I love the work of GiveWell in attempting to rigorously evaluate charities to help donors pick the most evidence-supported charitable organizations. However, this assumes that donors will give a set amount of money and are just looking for a recipient. In practice, I think donors are more likely to give to some groups that tug at the heart strings, that are related to current news, etc. Some charities won't be supported by rich governments for ideological reasons. So besides using metrics like lives saved per dollar, how can we maximize donations from rich countries and ensure that they do the most good?

Over the years technology has progressed into a force to be reckoned with; it seems you can learn just about anything online. Previously you could do basic things like shop or get directions, and now you can literally attend school online from the comfort of your living room. Education websites proliferate the Internet and appeal to all ages; anyone can take advantage of this new shift in technology. Evaluating the pros and cons of education websites will allow you to see which ones are the choices for you.

The obvious perks to education websites are flexibility and the multitude of choices at your fingertips. There are thousands of websites and programs to choose from, making it easy to find the perfect school that will fit your student's needs. The flexibility of education websites to supplement the traditional classroom or to replace it altogether offers families more educational options. High school students are opting for educational websites because they offer a more efficient use of time, personalized instruction, immediate feedback, and access to unlimited teaching aids.

Another key factor in choosing online schooling is the diversity of peers; depending on what online school families choose, students could be connecting with people from all over the world. Networking with people from a wide variety of cultural perspectives puts learning in a global perspective.

Individual pacing is another plus for many students who get to really dig deep into what interests them, bypass what they already know, and access teaching aids in real time on a grand scale. In many brick-and-mortar schools students are locked into the same pace as everyone else, making it more difficult to adequately diversify and personalize learning efficiently. Education websites allow students to take as many or as few classes at a time as they like and have a multitude of resources and teaching aids for them to utilize.

By attending online, students and families can actually save money. Brick-and-mortar schools generally have a bevvy of annual student fees, not to mention the costs of social and athletic activities and astronomical senior year costs. There is also significant savings in transportation for students who commute back and forth to school via Mom and Dad's cars, their own cars, or even public transportation.

Parents can access educational websites like Artifacts Teach and have instant access to thousands of objects online to engage students' curiosities, offer deep learning in core content areas, and develop valuable critical thinking skills. They have the power to enhance and expand student learning offering a bridge between prior knowledge and new information.

Educational websites are not all designed to replace school. In many cases, they can be used to deepen understanding of classroom material. They offer students expanded exploration in areas of interest. These websites provide places for prolonged engagement, which improves learning retention.

Teaching is my passion! I am a Colorado Social Studies Teacher who has also been training teachers across the state for the last 10 years. I believe in harnessing the power of artifacts in the classroom.

For more information:

http://www.extension.harvard.edu/distance-education