All You Need to Know about the Internet at
http://learnthenet.com

Learnthenet.com is a great resource for anyone just learning how to use the Internet. The site contains a collection of articles that cover topics from Master the Basics all the way up to Build a Website. The articles are written with “ordinary” people in mind and contain lots of graphics. Some of them also include interactive “Try this” activities. Most of the articles are available in 5 different languages including French. Unfortunately the reading level is fairly high making it more suitable for instructors than students.

The Animated Internet is is one resource on this site that would be appropriate for learners. It includes several short animations on topics such as: Connecting to the Internet, How the Web Works, How Email Works and Search Engines. Each animation appears along with a few short sentences. The reading level is still fairly high but the animation and the length of the text make this a much more accessible resource.

One thing to keep in mind when using the site is that it does have some commercial elements to it. The site contains a store where you can purchases books by the author of the site. Some of the sections such as Building a Website are also geared to businesses. This aside, the site contains lots of material, presented in an easy to read format that is bound to be of use to literacy instructors and students that are just starting to feel their way around the World Wide Web.

Challenge yourself and your students at
www.funbrain.com

Here’s a site that’s lots of fun while being challenging at the same time. Although a lot of the games on this site are designed for children, there are many activities that are difficult enough to challenge adults. There are five sections on this site: Kids, Free Games, Parents, Teachers and Quiz Lab.

Although there is too much information available in the Teachers section to mention everything, a sampling would include lesson plans, curriculum, and online resources. The lesson plans are divided by subject and include resources as well as printable exercises. Teachers can browse the lesson plans by level from prekindergarten to grade 12. This section also includes links to reference materials and provides a standards finder so you can find the learning objectives for any grade by subject.

The Quiz Lab gives you access to hundreds of ready-made quizzes on a variety of subjects. In order to access the Quiz Lab, you must register. Registering is free and only takes a few minutes. You can also make your own quizzes. The quizzes can be completed online or printed. In order for your students to have access to the lessons online, you must register your class. The website will keep track of all of the scores for your students as they complete the assigned lessons. You can choose to have these scores emailed to you for your convenience.

This site has a lot to offer, so be sure to visit: www.funbrain.com the next time you need a fun way to challenge your students.

Collections of Websites for Adult Literacy Practitioners and Learners

• The National Adult Literacy Database (http://www.nald.ca) hosts the websites of numerous national, provincial/territorial and regional literacy organizations. They also maintain a directory of over 1500 "Links to Internet Resources/Educational Resources".
• The AlphaPlus Index to Web Resources (http://alphaplus.ca) is a searchable resource that contains over 680 websites indexed using the Canadian Literacy Thesaurus. The websites contain resources of interest to literacy and ESL practitioners and learners.