Recently, we went on an extended field trip to Philadelphia. My husband had a conference to attend, and the kids and I tagged along to go sightseeing. It was the perfect opportunity to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Betsy Ross house. We have not reached this period in history yet, but we had the opportunity and took advantage of it.
On the first day of our trip, we drove out to Kennett Square in the historic Brandywine Valley, about 45 outside of Philly. Kennett is the home of Longwood Gardens. Pierre duPont, of the duPont chemical company, purchased the land in 1906 from Quaker farmers to preserve an arboretum. He added classical gardens, water fountains, a conservatory, an outdoor theater meadows, and ponds to create the foremost horticultural showplace and educational center in the United States.
When I first told my children we would be visiting Longwood Gardens, they rolled their eyes and groaned, but boy, were they in for a surprise! With its tree houses, fountain show, indoor childrens' garden, model train garden, giant lily pads, banana trees, topiary garden, and carillon tower, Longwood Gardens won them over. We visited for over four hours, and left only because my children could walk no farther. Below is a photo story, created by my daughter, of our day in the gardens. Unfortunately, the batteries in her camera died, and she was unable to get pictures of the tree houses which were spectacular.
Photo Story 3 is a free microsoft product which you can download to your computer. Upload and alter your photos, add text, narration, and sound, and ta da!!! You have a video. Its very easy to use and a great way to record a field trip, the steps in a science project, or tell a story.
My daughter is currently working on a photo story of Valley Forge and Philadelphia. When it is complete, I will upload it so you all can see the wonderful places we visited in Philadephia.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Report on Captain John Smith
My daughter just completed a biography of Captain John Smith on Glogster! Be sure to click on the blue play button to listen to her narrative.
To view a copy of the assignment, including the grading rubric, visit whitneyswikiways.
Edu.glogster.com is a Web 2.0 application that enables you and your students to create posters that include images, graphics, text, sound recordings, and videos (either your own or something uploaded from schooltube). Students can create posters to illustrate their stories, poetry, book reports, biographies, geographical studies... the possibilities are limited by only their imaginations.
The service is free, and you can enroll up to 200 students in one classroom. As the teacher, you control the account and privacy settings, determine what gets published, flag anything that's inappropriate, moderate comments, etc. Here is a tutorial that will help you get started.
To view a copy of the assignment, including the grading rubric, visit whitneyswikiways.
Edu.glogster.com is a Web 2.0 application that enables you and your students to create posters that include images, graphics, text, sound recordings, and videos (either your own or something uploaded from schooltube). Students can create posters to illustrate their stories, poetry, book reports, biographies, geographical studies... the possibilities are limited by only their imaginations.
The service is free, and you can enroll up to 200 students in one classroom. As the teacher, you control the account and privacy settings, determine what gets published, flag anything that's inappropriate, moderate comments, etc. Here is a tutorial that will help you get started.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Internet Safety
Having posted about some online tools (Voicethread, Voki) and discussed the important role of technology in education, I thought it was about time to discuss Internet Safety for children. In some ways, the Internet is the like the wild, wild west--there's a lot going on out there, few rules, and the U.S. Marshall is no where in sight!
Filters
Several online protection tools are available. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) provide parent control options. Your anti-virus and spyware software may also enable you to set some limits on what can be accessed and sent on your computer. Inexpensive filtering software is available. These filters can block sites, prevent personal information from being sent, and monitor and track online activity. Warning: None of these methods are perfect!!! Some inappropriate content may still get through, and many valuable, educational sites may be inadvertantly blocked. If you think you want to go this route, take a look at TopTenReviews for more information.
Guidelines
I'm sure you have seen these before, but they are all worth repeating:
If you notice any of the following changes in behavior, check it out. Your child may be having online difficulty.
Social Networking
Social networking is a big part of being a teenager. If your child expresses and interest, check out yoursphere.com, a site created by a mother of five children. The site goes to extraordinary lengths to protect children. Also see yoursphere for parents for more information about internet and social networking safety.
Terrific Websites for Kids
Filters
Several online protection tools are available. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) provide parent control options. Your anti-virus and spyware software may also enable you to set some limits on what can be accessed and sent on your computer. Inexpensive filtering software is available. These filters can block sites, prevent personal information from being sent, and monitor and track online activity. Warning: None of these methods are perfect!!! Some inappropriate content may still get through, and many valuable, educational sites may be inadvertantly blocked. If you think you want to go this route, take a look at TopTenReviews for more information.
