A 2008 survey by the National Jump$tart Coalition found that less than 50% of high school students achieved a passing grade on a financial literacy test and that nearly 75 percent of young American adults lack the skills needed to make beneficial financial decisions.

The nation’s economic troubles have increased focus on how to better prepare today’s youth for making better financial decisions in the future, parents and teachers can enhance learning through online tools designed to teach financial literacy. Some highly recommended tools include:

MoneyU provides a game-based environment to teach high school and college students about making sound financial decisions. The course consists of 120 three-to-five minute lessons incorporating videos, cartoons and simulations to cover a wide range of personal finance topics, including banking, savings, financial planning and credit card use. Individuals can purchase it for $14.95 or schools can purchase the course for $4 per student. The website also includes free online tools for assessing your child’s financial literacy in the areas of money management, savings, spending, credit, and income.

Stock Market Game this free, web-based game teaches students to work in teams to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in the stock market. Students learn to evaluate and track stocks and bonds using Internet research and news updates. An independent study showed that this game not only increased students’ financial literacy scores but that it improved students’ math skills and increased student participation.

Financial Soccer, developed by Visa and following on the success of its 2005 Financial Football game, this free web-based game uses the World Cup soccer format to teach children about personal finance. Players answer questions about credit and debt, savings, and other personal finance topics to advance down the field and score goals.

See also Games Evolve as Tools for Teaching Financial Literacy Education Week

iTunes University is a diverse collection of easily accessible and free podcasts, videos, and TV shows uploaded into the iTunes library from colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Any student, teacher, or parent with the free iTunes software downloaded into their computer can access this content. If you have a iPod you can download these podcasts and carry a world of knowledge around in your pocket.

The iTunes University homepage is accessed from the iTunes software. The iTunesU icon will appear in the left hand column of the software and include a number list of downloaded materials. When this icon is clicked the main iTunes University page is brought up containing featured courses and educational institutions that rotate in the top bar. Noteworthy contributions are also featured in the lower half of the screen. An iTunes U Quick Links section breaks down the “university” into four links: Universities & Colleges, Beyond Campus, K-12, and iTunes U Power Search.

The K-12 section of the site contains contributions from several state educational systems as well as selections targeted specifically towards educators. Eager teachers and schools that already have started an online library of video content can also apply to have their content features in iTunes U where it can be accessed by students and schools all over the world.

The opportunities for a real virtual classroom are game-changing when coupled with the power of the iTunes distribution. Any content contributed will be archived for use in subsequent school years making this service a valid consideration when planning to incorporate more technology into school. A one time investment of time can provide years of learning supplementation, especially in courses such as math where information remains relatively static. Tools like iTunes University allow teachers to create content that can be shared with students all over the world. This allows students the opportunity to tap the collective knowledge of a vast number of teachers, which was not possible for students just a few years ago. Students who live in areas with limited teaching resources now have the opportunity access to great teaching for free.

Past the secondary school level on iTunes U is the rich library of content from colleges and universities. These videos and podcasts can be utilized by high school teachers in a number of ways. Videos that cover an element of a current classroom project can be incorporated into lesson plans and viewed during class or assigned as extra credit. Students who need to do research for a paper or school fair can also access the library and view videos from prestigious universities like Yale for a multimedia source on an assigned topic.

This post has been republished from the Intand blog.

Parents sometimes complain that interactive or chat websites do not relay important safety mechanisms to their children. Whyville is a virtual city for middle school children who are comfortable using the internet while teaching children basic rules of internet safety, community and social interaction. Alongside, Whyville has an educative agenda where children engage with science, journalism, art history, civic duties and economics without getting boxed in a classroom or adhering to grade oriented learning.

Whyville first engages a potential citizen as a guest and takes them through a virtual tour of the city, while presenting basic rules that protect children from all sorts of possible abuse. To start, the guest is given the chance to create a profile picture using feature options given, and then the rules of engagement begin!

Before Whyville citizenship can be obtained, the virtual city rules and safety nets are explained through a series of short statements and then a few questions to check whether the child has understood the safety net. Once a child registers and becomes a Whyville citizen, they can earn money through various games that are based on scientific principles. Earning money or “clams” allows children to experience the responsibility of losing and gaining through their own faults and successes. Similarly, Whyville games impart responsible social interaction, community living and many educative concepts. A Whyville citizen can engage in a recycling project and earn “clams” or learn about cells and microbes through the interactive games.

