20 Places to Learn about Languages and Cultures

The best way to learn about languages and cultures is to travel. Of course, most people don’t have the funds needed to travel to all the countries they’re interested in. If you fall into this category, you should know that there are ways to visit areas around the globe without ever leaving your home. The Internet is a great resource for anyone who wants to explore various languages and cultures. There are numerous sites designed specifically for this purpose–many of them are free to everyone. Here are 20 no-cost sites to visit at your leisure:

The Linguist List – The Linguist List is a large online resource for finding information on language, language analysis, and linguistics. The site features over 2,000 web pages and 25,000 subscribers worldwide.

Your Language Guide – This online guide explores languages and cultures of the world. Throughout this site, users can find language learning strategies and methods, language lore, culture information, and multicultural stories.

Unilang – Unilang is a free online language community for learning, discussing, and practicing languages. This site allows you to connect with and learn from others around the world.

Ethnologue - Enthnologue is a reference site that catalogs the world’s languages. The catalogs reference all the world’s 6,909 languages by country and language names.

Language Tutoring - The Language Tutoring site features over 80 expertly written articles covering language learning and history. Through this site, you can find information on language evolution, endangerment, history, and learning techniques.

Palabea - With this online language learning site, users can connect with people from around the globe to learn languages as well as share information about different cultures. Palabea also allows users to meet native speakers that are in their own hometowns.

MyHappyPlanet - MyHappyPlanet is a free online language community that connects you with language partners worldwide. As a member of this community you have to ability to send and receive messages, learn about languages and cultures through member generated lessons, and watch multi-language videos.

Busuu - Those interested in worldwide languages and cultures, should check out Busuu. This free language learning site features interactive courses, lessons, and a global community of members.

EveryTongue.com - EveryTongue.com is an online language site that provides recordings of 5,457 languages. Within this site, you can browse different languages, learn by listening, compare written languages, and much more.

Vistawide - This free informational site provides resources for language learners and enthusiasts. Vistawide covers all the bases–from cultural information to grammar lessons. This site can even help you in your quest to find the perfect language to study.

Word2Word - Word2Word is an online language resource site that is dedicated to providing a free way to break down the language barriers. Within this site, you can find language dictionaries, courses, videos, chats, communities, blogs, podcasts, and much more.

Parlo - With Parlo, you can learn about the language, culture, and life for five different languages. Not all of the courses are no-cost, but this site does allow you to freely explore culture through articles, video, music, and pen pals.

Speak Mania – Speak Mania is a free way to learn about cultures and languages through pen pals. The site features a language exchange program with audio and video chat.

BBC - This site provides free resources for learning over 36 languages through audio and video lessons. The BBC Online is a great place for beginner to advanced language enthusiasts to learn and explore several languages on one site.

Livemocha - Livemocha is a fun and effective social learning community. Through this community language enthusiasts can learn about languages and cultures from native speakers.

iLoveLanguages - This site features a comprehensive set of links to lessons, dictionaries, translations, software, schools, and cultural information.

SharedTalk - SharedTalk is a free language learning community dedicated to helping people around the world learn a new language. Language communities are a great way to learn about language and culture since you are in essence immersing yourself in a giving culture.

EveryCulture – This site provides an in-depth look at cultures around the world through a series of informative articles. The articles cover all the cultures around the world in alphabetical order.

iTalki – iTalki gives you a comprehensive look at languages through language exchange partners and free resources. With this site, you can also ask cultural questions and speak in discussion groups with foreign speakers.

ForeignLanguageHome.com – This site provides a large language school directory, free resources, and links to online language courses.

 About the Author

 Karen Schweitzer is the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes about online school for Online School.net.

Developing Your Online Profile

Social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, Linked In, and Twitter make it easy to stay in touch with friends and share stories with the rest of the world. But these sites can have drawbacks–particularly for students who are trying to get hired or accepted to college.

Employers and admissions committees often check these sites to learn more about applicants. If they don’t like what they see on your online profile, they are unlikely to contact you with a job offer or acceptance letter.

