Free World U FAQ
Why do I need to register?
When I register, am I under any obligation or commitment?
What happens if I can't remember my password?
How can I have my computer "remember" my password?
How can I change my password?
How do I start a subject over?
What if I have more than one child that wants to use the site?
What if I don't have a separate email account for each of my children?
How will young children be able to use the site?
How do I answer a flashcard question?
What do I do if I see an error in a flashcard?
How do I ask a question or discuss a concern?
How do I get technical support?
How much does the site cost?
When I browse through the content, why are there no cards for XXXXXXX?
The subject that I am working on is too easy for me. What should I do?
Why don't the topics you teach in grade X match what my school district teaches that year?
How do I test my understanding of the material?
What if English is not my native language?
Do I have to follow the curriculum in the order you have laid out?
How do I pick up where I left off yesterday?
How is this project funded?
What if my child cheats by just clicking through the flashcards without paying attention?
I notice that the text in the flashcard is sometimes compressed and distorted because there is not enough room to display it. Is there a way to correct this?
I see you have a downloadable curriculum, how do I use it?
Do you accept volunteers for writing flashcards? How do I do this?
Why do I need to register?
Registration and logging in is necessary so that our site can keep track of
which flashcards you've looked at, which ones you've gotten correct, and which
ones you have yet to master. Setting up an account also allows you to set
preferences on our site that will affect your learning experience.
When I register, am I under any obligation or commitment?
No. Registering on our site is free and doesn't commit you to anything. You are free to use
our site as you see fit. It can serve as an adjunct to your current teaching methods or can become the base of your curriculum.
You can follow the curriculum completely or incompletely in any order you want.
What happens if I can't remember my password?
You can have our site automatically assign you a new password and send it to you at your
registered email address by entering your email address and clicking the "Send
Password" button on the login page or by clicking
here.
How can I have my computer "remember" my password?
If you are using a home computer to
view our site, you may want to have your
internet browser remember your passwords
by allowing your browser to remember
your password. In Internet Explorer,
click Tools --> Internet Options -->
Content --> AutoComplete and verify that
the Password box is checked. In
Firefox, click Tools --> Options -->
Security and verify that "remember
passwords for sites" is checked.
Additionally, third party software
such as
Roboform and
KeePass and can help automate
password entering.
How can I change my password?
Click on "Your Account" on the menu bar. Enter and re-type your new password in
the two password fields. Click "Save".
How do I start a subject over?
When viewing a flashcard, click the "Show Statistics" link at the bottom and then reset the subtopics or topics you want.
What if I have more than one child that wants to use the site?
In order to track the progress of each student individually, each child should be registered separately.
What if I don't have a separate email account for each of my children?
An email account is needed for registration but the same email account can be
used for multiple user names. Free email accounts are available
from
Gmail and
Yahoo.
How will young children be able to use the site?
Initially, we suggest that parents work the site with their children (no matter the age) so that they can get a feel for it and see how their children are adapting to it. Once children get the feel of the site they will likely be able to use the site on their own. For the time being, children who cannot read must have their parents work the site with them. In the coming months, we will be implementing a feature that allows cards to be read aloud to students via your computer speakers. For very young children learning to read, we suggest that you supplement our program with that found at
www.starfall.com.
How do I answer a flashcard question?
Our flashcards are designed to be answered in your mind. This is not intended to be a test but instead, a learning exercise. You self report if you answered correctly or incorrectly.
What do I do if I see an error in a flashcard?
Each flashcard has a "Send Feedback" link. If you see a way that a flashcard can
be improved, by all means tell us. If you aren't logged in when you send us
feedback, we won't be able to reply to you.
How do I ask a question or discuss a concern?
Questions to which you would like a reply are best sent via email to or by calling (323)258-1616 after 1 PM PST. Interested parents
can also inquire about limited tutoring services available in conjunction with
the site.
How do I get technical support?
