The Andes Physics Tutor - intelligent homework helper for Physics

The Andes Physics Tutor

The Andes Physics Tutor is a free resource that is described as "an intelligent homework helper for Physics." Andes allows students work draw diagrams, enter equations, and define variables just as if they were doing so on paper, but Andes will tell the students if they are correct or not, and give hings when asked. Research showed students learned more this way than with traditional paper problems. 

Teachers just click "Try Andes" and select the topics and problems and then assign them to the students. The students enter their name (no login) and then complete the problem. The problem screen is nice with a variety of tools for the students to use. 

There are over 500 problems that cover most of the topics that a first year, 2 semester, Trig/Algebra based physics course would cover. Andes can be used for high school physics or 1st year college physics. 

This is a great, free resources for physics teachers and physics students. 

Currently, the Andes project lives at Arizona State University with support from the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center, National Science Foundation award No. SBE-0836012.  Previously, Andes was developed at the University of Pittsburgh and the United States Naval Academy with support from the Office of Naval Research, grant No. N00014-96-1-0260.  

Study Tips and Notetaking Resources

All of these sites have great tips and resources for studying, taking notes, doing homework, and succeeding in school.

You'll definitely want to share these with your students.

Developing Study Skills - BYU

Great resource for students on how to develop effective study skills for high school and college success. Hosted by Brigham Young University.

High School Study Skills resource

This site is designed to be a self-help tool to assist students in making the most of their high school years. The collection of pages in this site will help you assess your current skills, acquire new ones, and apply what you learn to study more effectively, in less time, for greater understanding and better grades. Use the links in the menu bar to work through the site from beginning to end, or click on a link below to focus on a specific skill area.

Notetaking 1

This is a page on Sweet Briar College, VA, Academic Resource Center. It is in outline form, and is a very good resource to use for a quick review of note taking skills. It is simple, easy to read, and easy to implement. It gives basic guidelines, how to abbreviate, and how to set up your notes.

Notetaking 2

This is on Dartmouth University’s web site. It has a lot of good information on note taking, and includes a guide to using the Cornell Note Taking System.

Notetaking 3

This is from the University of Exeter in the UK. I really like this site because it not only gives a short tutorial on how to take notes, but it has fill in the blank forms students can use to improve their note taking skills. The entire note taking section can be downloaded as a single PDF file for offline use.

Notetaking 4

The University of South Wales, AU, has another great resource for note taking. Their site is simple, easy to read, and gives instructions on what to do before, during, and after a lecture to make sure you take good notes. They also have tips on abbreviating and using pictures and concept maps.

Notely.net Notely is the new tool for students of all ages looking for help to get better grades. Notely has all the tools a student could need, schedule, calendar, note-taking, homework planner and more. Notely is a collection of online tools designed to help all you crazy busy students out there to organise your hectic lives. Whether you're in University, College or High School Notely has the tools to help you get organised and achieve better grades. Homework HELP! site contains over 780 great links to sites that will help you with your homework. Study Curve This is an online study community where you can get help on projects and homework and network with other students and mentors.

Student Help Sites

I have found a variety of student help websites that I share with my students. These sites have 

study skills, homework tips, and other resources and references for them to use.

InfoPlease Homework Center - This site has subject area help, resources, study skills, homework help, writing tips, and research help.

HowtoStudy - study skills, resources and tips.

EducationAtlas Study Skills - tips and help for: notetaking, studying, writing, solving math word problems, test taking, reading textbooks, reading comprehension, and more. A great resource. The site also has information on schools, financial aid, college selection, pedagogy, and educational technology.

Study Guides and Strategies - this site has a plethora of information for students, including study skills, working in groups, how to learn, time management, getting organized, classroom participation, test taking, research, writing, reading, math, and science help. It is well organized and easy to use. 

HowToStudy.com - another great study resource. This one includes articles on studying, test taking, homework, note taking, college planning, test taking (including standardized tests), and more.

Share these with your students. These sites will help them in their education.

Please share any other resources you have with us.

Homework Social Network Site

Dweeber is a social network site for homework. Students can join for free and then have virtual study groups. They can use the white board to work out problems and collaborate on homework.

It has some nice features that can help students learn about their own learning styles and improve their performance in school.

For more information, see the article at Tech&Learning magazine.