You can make sure social media sites do not have a negative impact on your future prospects by following these easy tips when developing your online profile:

1. Think carefully before using your real or full name. When you use your actual name, it makes it very easy for people to find you. And while this isn’t always a bad thing, it can backfire when employers or other professionals try seeking you out online.

2. Set privacy controls. There are certain sites, such as MySpace, that allow users to determine who can and cannot view profiles. If this option is available be sure to use it on all of your personal accounts.

3. Do not post party pictures or images that show you doing something illegal on your profile. Nothing looks worse to employers than a social profile filled with images of alcohol abuse or uncouth behavior.

4. List your achievements. You should never be afraid to share your achievements through your professional online profile. Things to list on your profile include: degrees, awards, academic achievements, fluent languages, work experience, and travel experience.

5. Create a personal brand. Your online profile provides a way for you to showcase yourself (your personal brand) to the world. It should include compelling information that demonstrates who you are, how you do things, and what makes you unique.

6. Remember, you are on the Internet. Within the searchable World Wide Web, keywords are king. Your profile should include keywords aimed at your target market. For example, if you have a degree in computer science or need a job in computer science, the words “computer science” should appear somewhere in your profile.

7. Customize your URL. There are certain sites, such as Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter, which allow you to create a vanity URL using your name, site name, or industry. You should take advantage of this option whenever possible to increase the likelihood of your profile appearing in Google search results.

8. Keep your personal and professional accounts separate. If you do intend to post a lot of sensitive information, photos, and personal conversations within your profile, you should keep two separate accounts: a personal/alias account with personal info and a professional account that can be viewed by employers or admissions reps.

9. Cover your tracks. If you have posted something unsavory on social media accounts, get rid of it now before it is seen by anyone else. The best way to do this is by permanently deleting your account and starting a new one. If you simply remove images or deactivate the account, you leave digital footprints that can easily be followed by anyone who knows their way around the web.

Guest post from education writer Karen Schweitzer. Karen is the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes about for OnlineDegreePrograms.org, an online degree program resource.

20 Online Resources for College Bound Students

The Internet is a great place for students to find information on all aspects of college. From choosing a school and gaining admission to funding your education, there is a website out there to fit your needs. Here is a list of 20 resources to get you started:

FastWeb – FastWeb is a college guide and scholarship search site for new students. Features include current news on scholarships and financial aid, information about colleges and internships, and a scholarship search engine.

OffToCollege.com – This college planning guide offers tips and suggestions for gaining entrance to the college of your choice. Information is available for K-12 students. 

CollegeBoard – CollegeBoard makes planning for college simple and easy. This free online resource provides students with solutions for planning, finding, applying and paying for college.

CampusExplorer – CampusExplorer provides information on over 6,000 schools. The handy website lets you find the perfect college match by calculating everything from tuition to temperature. 

CollegeNET – This site allows you to apply for multiple scholarships online. CollegeNET also saves time by automatically copying common data from form to form. 

Peterson’s – Since 1966, Peterson’s has been providing students with the tools they need to succeed and find the right college. Site sections that are particularly useful include essay writing help, test prep, tips on securing financial aid, and information about studying abroad. 

Federal Student Aid – This U.S. Department of Education website is the nation’s largest source for financial aid. FSA gives students the tools, resources, and forms they need to find and apply for college funds. 

CollegeData – CollegeData is a good place to find information on choosing the right college. The site features tons of articles, tips, and facts, as well as stories from other students. 

Quintessential Careers – Quintessential Careers is a comprehensive career website with special sections for college bound students. Visitors can expect free expert advice through articles, tools, tutorials, and samples. 

Campus Grotto – Campus Grotto has information on college rankings, college admission, study tips, financial aid, career choices, and much more.

College.gov – College.gov is a collaborative site built by students and the Department of Education. It includes several online tools and resources as well as downloads and other materials. 

CollegeTips – CollegeTips is an online college survival guide that provides unique information not available through college websites or welcome packets. The guide offers tips on college classes, money, life, health, and planning. 

Students.gov – This U.S. government site provides up-to-date college information to students and families. Students.gov helps students to choose the right college, apply for loans and scholarships, find careers, and much more. 

LocalSchools – This interactive education portal connects students with colleges through communication and mapping technology. LocalSchools allows students to explore prospective schools size, location, programs, fees, and average test scores. 

