WNPL Online Resources
WNPL subscribes to a variety of online services that can help you do better in school or learn on your own. A WNPL card in good standing is required to access the following resources. You will find more online resources on our page.
- : Gale Courses offers a wide range of six week instructor led course that you can take entirely online. Classes include computer instruction, test prep, and career training.
- : Mango offers classes for older students and adults in a variety of languages, including Spanish, German, Mandarin, Hindi and more.
- : Find help for test preparation, writing and math improvement, and career skills.
- : Help with home work is just a click away with Tutor.com. Live chat with tutors on a variety of homework topics, including math and science.
Available for Free via the Internet
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
According to a massive open online course (MOOC) "is a model for delivering learning content online to any person who wants to take a course, with no limit on attendance." Class Central is an aggregator that collects information and links to free online classes from a variety of colleges. Take anything from pre-calculus to data visualization. Free registration us required. Coursera provides challenging, college-level classes on diverse topics such as finance, social psychology, and cryptography. Free registration is required. EdX is a nonprofit organization that partners with colleges like the University of Arizona and Harvard University to provide free online classes and other resources to the public. Many classes are self-led and available 24 hours a day. Courses include English grammar, problem solving technology, and waste water treatment engineering, to name just a few. Free registration is required. Khan Academy is a free online education service that offers courses in a variety of subjects for all age levels. Young students can take math and humanities courses to build skills needed for the the classroom, while older students and adults can takeadvanced courses on everything from test preparation to computer programming. Free registration is required. Open Culture provides access to free audio and video courses from a variety of sources. Users can listen to lectures, watch selected movies and presentations, or read free e-books from this site. Registration is not required.
Technology Training Tools
This site includes instructional videos on Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, LightRoom, and other programs in the Adobe Creative Suite. Learn the basics of computer programming. Microsoft provides free tutorials on Office products (versions 2007-2013). Training courses are organized by product, then by skill level. Perfect for the computer novice, this site offers a great explanation of how to use a mouse, as well as lots of hands-on practice and games. This site offers videos and articles geared toward baby boomers and seniors, with a focus on learning to use popular web sites such as Netflix, Amazon, and Gmail. Create a free account, then learn to type or work towards improving speed and accuracy. Find instructional videos on YouTube by searching the name of your software or device along with what you want to learn; for example: Microsoft Excel 2010 pivot tables tutorial. Keep in mind that anyone can upload a video to YouTube and videos are not reviewed for accuracy. YouTube is alsogreat for videos on non-tech topics. Another example: "how to organize a closet".
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