Guidelines
I'm sure you have seen these before, but they are all worth repeating:
- Become computer literate: the more you know, the better position you will be in to guide your children's online experience and monitor their online behavior.
- Keep the computer in a common room (we keep ours in the kitchen, the place I'm most likely to be).
- Set-up your child's e-mailbox through your account, so you can monitor email if necessary.
- Spend time online with your children teaching them appropriate behavior.
- Bookmark the children's favorite websites or your approved websites so your children don't have to search the web. For a list of great websites for kids, see below!
- Set rules and enforce them (Ours are: No more than 30 minutes computer time/day; Permission must be obtained before going online).
- Encourage your child to talk to you about anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or threatened.
- Report any obscene, threatening, or pornographic content to your ISP, the police, and the FBI.
- Never provide personal information online. OK, this seems obvious to us, but believe me, its not to children. Teach them that personal information includes: the name of the school, the neighborhood, town and state in which they live, the names of their teams and other activities (e.g, " I go to Westside Ballet"), the names of family members, the names of friends, where they go to summer camp....
- Personal information includes pictures of themselves and their friends! Many children, especially teenagers do not realize this!
- Create an online identity and use it in chatrooms and social networking sites. For instance, I might call myself "booklover" instead of my real name.
- Never agree to meet in person someone you meet in a chat room or a social networking site. Aslo, if they give you a phone number, don't call!
- Never respond to a threatening, scary, inappropriate, or pornagraphic message or email.
- Always talk to your parent about anything online that frightens them or makes them feel uncomfortable or embarrassed.
- Do not share anything online that you do not want everyone to know or which you might regret. Once something is on the Internet, you no longer have any control of it or how it is used or to whom it sent. You can't take it back.
- Remember: college admissions committees and employers are now doing online searches on applicants, which includes looking at Facebook and MySpace accounts!
If you notice any of the following changes in behavior, check it out. Your child may be having online difficulty.
- Reluctance to talk about online activities.
- Your child turns off the computer or closes a window whenever you enter the room or walk behind them. Find out why.
- Your child withdraws from the family or becomes uncommunicative.
- Your child spends long hours online, especially at night.
- Your child starts receiving phone calls from people you don't know.
Social Networking
Social networking is a big part of being a teenager. If your child expresses and interest, check out yoursphere.com, a site created by a mother of five children. The site goes to extraordinary lengths to protect children. Also see yoursphere for parents for more information about internet and social networking safety.
Terrific Websites for Kids
KNOWITALL.ORG- ETV’s site provides links to many interactive websites for children K-12, as well as sites for teachers and parents.
Awesome Library - kids can find information and activities by grade level or subject. Includes down-loadable worksheets and lessons. Teachers and parents can find lesson plans as well.
International Children's Digital Library - the world's biggest online multicultural repository of children's literature.
ALA's Great Websites for Kids - provides websites chosen by librarians specifically for children. Can be searched by topic; however, a reference desk is also provided.
FirstGov for Kids - Provides links to government websites (e.g., Smithsonian, Library of Congress) by topic and grade level.
KidsClick - Owned by the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State, this site is a huge database of websites selected by librarians.
Federal Resources for Education Excellence provides more than 1,500 free learning tools and websites for kids and teachers from federal agencies.
Factmonster - a product of Pearson Education, this site provides access to a dictionary, encyclopedia, and almanac, as well as facts about any topic imaginable.
ask for kids - Similar to the site Ask.com for adults, kids can search on a subject in which they are interested and find information.
yahoo for kids - Similar to Yahoo.com for adults, kids can search information here.
Primary search - Contains more than 70 popular full text magazines for kids. Also has a children's encyclopedia and a dictionary.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Squire's Tales
Those of you studying the medieval period may enjoy reading The Squire's Tales Series by Gerald Morris, eight books based on the Arthurian legends. I stumbled on to this series by accident last year when my daughter was struggling with Tolkien's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (recommended by Wise Bauer in The Well-Trained Mind). Tolkien's version is in verse, includes some old English, and is very difficult reading. Morris's retelling, The Squire's Tale, stays true to the original tale, but is so much more fun! Morris creates Terrence, Gawain's squire (and Nimue's nephew), from whose perspective the story is told. Terrence has his own adventures and, like all Arthurian heroes, must go a on a quest, but Gawain's story remains the center of focus. My daughter loved it!