Scholarships.com – Scholarships.com is a free online directory for students who need information about scholarships and colleges.

CollegeView – This online college resource offers many different informative articles on everything from college searching to majors.

Test Prep Review – Test Prep Review is an online test prep tool that offers sample tests, study guides, and flashcards. Just a few of the tests you can prep for on this site include the ACT, GED, SAT, and MCAT.

Financial Aid Finder – The Financial Aid Finder is a free online guide to financial aid. This online tool offers articles to understand financial aid along with links to search for loans, scholarships and grants. 

GoCollege – Designed specifically for college bound students, GoCollege offers free guides to college, finances, employment, taxes, loans, and health.

Tuition Coach – The Tuition Coach is a college money saving tool that calculates the best ways to save money by analyzing, minimizing, and evaluating college costs.

About the Author

Karen Schweitzer is an education writer who serves as the About.com Guide to Business School. Karen also writes about online class resources for OnlineClasses.org.

15 Places to Find College Grants and Scholarships Online

With the rising cost of tuition, finding the resources to attend college can be tough. Fortunately, there are billions of dollars in grants and scholarships that can be found online to ease the financial burden for college students. Here is a list of 15 sites that you can search for college grants and scholarships.

FastWeb – FastWeb is a great place to find money for college. The site’s scholarship database includes more than 1.5 million college scholarships and grants for high school, college, and graduate students.

Scholarship Experts – With 2.4 scholarships and an up-to-date database, Scholarship Experts is one of the best places online to find college funds. The site also features a time saving scholarship finder that matches students to scholarships by hobbies, interests, and academic background.

CollegeBoard – Designed specifically for college bound students, the CollegeBoard site includes a handy scholarship finder that can match students to more than 2,300 sources of funding based on a few basic variables.

Scholarships.com – The Scholarships.com database includes more than 2.7 million scholarships and grants worth nearly $20 billion. Students can search for scholarships based on fully-customizable criteria and create one-click scholarship application letters.

Federal Student Aid – The Department of Education offers a large database of scholarships and grants to fit any student’s needs. Their scholarship finder lets you simply enter your field of interest, then scroll through the dozens of matches.

The Scholarship Page – The Scholarship Page was created by a student who was having a hard time finding money for college. It can be used to browse scholarships by country, organization, state, heritage, or major. The Scholarship Page also contains a directory of links to other sites with scholarship search engines.

International Student – International Student has a variety of scholarships, grants, and fellowships for international students or students who plan to study abroad. Visitors can browse awards by type, location, and field of study.

College Scholarships – This meta search engine for scholarships pulls results from several different scholarship websites to limit the amount of time it takes to find scholarship money.

NextStudent – NextStudent is one of the largest scholarship sites on the web. It is a good place for students to start their scholarship search. The site offers more than 69,000 sources of scholarships and grants worth more than $16 billion.

Peterson’s – Peterson’s offers two different scholarship databases: one for general searches and one for international and study abroad students. Both databases are unique and include billions of dollars in awards.

Careers and Colleges – The Careers and Colleges scholarship finder searches over 7 billion in scholarship funds. The site also features tools to find colleges, careers, and majors.

CollegeData – This scholarship finder from CollegeData uses your academic information, gender, heritage, and residency to find scholarships that fit your needs. The site also lets you add keywords to narrow your searches.

Scholarship Monkey – Scholarship Monkey is a free scholarship searching tool with over 4,000 sources of college financing. This site, complete with a talking monkey, is a superb place for students to obtain information about all kinds of scholarships.

Military.com – Military.com has a scholarship finder for members of the military and their families. More than 1,000 exclusive scholarships and grants are available.

CollegeNet – Students who already know which scholarship they are searching for can use the Mach25 scholarship search engine from CollegeNet. This free application finds scholarships based on keywords or your personal profile.

About the Author

Karen Schweitzer is an education writer who serves as the About.com Guide to Business School. Karen also writes about college courses online for OnlineCourses.org.

