/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25658358/247300_ONE_DOLLAR_MERGER_CVirginia.jpg "From AOL Time Warner to DirecTV and Dish: 20 years of media mergers")
Is there a hobby, subject or skill that you or your child are interested in that you haven’t pursued? What hurdles are holding you back?
I’d wager that if it’s not time holding back your education, it’s probably money. And no wonder! Nowadays, it seems that if you want anything more than a cursory understanding of a topic, you’d better be ready to fork over large sums of money just to obtain the resources necessary to advance.
Fortunately, the Internet is a big place. And it’s filled with plenty of free software and websites that just may be what you’re looking for to take that next step. But because the Internet is filled to the brim with stuff, those resources may be hard to find. So, we’ve made a list of seven free educational sites you can visit.
Admittedly, many of these websites do sell subscriptions that unlock even more functionality, so they won’t completely fulfill every need. However, we’ve found that what they offer for free is substantial enough to warrant a look for yourself.
Musicians hoping to write their own songs may be discouraged by the expensive prices of composition resources: Professional notation software often reaches well over $100. Musescore, however, comes to users completely free of charge.
The notation app helps aspiring composers to get their songs down on paper in a professional format. Likewise, it plays the music back, whether you’ve written a solo piece for piano or an adagio for an orchestra. And if you don’t like how some of the computerized instruments sound, the software allows users to install new ones.
What’s more, if you finish composing and want to share your work with the world, Musescore makes it easy to export and print your songs. Musescore’s website also allows users to upload their content and hosts nearly two million community songs which other users can listen, rate and download.
I’m not one to tell you how to do your homework, but whether you’re in kindergarten or college, you may find Symbolab to be a helpful aid.
Whether it’s geometry, calculus, finance or even chemistry, Symbolab seeks to help students find solutions to their math problems. Type your question into the website, and Symbolab will return the solution to you. But more importantly, it’ll show you, step-by-step, how it got there. It has calculators to help you find the acceleration of an object, density and even your monthly mortgage payment. The website also has a “cake pan converter” for all you bakers.
And for those looking to do a bit of practice (or for parents homeschooling their kids), the website generates worksheets full of math problems to be solved. And if any of those problems are a bit too challenging, Symbolab will, once again, provide the step-by-step solution.
The biggest issue parents might find with the website is the temptation to simply obtain the answer without learning the material. But for those wanting to understand the process behind solving a math problem, Symbolab can be a great boon.
Looking to spruce up your writing? Consider using Hemingway Editor.
The free version of this website provides helpful advice for any essay, article or writing project you may have. It identifies the readability of your content by grade level, and it highlights sections of your writing you may need to rewrite.
Users should be mindful that Hemingway Editor isn’t the be-all, end-all of how your writing should be. In other words, just because it highlights a sentence or word doesn’t mean you must change it. (Just take a look at the sample above, wherein the software recommended changes to C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.) However, examining those highlights can’t hurt, and they may keep you mindful of how your writing may come across to others.
Most people know about Duolingo by now. But have you heard about Beelinguapp?
This entry is a language-learning app for your phone. However, rather than teaching you a language through phrases, it takes a unique approach, teaching you through stories. Select the language you want to learn, and Beelinguapp will put forth a short story or excerpt in that language for you to read. It may even give you an authentic news story.
It’s alright if you don’t understand every word! The app helpfully puts the English text of the same story to the side, so a quick glance over can get you back on track. At the end of each story, you’ll take a short quiz asking you questions about what you read to ensure you understood it.
Symbolab can help you find answers to difficult physics problems, but Physion will let you move beyond just formulas.
Of everything on this list, Physion is the most complex. It describes itself as “a 2D physics simulation software which allows users to create and manipulate objects in a virtual environment and observe their physical behavior according to the laws of physics.”
Students and teachers alike can use this program to simulate whatever physics-based idea they can think of. Physion can serve as a visual aid to learning about the conservation of energy, or Newton’s Laws, for instance. It can also just be used for personal fun: setting up marble races or Rube Goldberg machines. But whether you’re using this sandbox for educational or entertainment purposes, chances are you’ll learn a thing or two about physics along the way.
Chemistry – Ptable
Okay, this one’s less of a software and more of an interactive glossary. Ptable, at its core, is an online depiction of the periodic table. But it comes with a whole lot more, too.
Users can click each element to read all about its characteristics. They can drag a temperature bar to show at what point each element turns from solid to liquid and liquid to gas. Other tabs on the website show each element’s electrons and known isotopes. Likewise, a final tab allows users to combine elements together to learn about the chemical compounds they’re making.
Khan Academy has been around for a long time—so long that I remember using some of its videos to help me learn math when I was in high school. Khan Academy has since expanded far beyond what I had access to, offering free lessons in almost anything from Pre-K math to Advanced Placement history to electrical engineering.
Khan Academy seeks to provide quality educational videos to everyone. These videos feature a teacher who explains the subject, which is often broken into multiple videos for ease of learning at your own pace. And many subjects come with quizzes for users to test themselves on the topic.
It should be noted that some subjects touch on various theories, such as evolution and the origin of life. Still, Khan Academy may be a helpful way to find insight on that pesky school problem that’s been giving you trouble.
Yes, You Still Need to Go to Class
It’s important to remember that no matter how extensive the website, nothing on this list is a replacement for formal education. Rather, these resources should be used to supplement learning, as helpful aids to further your education without supplanting it.
Did we miss a free educational resource you enjoy using? Share with the class in the comments below!
