in this resource are interactive and use Flash, many require Java or Shockwave.
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Who designed and looks after this site?
I do. I've been a teacher in Alberta for the last 20 plus years and taught Kindergarten all the way up to grade 12. As well as loving teaching, I love working with technology and learning all that I can for using it in a meaningful way in the classroom with students.
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How did Worthwhile Web Sites for Learning get started?
Worthwhile Web Sites for Learning came about because of parents and their persistence with wanting to be involved with their children's learning and their insistence in wanting to know what their children were doing when using the Internet. While many parents realize the potential value the Internet has for enhancing and supporting learning, knowing where to find those worthwhile sites can often be a frustrating stumbling block.

After many years of passing along lists of web sites to parents of students, I had the wonderful opportunity to present at the first Parents Literacy and Learning Day in Edmonton in 2003. The sites presented at that time were shared on a temporary web site set up for that purpose but emails and phone calls were still received for more sites and information. Parents requested access to a more permanent list of web sites that provide the information that they were looking for. Hopefully, Worthwhile Web Sites for Learning will serve that purpose.
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