20 Useful Websites and Learning Tools for Students

By Karen Schweitzer

Students are always on the lookout to find new and effective ways to increase their productivity. From time management to learning tools, the Internet has a multitude of great sites that can help. Here is a list of 20 sites that will aid you along the path to success:

Zoho – Zoho provides many free web apps that can increase a student’s productivity and project collaboration. Every student should check out Zoho’s web-based writer, planner, and project software.

NoodleTools – This site offers free software and tools to aid students in writing a bibliography. NoodleTools can also be used to create note cards.

GradFix – GradFix is the perfect solution for students who are having trouble scheduling homework. This site assists you in scheduling your time so that you can get all of your tasks accomplished.

Jott – With voice to text technology, Jott.com is a great resource for students short on time or lacking typing skills. This useful site assists in capturing verbal notes, making lists, and setting appointments.

Shmoop – A beta site created to make history, literature, and writing more fun for students,  Shmoop is a good place to find study guides and resources.

TheAwesomeHighlighter – Awesome Highlighter can save time and reduce confusion by highlighting the important parts of your online research and transforming it into an easy-to-access link.

Bubbl.us – This free and simple web app makes brainstorming a breeze. Bubbl.us creates mind maps of your ideas that can be explored later or shared with others.

CollegeRuled – In a few simple steps, CollegeRuled lets students create a class and activity schedule as well as classroom discussion boards. This site is a great resource for students who want to simplify and organize their busy lives.

Bibliomania – Bibliomania is a bibliography site loaded with resources, free online literature, study guides, articles, and other helpful learning tools for students.

SparkNotes – SparkNotes is a good place to learn and review information. The site covers a range of subjects and provides free study guides, quizzes, and test prep.

JourneyEd – This online store is a one-stop shop for software, books, and hardware. Students can find discounts as high as 85 percent on the products they need.

Livemocha – Students who are looking for an easy and effective tool to learn a new language should check out Livemocha. This site features dynamic lesson plans, a global community, and motivational support to help you succeed.

VerbaLearn – VerbaLearn is a great site for students who need English vocabulary practice. The site allows you to customize the way you learn so you don’t waste any time reviewing words you already know.

Notely – A web app designed for students, Notely is the perfect way to get organized. This web app includes a calendar, to-do-lists, homework organizer, and a place for notes.

Academhack – This blog was created to fuse the gap between technology and academics. Every week, Academhack offers insightful tips and tricks.

CampusGrotto – CampusGrotto offers a great look into all aspects of college life. Students can read on a wide range of topics, including study tips, finance, and career advice.

OnlineCollege.org – This online college resource offers information about accreditation, online degrees, and online school choices. Other features include a blog and a degree finder.

College.gov – Created by the U.S. Department of Education, College.gov aids students in budgeting, financial aid, and college.

CollegeBoard – CollegeBoard offers students a place to find information about school choices, college costs, scholarships, and other forms of student financing.

Gradspot – Although this site is geared toward college grads, it is a resourceful tool for current students as well. Gradspot features tips and tricks for finding apartments, handling finances, and choosing career paths.

50 Web Resources for Online Students

by Karen Schweitzer

From communication tools and web apps to reference sites and online libraries, the web offers everything students need to achieve academic success.

Communication

• Campusbug – Campusbug is a social learning network that will help you keep in touch with students around the world.
• Pidgin – This free chat client is the perfect way to IM all of your friends and fellow students from one place–no matter which chat network they use.
• Skype – Although new services are cropping up everywhere, Skype is still one of the best places to make free calls over the Internet.
• Studeous – This free service is aimed at teachers, but it’s also a great way for students to stay in touch and manage classwork online.
• Twitter – Twittering is one of the best ways to communicate with your fellow students and get quick updates on projects.

Education Information

• Accreditation Database – This U.S. Department of Education database lists accredited schools and programs.
• College Answer – College Answer offers advice to students who want to apply to college and find a way to finance their education.
• College Board – This non-profit association provides an endless amount of information for students, including tips on choosing a major, finding a school, and locating college scholarships.
• College.gov – An official government portal, College.gov is dedicated to providing resources that will help students plan, prepare, and pay for college.
• Online College – The Online College Blog offers a great post about understanding the way online colleges work.