I read the entire series to my children who begged for storytime every night (which made it very easy to get their night-time chores done). I can't tell you how many quests my children went on as we read this book, and my son created endless games involving the characters(King Arthur, Guenevere, Lancelot, Sir Dinadan, Sir Galahad) and mythical beings (the Lady of the Lake, Puck). All of the books are based on an ancient tale: Queste del Saint Graal (Quest for the Holy Grail), Tristam and Iseult, Le Morte de Arthur, etc. At the end of each book, Morris includes a note about the story's provenance and some information about the medieval writers, the time period, or the genre. The American Library Association has included several of the books in their Best Books for Young Adults.
The series includes:
The Squire's Tale
The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady
The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf (my favorite)
Parsifal's Page
The Ballad of Sir Dinadan
The Princess, The Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight (my daughter's favorite: Lancelot is the star of the show)
The Lioness and her Knight
The Quest for the Fair Unknown (starring Sir Galahad)
The Squire's Quest (due out in September)
More information about Morris and his books can be found at the Children's Literature Network
All images were retrieved August 27, 2009, from the Children' Literature Network at http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/aifolder/aipages/ai_m/morris.html
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Voicethread
Okay, here is some information about Voicethread, one of the American Association of School Librarians' Best Websites for Teaching and Learning.
Voicethread is an online network which allows teachers and students to create multimedia slideshows using images, documents, video, and comments (voice, text, audio file, and video via webcam). You can even "doodle" on a slide to make a point or clarify a comment. Take a look at this voicethread I created as a demonstration for a unit on the solar system. It's a little hokey, but you'll get an idea about the potential of this online technology for creating lectures or lessons, collaborative projects, and student demonstrations of learning. Other examples of educational voicethreads can be found at their library.
Home schoolers will really enjoy the opportunities for collaboration. Because Voicethread is an online network, students around the world can work on a project together, each adding and editing content and comments. Here is a voicethread created by students in Utah (2nd grade), Colorado (9th grade) and Texas (5th and sixth grade) using art, creative writing, and music.
Most of the images in my voicethread were obtained from other websites, which was a little laborious, especially when I created the citations page where I provided the web address for each picture. Now, Voicethread has direct access to 700,000 images from the New York Public Library (NYPL), including primary source materials, maps, photos, drawings, and paintings. They also have access to the Flickr Creative Commons Search where you can find images which are not limited by copyright restrictions. Voicethread enables you to search and import images from NYPL and Flickr, and the links are automatically inserted to make citations and attributions.
Voicethread is a social network; however, you, the parent/teacher, control who has access to your account, and how and with whom your voicethreads are shared. You can moderate all comments, and even have the option to disallow comments.
Here's the best part: You can make unlimited voicethreads for free!!! Who believes it? For $10, you can create groups and have access to the controlled K-12 network. And Voicethread provides wonderful support with tutorials, a help manual, blog, and online help. They are very responsive to email requests for help.
Voicethread is an online network which allows teachers and students to create multimedia slideshows using images, documents, video, and comments (voice, text, audio file, and video via webcam). You can even "doodle" on a slide to make a point or clarify a comment. Take a look at this voicethread I created as a demonstration for a unit on the solar system. It's a little hokey, but you'll get an idea about the potential of this online technology for creating lectures or lessons, collaborative projects, and student demonstrations of learning. Other examples of educational voicethreads can be found at their library.
Home schoolers will really enjoy the opportunities for collaboration. Because Voicethread is an online network, students around the world can work on a project together, each adding and editing content and comments. Here is a voicethread created by students in Utah (2nd grade), Colorado (9th grade) and Texas (5th and sixth grade) using art, creative writing, and music.
Most of the images in my voicethread were obtained from other websites, which was a little laborious, especially when I created the citations page where I provided the web address for each picture. Now, Voicethread has direct access to 700,000 images from the New York Public Library (NYPL), including primary source materials, maps, photos, drawings, and paintings. They also have access to the Flickr Creative Commons Search where you can find images which are not limited by copyright restrictions. Voicethread enables you to search and import images from NYPL and Flickr, and the links are automatically inserted to make citations and attributions.
Voicethread is a social network; however, you, the parent/teacher, control who has access to your account, and how and with whom your voicethreads are shared. You can moderate all comments, and even have the option to disallow comments.
