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There are many excellent online English-Chinese dictionaries. Some even have audio. Here are two that I use most frequently:
mdbg.net: You can search for words by Chinese, Pinyin, or English definition. Very comprehensive.
zhongwen.com: Search for words by pronunciation, radical, stroke count or English definition. Many interesting FAQs about characters on this site.
If you would like to purchase traditional dictionary I recommend the Oxford Beginner's Chinese Dictionary. It is an excellent dictionary for beginning Chinese students. Here is a review of the dictionary at amazon.com.
2. Pin Yin Practice
We will be spending lots of time in class practicing pinyin. This is essential for correct pronunciation as well as Chinese word processing. When you go to this site you will be able to click on and listen to the four tones, all the pinyin sounds, numbers, personal pronouns, and also some simple classroom greetings.
3. Stroke Order
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of following the correct stroke order when writing Chinese characters. If you can't remember the stroke order for a particular character don't cheat by writing it any old way. You can look up the most frequently used characters by pinyin at this site.
Another great site with animated character stroke order can be found at this site.
4. Gridded Paper
If you run out of gridded paper for practicing your Chinese characters you can print some out from home. Go to this site. The size of the squares I use are .8 for sixth grade, and .6 for seventh grade.
5. Laoshilink
This very comprehensive site created by Phyllis Zhang has photos, songs, video clips and many other wonderful resources for learning Chinese. Go to this site
6. How to Display Chinese Fonts On Your Mac or PC
Word processing skills are an essential part of learning Chinese. Here are directions for installing Chinese fonts onto your PC or your Mac so you can practice Chinese word processing at home. Go to this site.
7. Flashcards
Here is a link with some ready made flashcards of useful Chinese vocabulary. The flashcards are arrange by basic concepts such as colors, animals, fruits, vegetables, furniture, etc. They are beautifully illustrated and fun to use. Go to this site.
Here is another great site where you can find dozens of sets of Chinese flashcards in many different categories. Play games to quiz yourself. Go to quizlet.com.