Homework Helpers

• Flashcard Exchange – Flashcard Exchange is the world’s largest flashcard library. You can create, borrow, download, and print as many free flashcards as you want.
• Free Homework Help – Students can post questions and get answers on this free homework help community.
• Lazybase – This site is perfect for anyone who is interested in creating (or sharing) a free online database.
• Mindpicnic – Mindpicnic offers free online learning opportunities as well as a forum for students to help one another and discuss classwork.
• Gearfire – This blog, written for students by students, is dedicated to providing tips for academic success.

Online Libraries

• Internet Public Library – The IPL is one of the largest libraries on the web. You can check out books, magazines, newspapers, reference materials, and much more.
• Library of Congress – On this site, you can gain online access to some of the print, audio, and digital collections housed by the Library of Congress.
• Library Spot – This site is a free virtual library resource that points users to the best library and reference materials on the web.
• Project Gutenberg – If you’re looking for free books you can read online, there is no better place than Project Gutenberg.
• The Free Library – This online library from Farlex Inc offers nearly 5 million articles and books.

Organizers

• Backpack – This site is geared towards businesses, but it can help anyone get organized. You can create to-do lists, files, announcements, and a group calendar.
• College Ruled – College Ruled makes it easy to stay organized. You can create class schedules and discuss assignments and other matters with fellow students on the site’s class message boards.
• EssentialPIM – Although there is a charge for certain versions of this personal information manager, EssentialPIM does offer a free version that will help you keep track of your calendar, notes, and to-do list.
• Jott – This free web app will help you connect to the web with your phone. You can Twitter, send yourself reminders, and access your Facebook page.
• mySchoolog – This free online application can help you organize almost anything in your school life–available in multiple languages.

Question and Answer Websites

• Ask – Students can type a question and get the answer through one of Ask’s many search engines.
• Answers.com – You can get answers from the Answers.com community or from reputable references sources when you ask a question on this site.
• ChaCha – Ask a question about anything and get the answer for free. Questions can be answered online or over the phone.
• Carmun – This site offers a special board to ask who, what, when, where questions. Carmun also features a nice bib tool and other handy features.
• Wis.dm – Although this site can best be described as a social scene, it is also a good place to get answers to any type of question imaginable.

Reference Sites

• Encyclopedia.com – This information portal has nearly 50 encyclopedias and more than 70 dictionaries and thesauruses.
• Infoplease – Infoplease is a popular reference source with an excellent search engine.
• Merriam-Webster Online – One of the best dictionaries in the world is also available online.
• RefDesk – This site is probably the best all-in-one reference site on the web. RefDesk offers every type of reference material imaginable and then some.
• Virtual Reference Shelf – This site offers a collection of web references compiled by the Library of Congress.

Search Engines

• Clusty – Clusty is a cluster search engine that searches and combines results from the web into clusters of related topics.
• Dog Pile – Dog Pile is a metasearch engine that puts all of the leading search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Live Search, Ask, etc.) in one nifty search box.
• Factbites – This site is a search engine/encyclopedia hybrid that offers actual sentences (no mangled phrases) in the results so that you can easily find what you’re looking for.
• Google Books – You can search the full text of books with this Google beta site.
• Google Scholar – Google Scholar is a unique search engine that focuses on scholarly literature.

Software and Web Apps

• Google Docs – Google Docs is a free web based word processor and spreadsheet maker.
• Open Office – Open Office is a free productivity suite that can do everything Microsoft Office can do.
• ThinkFold – This site is a good place to create outlines and share them with other people.
• WriteWith – This web-based software application makes it easy to participate in a writing project with someone else online. You can write, edit, chat, and see changes as they are made.
• Zoho – Zoho offers an entire suite of free web apps that can be used to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and much more.

Writing Papers

• BibMe – This easy-to-use bibliography maker will create your works cited page for you.
• Brainy Quote – This site is a good place to search for famous quotes. You can search by author, type of author, and topic.
• Essay Forum – The Essay Forum offers free help with academic essay writing, editing, proofreading, and research.
• Online Writing Lab – Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab is one of the best places on the web to find free writing resources.
• SparkNotes Ultimate Style – This SparkNotes reference provides quick answers to common grammar questions.