Here's the best part: You can make unlimited voicethreads for free!!! Who believes it? For $10, you can create groups and have access to the controlled K-12 network. And Voicethread provides wonderful support with tutorials, a help manual, blog, and online help. They are very responsive to email requests for help.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Techonolgy and Learning
One of the things I'd like to do with this blog is to highlight some of the wonderful online utilities and applications that can be used for educational purposes. Our world is becoming increasingly technology and media-driven, and our computers play a more centralized role. I know that I do more online with each passing day: keep up with my friends and family through e-mails and social networking sites; manage our finances; pay my bills; attend classes at the University of South Carolina; research areas of interests; read and write papers; research consumer information prior to big purchases; shop; find recipes; play games; store and organize photos... the list goes on and on. And the fact is that our children are growing up in a world where technology is ubiquitous. We have cellphones, iphones, ipods, mp3 players, wii, and whole virtual worlds.
We often think that our children take to technology naturally. We ask them to program the TiVo or DVR (whereas we used to rely on them to figure out the VCR). They seem to know how to use all the functions on our cellphones way before we do. They search the Internet without fear and download games and applications. Despite this seeming expertise, they still need us to teach them Internet safety, the responsible use of information, and how to use Internet applications to create, collaborate, and communicate. More than likely, they will need this knowledge when they enter the work world, regardless of the field they enter. Doctors, bank presidents, politicians, plumbers, mechanics, seamstresses, chefs, whatever--they are all using ever-changing technology.
Educators around the world are recognizing the importance of incorporating technology into their lesson plans. Take a look at the National Education Standards promoted by the International Society for Technology in Education. The American Association of School Librarians (of which I am a proud member) has also published information literacy standards which address the use of technology in education.
Online technologies, also known as Web 2.0, provide numerous ways for home schoolers to learn, collaborate, create, and share. Web 2.0 applications include, but are not limited to, social networking sites, blogs, wikis, podcasts, video blogs, content creation applications, photo sharing, virtual worlds, and games. Using technology, homeschoolers can hold live, real-time classes online; video conference; collaborate on projects or assignments; deliver information in a variety of formats; create posters, mosaics, photo albums, stories, videos, etc; publish... the list goes on and on. And the best part it: KIDS LOVE THIS!!! Using online technologies engage kids in learning in ways that traditional methods never will. Ask a kid to write a report and you'll hear a lot of grumbling and complaining. Ask that same child to create a voicethread, wiki, or webquest on that same topic, and they can't wait to start.
Some of you may have noticed the Voicethread project included in the multicultural study of the year 1492. If you didn't look at it in the last post, take a look at it now http://ed.voicethread.com/share/379377/ . My daughter created this all by herself! I gave her the assignment, taught her how to use the technology, and just let her go! She loved this assignment, worked independently with enthusiasm and gusto, and was incredibly proud of the product. She didn't even mind doing all of the necessary reading and research. And boy, did she learn and remember the content. This is just one example of what home schoolers can do with the Internet and Web 2.0. Next time, some more information about Voicethread.
We often think that our children take to technology naturally. We ask them to program the TiVo or DVR (whereas we used to rely on them to figure out the VCR). They seem to know how to use all the functions on our cellphones way before we do. They search the Internet without fear and download games and applications. Despite this seeming expertise, they still need us to teach them Internet safety, the responsible use of information, and how to use Internet applications to create, collaborate, and communicate. More than likely, they will need this knowledge when they enter the work world, regardless of the field they enter. Doctors, bank presidents, politicians, plumbers, mechanics, seamstresses, chefs, whatever--they are all using ever-changing technology.
Educators around the world are recognizing the importance of incorporating technology into their lesson plans. Take a look at the National Education Standards promoted by the International Society for Technology in Education. The American Association of School Librarians (of which I am a proud member) has also published information literacy standards which address the use of technology in education.
Online technologies, also known as Web 2.0, provide numerous ways for home schoolers to learn, collaborate, create, and share. Web 2.0 applications include, but are not limited to, social networking sites, blogs, wikis, podcasts, video blogs, content creation applications, photo sharing, virtual worlds, and games. Using technology, homeschoolers can hold live, real-time classes online; video conference; collaborate on projects or assignments; deliver information in a variety of formats; create posters, mosaics, photo albums, stories, videos, etc; publish... the list goes on and on. And the best part it: KIDS LOVE THIS!!! Using online technologies engage kids in learning in ways that traditional methods never will. Ask a kid to write a report and you'll hear a lot of grumbling and complaining. Ask that same child to create a voicethread, wiki, or webquest on that same topic, and they can't wait to start.
