Best of the Web

  • This site, owned by the New York Times Company, offers tutorials and instructional materials on many and varied subjects. Some examples include household plumbing, business writing, dance steps, foreign languages and computer basics.
  • Language learning tips and materials for French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, and English as a second language.
  • Brush up language skills, learn holiday phrases, sign up for weekly e-mails with tips and encouragement.
  • Free multimedia language courses online. Lessons and supporting materials for various European and Asian languages are available.
  • This site offers over 125,000 instructional videos covering a wide range of subjects. Videos are selected for reliable content and high production values. Search for a specific topic or skill or browse videos by category.

  • A detailed tutorial on Internet research. Describes search tools, the search process, how to evaluate information on the web and how to cite it. From the UC Berkeley Library.

  • Self-paced tutorials in Computer Basics, Internet and email, and MS-Office programs (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access, Publisher). Provided by Goodwill Community Foundation, Inc.

  • Free picture-based online tutorials for MS-Office and openoffice.org programs. Also includes basic web layout and programming tutorials.

  • Basic vocabulary practice in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

  • Free tutorials on Internet basics and searching techniques, a search engine directory, Internet research tips and more.

  • Practice using the mouse by solving jigsaw puzzlies online.

  • A collection of parallel bilingual texts in many languages and links to other language learning websites.

  • Free online training in MS-Office 2003 and MS-Office 2007 applications (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Publisher and other applications). Audio courses, demos, interactive tutorials, self-tests and more.

  • The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers access to lecture notes, syllabi, exams, videos and other information from many of its courses. Both undergraduate and graduate level courses are included. Special courses for high school students are also available. A wide range of subjects is covered.

  • For those new to using the mouse. Practice pointing and clicking, dragging and dropping.

  • For new computer users. Practice moving and clicking a mouse and learn to use radio buttons, check boxes, drop-down menus, scroll-bars and more.

  • From the Palm Beach County, Florida Library System. Games to practice simple clicking, faster clicking and mouse movement and clicking and dragging. Battleship, Checkers, Gopher, Othello, Rush Hour and UFO Attack are some of the games.

  • From the Palm Beach County, Florida Library System. Learn and practice mouse skills including pointing and clicking, using radio buttons, check boxes and drop-down menus plus lots of practice with scroll-bars.

  • Free online typing tests and basic tips. There is a fee for additional exercises and materials. Java 1.1 needed.

  • Offers tips on using open courseware and links to online materials. Categories covered include broadcast learning, university and other open courseware (OCW), podcasts, instructional videos and more.
  • Lists 100 open courseware projects organized by subject, from agriculture to psychology and social science. Includes courses produced by universities, United Nations agencies, the BBC and other organizations.

  • Free tutorial covering basic Internet concepts and web searching techniques.

  • A handbook on the About.com website that offers lessons on PC hardware basics, navigating Windows, Internet browsing, file management and more.

  • Free lessons to learn touch-typing. Adobe Flash Player needed.

  • Links to online instructional materials in different subjects. Reading music, touch-typing, memorizing poetry, and tying knots are some of the skills covered.

  • Free typing tutorials for QWERTY, the US Standard 101 keyboard, and DVORAK, the alternate standard keyboard. Free games and typing tests are also available.

  • Contains over 350 categories of free online tutorials and instructional websites, including academic subjects, crafts and hobbies, finance, fitness and more. Sites listed are family friendly.
  • A directory of free instructional sites for over 30 languages, from Albanian to Vietnamese. Suggested books, DVDs and fee-based online courses are also listed.
  • This site selects and categorizes free online instructional videos. Over 200,000 videos organized into 35 categories are available. Search for a video teaching a particular skill or topic or browse by subject.