Mike Wood, Crossroads Rhode Island
There are many web-sites that can be accessed through a search, but navigating to the right one may be problematic. By searching for "GED", several web-sites that offer free online lessons and practice tests can be found in the first few pages. These sites include:
These free sites I have found to be user friendly and offer easy links to relevant material. Learners need to be able to access material that is not only relevant, but also easy to access and will not cause any techno-fear. These sites also offer many practice tests and tips for test taking, the choices of which offer the learner sample tests that appeal to their comfort level.
Other sites such as
are more troubling. My students not only struggle with academic issues, but also issues related to housing, domestic violence, child care. While the goal of distance learning is to empower the learner, initial self-searching online is bound to discourage the learner if she is presented with a wide variety of options. If the majority of those options require her to pay a fee, she may give up entirely. These sites are also confusing to navigate. This is unfortunate, since these, given their address name, may the ones most likely to be accessed and cause frustration.Searching for specific subjects, like "GED writing" or simply "Writing." are even more problematic, as the sites most often listed are directions to either pay sites, or blogs.
Ideally, http://www.myskillstutor.com is the first place for an online learner to begin studies, since it is a site designed for distance learning and has a wide variety of tests in all subjects. From there, the learner could use some of the other testing sites they like, or search for authentic materials in each subject through search engines.
Another site that ought to provide useful material is http://www.kyvl.org, which has a section on tips for self-study and how to research online.
back to lr/ri tech page