Since socialization is an important part in this period of development and it leads to children understanding their experiences through the perspective of peers, “Whyville Chat” has a vast portal of social activities with their peers. A Whyville civilian can hang out at the beach, eat at the cafeteria and throw a party there, meet other new civilians at the “Newbie Centre” or meet friends at the Getty Museum. Sports are not neglected as “Sportsplatz” and “Snowboard Mountain” are part of the virtual city’s community.

In terms of imparting education without imposing a rigid atmosphere, Whyville is a versatile tool. It teaches children the most important internet rule: how to prevent and report any abuse. Institutions such as Getty, NASA and the Woods Hole Oceanographic work alongside Whyville to provide children with sound knowledge about their world. Children learn the basics of economics as they actively participate in this virtual city.

So when children want to interact with peers in a safe online environment, Whyville provides all the bells and whistles that young children find attractive and sneakily helps them learn, interact and even derive possible career paths!

There are many who can never envision math as a fun activity. Through the convergence of decimals, fractions, functions, word problems; math becomes intimidating and stressful for children and at times those trying to teach their own little ones at home. Math Playground incorporates color, fun activities, learning and technology with math for children in elementary and middle school.

Designed by teachers who wanted to infuse math and technology, the website draws upon inspiration from various students these educators have come in contact with. The website offers many different kinds of “Math Games”.

Disguised with simple colorful graphics and bright sounds, one can learn how to calculate the cost of one object when only the total cost of many is given; alternately through “Math at the Mall” children can learn money management while purchasing; “Math Olympics” is an all-in-one quiz for fourth graders similar to the “Math Millionaire” that subscribes to the popular elements of game shows and “Pumpkin Multiples” is for those children learning their tables. Some of these games use straightforward graphics, basic audio yet their approach towards learning makes them invaluable tools.

To develop a child’s analytic skills which are essential for math, Math Playground provides “Logic Puzzles”. Even though there are not many direct references to math, the problem solving skills that are integrated into the puzzles are essential to do any math problem.

“Word Problems” and “Math Videos” use a step-by-step audiovisual aid to solve problems. “Word Problems” has practice sets for various grades including those studying SAT math (grade 7 onwards). All videos provide the opportunity for students to resolve the problems on their own and in case of an incorrect answer; the video will guide the student through the correct method. The videos range from basic numbers and their properties to percents; decimals; fractions to measurement and data; algebra and geometry. None of the videos demand much from a basic computer system and work well with an average internet connection.

The next time someone runs into a math problem while teaching and finds their concepts to be a bit rusty or a child finds math to be dull and soporific, Math Playground might be the beginning of a new relationship with numbers!

FunBrain.com is a fun and splashy educational web-site that is kid-friendly from the homepage and on throughout the site. It is a online destination full of primary colors and clearly labeled links which help to keep the focus on the activities provided and the educational benefits therein.

The main core of FunBrain.com is its vast collection of free, educational online games. These games are not typical learning games that contain highly basic problems while having overly animated game play. The games on FunBrain.com are structured to let a child choose the intensity level they want to play at to best develop their mind while having fun. For example, the game Math Baseball contains four level options and the ability to choose addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or all four, as well as the ability to toggle on and off “Algebra Style.” With all of the settings at the most advanced, even most adults would be hard pressed not to break out a pencil or a piece of paper to “do the math.” A child can stay educationally engaged with such a game off and on for years!

FunBrain.com not only contains a wide variety of math games, but also learning games focusing on other subjects as well. Their English selections focus on labeling parts of speech, identifying the correct plural form of various words, and “rooting out” root words.

When a child gets tired of playing games, they can peruse some of the literature provided on the site, including copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Amelia Writes Again. Both books can be read entirely for free on FunBrain.com.

Parents can access an area that allows them to download some of the games to their PC which allows children to play even when internet time is over!

Teachers can access curriculum guides, game finders, and flash cards to incorporate into their lessons on the teacher’s home page at FunBrain.com. FunBrain.com can be used as both a fun recreational web-site and as an engaging learning tool for children. The activities provided on the site will challenge kids at several different grade levels and provide entertainment while doing so.

Warning: this site does contain some commercial messages, especially for cereals.