Some of you may have noticed the Voicethread project included in the multicultural study of the year 1492. If you didn't look at it in the last post, take a look at it now http://ed.voicethread.com/share/379377/ . My daughter created this all by herself! I gave her the assignment, taught her how to use the technology, and just let her go! She loved this assignment, worked independently with enthusiasm and gusto, and was incredibly proud of the product. She didn't even mind doing all of the necessary reading and research. And boy, did she learn and remember the content. This is just one example of what home schoolers can do with the Internet and Web 2.0. Next time, some more information about Voicethread.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
6th Grade Curriculum for Real
Okay, this week I really will post the curriculum materials we used last year for sixth grade. In future blogs, I will comment on some of things we did, books we used, and the special projects my daughter completed, as well as explore other topics.
Evolution Unit
- Science: Exploring Creation with General Science, 2nd ed. by Dr. Jay L. Wile, Apologia
- Math: Saxon Home School 7/6
- Grammar: Voyages in English, Volume 6, Loyola Press Rex Barks: Diagramming Sentences Made Easy, Davenport
- Spelling: Spelling Workout Level G, Modern Curriculum Press
- Writing: Writing Strands Level 3, National Writing Institute
- Logic: Critical Thinking, Books 1 and 2, Harnadek, Critical Thinking Company
- Social Studies: The Story of the World, Vol 2, Wise Bauer, Peace Hill Press The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
- Geography: The Geography Coloring Book, 3rd ed., Kappit, Prentice Hall
- Jewish History: The Atlas of Great Jewish Communities, Leiman, UAHC Press
- Hebrew: Rosetta Stone Homeschool ed.
Assigned reading roughly followed the topics we were studying in history (The Medieval Period)
Beowulf
The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliffe
The Shadow of Ghadames by Joelle Stoeltz
The Horn of Roland by Jay Williams
The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French
Tales from India
The One Thousand and One Nights
Gods and Heroes from Viking Mythology
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
Magna Charta by Jame Daugherty
A Door in the Wall by Maurgarite De Angeli
When Plague Strikes by James Giblin
The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
Akbar Birbal
Shylock’s Daughter by Mirjam Pressler
Othello: A Novel by Julius Lester
I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Button de Trevino
Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Merchant of Venice Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds
Merchant of Venice DVD
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Manga Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Kate Brown
A Midsummer Night’s Dream DVD
Much Ado About Nothing by Williams Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing DVD
Multicultural Study of 1492
The World in 1492 by Jean Fritz, Katherine Paterson, and Pat McKissack
Encounter by Jane Yolen
The Other 1492: Jewish Settlement in the New World by Norman Finklestein
First Voyage to America: From the Log of the Santa Maria by Christopher Columbus
My daughter's Multicultural Voicethread: 1492 http://voicethread.com/share/379377/
Evolution Unit
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (skimmed)
Evolution by Joanna Cole
Evolution by Andre Llamas Ruiz
Charles Darwin by Don Nardo
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
6th Grade Curriculum
Oh my gosh! Where did the time go? I intend to publish by-weekly, but already I'm having trouble meeting my goal. I overdid my time on the computer in June, and ended up with tendonitis in my wrist, elbow, and shoulder. As a result, I avoided computer use and reorganized my workspace for better ergonomics.
I thought I'd start out with the curriculum materials I used last year, when my daughter was in the 6th grade. It was our first year home schooling, so I stayed pretty close to Wise Bauer's suggestions in The Well-Trained Mind (TWTM).
One exception was science; I think TWTM is pretty weak when it comes to science. We used Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science by Dr. Jay Wile. For those secularists or non-Christians out there, I know this probably would not be your first choice, but the science is excellent. Furthermore, my daughter went from saying, "I hate science. I always do bad in science. I can't do science" to absolutely loving science and saying it is her favorite subject. The experiments are particularly good, and most can be done with materials you already have in your kitchen.
As for the Christian slant... We're Jewish and believe that God created the world, so I didn't really have a problem with Dr. Wile's occasional comments about "God's awesome creation". However, I did pre-read each chapter, and had my daughter skip sections which were more like proofs for Jesus, the Savior. These section occurred rarely and, if I'm remembering correctly, were limited to one early chapter. Dr. Wile is very honest about his Christian bias and strives to present both sides of important debates like evolution v. creationism. When we studied the chapters on this very important topic, I supplemented my daughter's readings with the following texts:
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (skimmed)
Evolution by Joanna Cole
Evolution by Andre Llamas Ruiz
Charles Darwin by Don Nardo
We also read Evolutionism and Creationism by Ben Sonder which provides a good history of this debate. This book is published by Franklin Watts. They also have an excellent biography series that I will discuss later in this blog.
