Berkeley Resources
Internet Tutorials & Quiz
Browse the tutorials or test your Internet savvy with the self-quiz below. To open any link in a new window or tab, right-click the link and choose Open in New Window or New Tab.
Tutorial 1: Show Me the Shopping
- Internet stores such as Amazon offer sample music tracks, sample book chapters, online user reviews, huge inventory, and special deals
- Get 50 - 90% off local deals from Groupon
- Consumer Reports e-Ratings and Froogle let you read reviews and check best prices
- Before paying online, do a quick search for promo codes at coupon sites such as www.RetailMeNot.com
- Check your credit card's special offers at Visa, Discover, or AmEx
- Find new and used car pricing at Kelly Blue Book and NADA Guides
- You can buy or sell used musical instruments at Net Instruments.com or CraigsList
- Find coupons online at Valpak or Sunday Saver
- Use Google's free 411 service to find a local business - just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone, say where you are, and say what you're looking for
- Find free local stuff at eBay, click Classifieds, then Free Stuff
- Support a good cause by making eBay purchases from the eBay charity fundraising section
Tutorial 2: Travel, Vacation, and the Web - Oh My
- Check national weather forecasts at NOAA and international forecasts at CNN. Check U.S. traffic at AccuTraffic
- Find things to do and print walking tours at Google City Tours, AOL City Guides, Fodors.com, Frommers.com, or RickSteves.com
- Find traveler tools, currency converters, and airport guides at Expedia.com
- Learn some of the language and customs of your destination at BBC Languages, Google Language Tools, and the CIA's World Factbook
- Check travel advisories and find emergency assistance at the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs
- Check flight status at Google
- Check best hotel and air rates at Kayak - sometimes the package deals are less expensive than the lowest available airfare, even if you just throw the hotel portion away. Tuesday afternoons or midnight hours are often the best time to look for airfare sales. Upon request, many airlines will refund the difference to you if your ticket price goes down after you buy, provided you buy directly from the carrier
- Check visitor guide hotel coupons and promo codes at RoomSaver.com
- You can post your vacation photos on the web at Google or Facebook or your blog, remember to hold your camera level to avoid crooked horizons, and hold your camera at eye-level with the portrait subject to pull the viewer into the photo
- Find discounted last-minute tee times at Golfers Guide and Last Minute Golfer
- Network or find jobs or community events at Craigslist.org or Meetup.com
- Check national job postings at JobCentral.com, IT jobs at Dice, media jobs at MediaBistro, government jobs at USAJobs.gov, and nonprofit jobs at Idealist
- Locate free wi-fi hotspots at JiWire.com
- If you are visiting NYC, check New York City Visitors Bureau, Times Square Alliance, Broadway Box, and Season of Savings for restaurant, entertainment, and Broadway show discounts. See which shows offer student and rush tickets at Playbill or call 1-888-BROADWAY
- See the Theater Development Fund for discount TKTS service in NYC, and links to sister organizations that sell discounted tickets around the world. See Goldstar for discount tickets in big cities around the country
- Find health support at The Mayo Clinic, The US Dept of HHS, and Health.gov
- Find prescription drug info at National Institute of Health MEDLINEplus, Consumer Reports - Best Buy Drugs, or AARP - Effective and Safe Prescription Drugs
- Find fitness support at ACEFitness, and research sport injuries at The Physician and Sportsmedicine
- Check U.S. doctor credentials at your health insurance site - such as Aetna, the American Medical Association Doctor Finder, or your state medical board (practitioner profiles)
- Check lawyer backgrounds at FindLaw or The ABA Disciplinary Directory
Tutorial 3: You've Got a Question - The Internet Has an Answer
- Find computer support at Microsoft Assistance Center, the Microsoft Support Center, and Microsoft AtHome Support. Take online courses at Microsoft Office Online, SBA E-Business Institute, SCORE, AARP, HP Learning Center, and About
- Find graphics (confirm terms of use) at Microsoft Clip Art, the Creative Commons site, or Wikipedia public domain images. Other sites to check are MorgueFile and EveryStockPhoto. You can also find historical photos at the Library of Congress and Photomuse
- Find music downloads (confirm terms of use) from Amazon Music or Internet Archive Netlabels
- Find educational puzzles, games, and activities
- Use the virtual reference shelf and ask a librarian at Library of Congress
- Check urban legends at Snopes
- Teach K-12 students Internet safety and etiquette before letting them loose in cyberspace. Discuss rules against accessing inappropriate sites, giving out personal information, or agreeing to meet a new Internet pal without adult supervision. Provide guidelines for handling the many online sites, especially contests and games, that ask for personal family information or referral email addresses. Negotiate a code of conduct to be signed by students and their parents that offers guidelines and spells out responsibilities
- Teach K-12 students how to differentiate Internet ads from content, and reputable sites from not reputable. Saving files from the Internet is a good opportunity to teach respect for copyright laws, as well as the necessity of screening downloaded files for viruses. Refer to Microsoft Education, US Department of Education, NASA Quest, AJKids.com, KidsClick.org, and Yahooligans.com for other educational resources
Take the Internet Quiz and See How You Do
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