Email office@freeworldu.org.
How much does the site cost?
Nothing! The site is completely free and open to anyone.
When I browse through the content, why are there no cards for XXXXXXX?
Our intention is to have our complete first round K-12 curriculum up by March 2008. This is the content that is covered by standardized tests. We are adding approximately 300 new flashcards per day. You are not constrained to a particular school year. Feel free to find content in any year. Traditional schools typically do not have time to cover all of the material that they are supposed to. It is therefore very useful to start by studying material in earlier grades, particularly in math, to give you a good foundation.
The subject that I am working on is too easy for me. What should I do?
Rejoice. You can skip ahead at your own rate. Some children are several years ahead of their peers.
Why don't the topics you teach in grade X match what my school district teaches that year?
Our content is currently organized according to California state standards which are widely accepted to be some of the most comprehensive standards in the nation. Your state’s standards may differ in their organization so we recommend searching our content to find the topics you are looking for if you cannot readily find them.
How do I test my understanding of the material?
Currently we do not offer a test feature but one is under development.
What if English is not my native language?
Eventually we will offer courses in a variety of languages.
Do I have to follow the curriculum in the order you have laid out?
No. Students are free to follow whatever order best suits them and their schooling needs.
How do I pick up where I left off yesterday?
After logging in, click on the "Go to Last Viewed" link under Flashcards on the
menu bar of any page on the site to return to the last card you were viewing.
How is this project funded?
By donations from people like you. Click here for more details about donating to Free World U.
What if my child cheats by just clicking through the flashcards without paying attention?
At the present time, we are developing enhancements to the system that include multiple-choice tests and other measures that will deal with this issue. For now, we suggest that you use the system with your child, at least part of the time. Spot check his or her work by using the
"Browse Flashcards" feature. Use the "Show Statistics" link on every flashcard to see progress at a glance, and reset subtopics where your child has been less than honest in his or her work.
I notice that the text in the flashcard is sometimes compressed and distorted because there is not enough room to display it. Is there a way to correct this?
Our cards are optimized for display on a monitor with a 1024x768 resolution.
If your hardware allows, you can increase the resolution on your Windows PC by
clicking Start --> Control Panel --> Display --> Settings and adjusting the
slider to 1024x768.
I see you have a downloadable curriculum, how do I use it?
Our downloadable curriculum, available here, is not intended to be a study guide. It is being made available to
parents so that if a school board asks for a homeschooling curriculum, all you have to
do is download it and print it out. Please note that 4th grade social
studies applies only to students in California and may not be applicable in your
state. If you are looking for an appropriate 4th grade social studies
curriculum you can visit your state's curriculum web site (linked to from
here) or contact a homeschooling group in
your area. A curriculum is built into the flashcard interface and a report
is accessible at the subject level. This is shown in the tutorial. There is no
need to fuss with stacks of papers.
Do you accept volunteers for writing flashcards? How do I do this?
Yes! We happily accept people who would like to volunteer their time writing flashcards and have an expertise in an area covered by our curriculum. To become a volunteer flashcard author, you will follow the same procedure as any person applying to Free World U.
From the home page click on the "New Authors Start Here" menu option on the left menu bar and follow the directions, or you can click here to go to the page directly.
When you have submitted your ten flashcard questions we will let you know if we can use your help.
Whether or not we will be able to make use of your talents depends upon many factors including which subject you want to write for and your ability to follow the strict guidelines to which we hold our writers. Though writing questions and answers seems like a simple task, there is, in fact, a very detailed process that must be followed exactly. There is a definite art to constructing a usable subtopic, and not all talented writers adapt well to writing flashcards. Proper research is essential to be sure that the material is adequately covered. You will need to carefully study our Style Guide to learn how to conform to our flashcard writing standards.
If this seems like something that you would like to do please send an email specifying that you would like to volunteer your time along with your first ten questions. Please attach your resume with any pertinent experience to the email.