Our unit on evolution was very intensive. My daughter emerged from it able to fully explain the opposing views, discuss the history of the debate and the goals of each side, and to state succinctly her opinion and back it up with facts. We also had some great dinner table conversations with the family.
I've gone off on a tangent... the full curriculum will have to be my next post.
I thought I'd start out with the curriculum materials I used last year, when my daughter was in the 6th grade. It was our first year home schooling, so I stayed pretty close to Wise Bauer's suggestions in The Well-Trained Mind (TWTM).
One exception was science; I think TWTM is pretty weak when it comes to science. We used Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science by Dr. Jay Wile. For those secularists or non-Christians out there, I know this probably would not be your first choice, but the science is excellent. Furthermore, my daughter went from saying, "I hate science. I always do bad in science. I can't do science" to absolutely loving science and saying it is her favorite subject. The experiments are particularly good, and most can be done with materials you already have in your kitchen.
As for the Christian slant... We're Jewish and believe that God created the world, so I didn't really have a problem with Dr. Wile's occasional comments about "God's awesome creation". However, I did pre-read each chapter, and had my daughter skip sections which were more like proofs for Jesus, the Savior. These section occurred rarely and, if I'm remembering correctly, were limited to one early chapter. Dr. Wile is very honest about his Christian bias and strives to present both sides of important debates like evolution v. creationism. When we studied the chapters on this very important topic, I supplemented my daughter's readings with the following texts:
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (skimmed)
Evolution by Joanna Cole
Evolution by Andre Llamas Ruiz
Charles Darwin by Don Nardo
We also read Evolutionism and Creationism by Ben Sonder which provides a good history of this debate. This book is published by Franklin Watts. They also have an excellent biography series that I will discuss later in this blog.
Our unit on evolution was very intensive. My daughter emerged from it able to fully explain the opposing views, discuss the history of the debate and the goals of each side, and to state succinctly her opinion and back it up with facts. We also had some great dinner table conversations with the family.
I've gone off on a tangent... the full curriculum will have to be my next post.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Having just complete my first year of home schooling with my 12 year old daughter, I am eager to share some of our experiences and what I have learned. Believe me, we both went through quite an adjustment, especially becoming accustomed to being together all day, every day. We both had to acquire new roles, that of teacher and student, and to accept each other in those roles. All in all, I'd say everything went well. Not only did we survive, we both learned a lot, grew from our experiences, and lived to tell the tale...
The focus of this blog is not so much on our personal experiences, but on the materials (books, DVDs, curriculum, technology) we used. As a future media specialist, I bring a love of information in all of its formats and a fascination with Web 2.0 to our home school classroom (aka our kitchen). I really enjoyed supplementing the curriculum with literature, movies, information from the web, and outings. Using Web technologies was an excellent way to engage my daughter in the learning process while teaching her important technology skills that she will need to compete in the 21st century economy. She absolutely loved assignments which incorporated technology, and I think your kids will, too.
In the posts that follow, I plan to review the material we covered last year (6th grade), introduce concepts like Web 2.0 and 21st century learning and then go on to explore various curriculum topics, and the many fun and fascinating technologies on line (and how to use them). Please share your ideas. After all, I'm still a novice at both home schooling and information science, and have much to learn as well!
The focus of this blog is not so much on our personal experiences, but on the materials (books, DVDs, curriculum, technology) we used. As a future media specialist, I bring a love of information in all of its formats and a fascination with Web 2.0 to our home school classroom (aka our kitchen). I really enjoyed supplementing the curriculum with literature, movies, information from the web, and outings. Using Web technologies was an excellent way to engage my daughter in the learning process while teaching her important technology skills that she will need to compete in the 21st century economy. She absolutely loved assignments which incorporated technology, and I think your kids will, too.
In the posts that follow, I plan to review the material we covered last year (6th grade), introduce concepts like Web 2.0 and 21st century learning and then go on to explore various curriculum topics, and the many fun and fascinating technologies on line (and how to use them). Please share your ideas. After all, I'm still a novice at both home schooling and information science, and have much to learn as well!
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