Home School Online

Disrupting Class

webmaster — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:58:23 +0000

A few times a year, I focus on getting caught up in the latest thinking in education. Here’s what I’m finding: Disrupting Class is a book (and blog) by a HBS Professor, apparently the same who wrote the Disruptive Technology Business Book. I just ordered it and am excited. But, from listening to the interview, I fear [...]

Curriculum – What Curriculum?

webmaster — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:15:26 +0000

This post might disappoint or surprise you, I’m not promoting any curriculum here, not Abeka, not Time4Learning, nor Saxon. What’s on my mind is the question of what curriculum should be? Should our kids learn about subatomic particles as part of their education but not how to build a house or how a flush toilet [...]

Homeschool Parent Support Groups

webmaster — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:59:21 +0000

Time4Learning is doing something very cool. They’ve organized a state support group for each state. Essentially, they’ve provided a single venue for the potential and new homeschoolers that are looking to make contact and have a discussion about how it works in their state. It’s very friendly, go introduce yourselves. There is a both a [...]

Free Giveaway of SpellingCity Premium Accounts

webmaster — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:39:08 +0000

I read about this on Twitter and I’m retweeting or reposting it here. So: RT @SpellingCity, #spellingcity Win a free SpellingCity account for student record-keeping Why not start the new school year off by winning a free SpellingCity.com account for the student record-keeping feature? Are you feeling talented and lucky? How to Apply for the GiveAway. Write your [...]

SpellingCity adds student records

webmaster — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:48:21 +0000

I’ll admit that I think SpellingCity.com is just coolest site. I register for free and save word lists connected not just to spelling (actually, we don’t have spelling as a topic in my homeschool program) but related to literature, geography, history, math, science, and ethics. Also, holidays! I can have my kids take tests, play [...]

A sad fact: parents don’t care about education. They care about accreditation.

webmaster — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:04:35 +0000

It’s a sad fact that I observe daily: Most parents don’t care about education, they care about accreditation. I was talking about this yesterday to my kids and to other parents saying that personally, I’m not that focused on grades. I’m very focused on whether my kids engage and learn the materials covered in the [...]

I stink at Geography….

webmaster — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:36:22 +0000

I thought this was a great article by Kerry Jones so I thought I’d share it. I think she admirably models the skill of “going with the flow.” While some people feel education is about teaching discipline and forcing kids to learn stuff, I don’t. But I’m pretty sure that pure unschooling isn’t an adequate [...]

Favorite Homeschool Online Resources

webmaster — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:54:01 +0000

From a few different sources, I’m doing a little survey of what are your favorite online resources for homeschooling? I’d like it by category: Favorite parents discussions/forums/newgroups/communities? Favorite homeschool resource directories? Favorite paid sites with homeschooling curriculum materials? Favorite free homeschooling resources sites? Favorite homeschool blogs? Come on, contribute. Tell us what you think. Here’s my favorites: Parents forum: Parents Homeschool Forum & Secular Homeschooling Homeschool [...]

Trends in School Choice

webmaster — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:44:41 +0000

I can’t back up these stats but I’d be interested if anyone has real hard data, or thoughts on it. In the late 90s and early part of this century, there were three red hot trends in educational choice: homeschooling (charted by the US Gov’t as 2.2% in 2003 – homeschooling statistics) magnet schools charter schools They’ve each grown to [...]

Contribute to the National Gallery on Writing

webmaster — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:06:37 +0000

I just read about this which I think is cool. To celebrate composition in all its forms, we [The National Council of Teachers of Writing] are inviting diverse participants –students, teachers, parents, grandparents, service and industrial workers, managers, business owners, legislators, retirees, and many more — to submit a piece of writing to the National Gallery of [...]